7 Kid-Friendly Hikes in Southern Illinois Are you looking for kid-friendly hikes in Southern Illinois? State parks are scattered throughout the Southern Illinois region. The Shawnee National Forest is vast, covering nearly 300,000 acres. Signage has never been the best, and sometimes, it’s hard to find a good hiking trail that’s appropriate for a little kid. But Southern Illinois, our state parks, and the Shawnee National Forest are full of kid-friendly hikes. In this guide, I’ll show you 7 of the most kid-friendly hikes in Southern Illinois, focusing on ease of use, fun stuff to look at, edu ..read more

Upcoming Events for the Total Solar Eclipse Weekend and Other Days For this week’s blog post, I’ve decided to share some of my last newsletter on the Total Solar Eclipse events that are occurring around southern Illinois and the Shawnee National Forest. It includes other events for the month of April, as well. I do encourage you to subscribe to my newsletter if you’re not already. It’s free! I hope you enjoy my blog post about events around the Total Solar Eclipse in southern Illinois. Now, here’s what y’all have been waiting for – the Total Solar Eclipse events: TOUR DE TUNNEL BIKE RIDE AP ..read more

The 2024 Dirty South Roubaix Recap I did the Dirty South Roubaix this year for the first time. This is my race recap of what I experienced and what my overall thoughts of the race were. A Roubaix (pronounced Roo Bay) is a mix of mud, dirty, paved, and mixed road surfaces. While the Dirty South mainly focuses on gravel and dirt terrain, there are some paved roads mixed in. Gravel biking isn’t exactly new, but it’s becoming more popular. It’s like road biking but with mixed terrain and bikes and tires capable of riding practically anywhere. Imagine having a road bike and a mountain bike all in ..read more

The Hiker’s Code: Unwritten Rules of Trail Etiquette To me, there’s something about going out on the trails, either solo or with friends, that will always hold a special place in my heart. It doesn’t matter if I’m having a good or bad day, I always look forward to spending time in nature. It clears my head and helps me focus on solving my troubles, plus there’s nothing like reaching the summit of a mountain and enjoying an epic view!  Other hikers spend their free time outdoors for many other reasons. Maybe they just want to grab some fresh air, do a quick workout, or get away from their ..read more

The Outdoor Economic Summit About a week ago or so, I sat in on the Outdoor Economic Summit at SIU’s Touch of Nature Educational Center in Makanda. It was put on by the folks at Southern Illinois Now, which is an organization with an aim to help people move to, stay in, and enjoy life in Southern Illinois. The topic of the Outdoor Economic Summit was, of course, the outdoor economy of Southern Illinois. I was invited to attend. I did so. I enjoyed every bit of it and was really happy to be a part of it. For those of you who couldn’t make it, this week’s blog post is a recap of what happened a ..read more

Hiking Gear Essentials: What to Pack for Your Next Adventure Are you carrying the important hiking gear essentials with you on your day hikes? The last thing you want to do is get stranded in the forest and not have the right tools to keep you safe and sound while you figure out a way out. Anything could happen, and you might even become unable to go far. If you carry the right hiking gear essentials, you can survive just about anything. In this guide, I’ll show you what hiking gear you should start packing with you on every hike you take. NOTE: Some of the links in this article are affiliat ..read more

Ultralight Backpacking Guide Ultralight backpacking is a type of multi-day hiking that emphasizes bringing less amounts of gear and focusing on lighter-weight items. The idea of going backpacking with ultralight in mind is for when you want to go faster, travel farther, and reduce weight on your body in the process. It’s not for everyone. Some of us require more gear for our trips. It can even test your comfort level, but if you try it and like it, it can be very beneficial for you. This guide is all about ultralight backpacking and how to get into it. NOTE: This guide contains affiliate link ..read more

13 Different Types of Hiking to Try Today There are many different types of hiking styles to choose from. Whether you’re into day hiking, backpacking, or specialized hiking, there is a style of hiking that is best for you. You might find yourself trying out many different types of hiking after you read this guide, too.   Why So Many Different Types of Hiking? There are many different types of hiking for many different reasons. Each hiking style presents a unique type of outdoor recreation for the individual user. Some styles are more challenging, while others are less challenging. Differ ..read more

How to Hike in the Winter: Your Ultimate Winter Hiking Guide Do you hike in the winter? Many do. Some don’t. For those that do hike during the winter, they enjoy many different benefits of winter hiking. Those benefits include fewer biting bugs, most snakes are asleep, big animals hibernate, and you can see everything better. Those who aren’t hiking in the winter are simply missing out and letting their hiking fitness go. Maybe they’re just too afraid of hiking in the cold? If that’s the case, they just need an ultimate guide on how to hike in the winter. That’s what this guide is for. Wheth ..read more

10 Amazing Southern Illinois Frozen Waterfalls Away from the Crowds Tis the season for Southern Illinois frozen waterfalls. As I’m writing this post, the temperature outside feels like -6 degrees. What does that mean aside from it being dangerously cold? It means water freezes quickly. That means waterfalls are frozen. When it’s this cold outside and we’ve had a few days of rain, you can definitely go see many Southern Illinois frozen waterfalls. However, there lies a problem. In order to see the amazing frozen waterfalls, you have to go where everyone else is going, right? Not really; I’ll s ..read more