Tunnel Hill State Trail

The Tunnel Hill State Trail has had many names; the Vincennes and Cairo Railroad, the Wabash, the St. Louis, Pacific, New York Central, Penn Central, Conrail,  the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis line (also known as the CCC & St. Louis or Big Four) the Southern Line, and finally Norfolk Southern Railroad.  The rumble of freight and coal cars reverberated through the narrow tunnels instead of footsteps.  Passengers in Pullman cars saw Southern Illinois' scenic landmarks, instead of bikers and dog walkers.

In 1991, Norfolk Southern gave the State of Illinois the railroad right-of-way between Harrisburg and Karnak, where it had abandoned operations. The Department of Natural Resources has worked to develop the railroad ballast as a trail for hikers, joggers and cyclists, surfacing the trail with crushed limestone and gravel, installing privy toilets and providing drinking water. The first segments of Tunnel Hill State Trail opened in 1998. The trail was completed in the fall of 2001.

I had the pleasure of finally getting to walk a small part of the trail while doing an engagement photo shoot for my childhood (best) friend.  I've been meaning to walk the trail for years, but it's quite the drive for us to get there, and the only bikes we own have motors, so it seems kind of silly to drive all the way over for a mile or so walk.  I was thrilled for it that day, though.

I believe there are several entrances to the trail, but we came in right by the tunnel.  For more than 50 years after the railroad was built, the tunnel was longer than 800 feet, but when a portion of the tunnel collapsed in 1929, the landmark was shortened by 300 feet. Now 543-feet long, it is the only tunnel on the trail. The tunnel is located 1/4 mile south of Tunnel Hill on the trail toward Vienna.  This is on the trail's highest point, exactly midway on the trail, 680 feet above sea level.  Apparently the slate filled hill was enough of a nuisance for the railroad that it was easier to tunnel through it rather than go around it.

Unfortunately I did not get to go any further than the tunnel, but from the DNR website I learned there are other unique features to the 45 mile long trail: "The 23 picturesque trestles along the completed sections of Tunnel Hill State Trail feature decking and side rails, which entice trail users to stop. The trestles range in length from 34 to 450 feet. The longest in Breeden Trestle, which is also the highest at 90 feet. It is located 2 1/2 miles south of Tunnel Hill. In addition to the large communities found along the 45 miles, there also are hamlets along the trail, including Bloomfield, Sanburn and Ledford. In addition, there are a handful of locations that could be described as ghost towns - Forman, Bender, Rago, Parker City and New Castle. All serve as landmarks to trail users. Interpretive signs along the length of the trail point out old coal mines and a sandstone quarry."

We took our pictures around the tunnel, and just a little beyond it.  It was after sunset and getting close to dark, as well as being cold (yet still unseasonably warm) since it was December.  We passed several people while on the trail, most of which had dogs happily trotting along with them.  On the way back to the parking lot, I was looking up and taking everything in, and we passed right underneath a barred owl.  I LOVE owls (and birds of prey in general) and hurried back to the car for my good camera lens.  Lucky for me, he was still there when I walked back, despite the fact a woman and several dogs had also passed beneath him.  DNR's website says many wild animals can be seen along the trail at various points during the year.

The trail can be biked in one day, and hiked in two or three, but be advised there is no camping facilities on the trail itself.  There are campgrounds nearby, but you would need to use the buddy system as far as vehicles are concerned, plotting out your stops each day and dropping a vehicle at each end of your hike.  Shawnee National Forest has three campgrounds within 10 miles of the trail: Lake of Eqypt, north of the community of Tunnel Hill; and Teal Pond and Bell Smith Springs, both southeast of New Burnside. A fourth, Lake Glendale , is about 15 miles east of Vienna. Also located in the same vicinity as Lake Glendale is Dixon Springs State Park. Two other state park campgrounds are about 10 miles from the trail: Ferne Clyffe, west of the community of Tunnel Hill; and Saline County Conservation Area, southeast of Harrisburg.  Horses are not allowed on the trail.

How to get there:

Highway 146 East
P.O. Box 671
Vienna, IL 62995
618.658.2168

Follow I-57 S and I-24 E to IL-146 W in Vienna.  (Take exit 16 from I-24)
Turn R onto IL-146 W.
You will see the trail's parking lot on the left.