Section Eight Woods - Cache River Basin

"Cache River State Natural Area is situated in southernmost Illinois within a floodplain carved long ago by glacial floodwater of the Ohio River. When the Ohio River adopted its present course, it left the Cache River to meander across rich and vast wetlands. Among the outstanding natural features are massive cypress trees whose flared bases, called buttresses, exceed 40 feet circumference. Many are more than 1,000 years old, including one that has earned the title of state champion bald cypress because of its huge trunk girth, towering height and heavily branched canopy."  That tree can be viewed quite closely while walking the new boardwalk at Section Eight Woods.

The boardwalk, damaged by flooding in both 2008 and 2011, with as much as eight feet of excess water rising and breaking the wooden walk and leaving behind extensive damage.  In 2012, it was reopened by fundraising and volunteer work by the IDNR, Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, Friends of the Cache, and Southern Illinois Audubon Society last year was completed with financial support from those partners and the “Wetland Warriors” at Creal Springs School.  We had never been to Section Eight, despite having been to, and loved, Heron Pond, which is part of the same river basin.

Over the last 100 years, 230,000 acres, more than half of the former wetlands in the Cache watershed have been lost to land-clearing and drainage projects.  The Post Creek cut-off, completed in 1916, was especially damaging to the wetlands because it diverted the upper segment of the Cache River directly into the Ohio River and isolated 40 miles of the shallow lower channel.  After World War II, the forests of southern Illinois began to disappear at an alarming rate; followed by a 10 year period between the 1960s and the1970s, where thousands of acres of floodplain forest in the Cache watershed were cleared, drained, and converted to agriculture.  With the loss of habitat, increased
sedimentation, and large scale fish kills it became clear that the health of the Cache River Wetlands was in critical condition. As a result, local citizens organized the Citizens Committee to Save the Cache to protect what remained of the Cache River Wetlands. By 1990, this citizen-based conservation effort received a significant boost with the establishment of the Refuge and the Cache River Wetlands Joint Venture. Today, through cooperative conservation, the tide of wetland
destruction is being reversed.  There's a whole lot more to the Basin than the few places we have been, which leaves lots of room for more adventures down South.

We were taking one of the Harley's down to Paducah for a cruise when Kevin unexpectedly pulled over at the entrance to Section Eight.  Unlike Heron Pond, which is far from the beaten path, Section Eight is right off the main road.  If you aren't watching for it though, you may miss it.  The parking area is small, and it's easier to see going one way over the other.

The boardwalk is nice, it's clean and wide, although we actually only met one other group of three, who entered as we were leaving.  It's pretty, and it's peaceful.  Not nearly as long a boardwalk as Heron Pond, you can meander in and out in 15 minutes or so, and that's taking your time.  But if your out there for bird or critter watching, or nature photography, you could conceivably spend some quality time uninterrupted.

How to get there:

Follow 37, Section Eight is just past Cypress Grove.

N 37° 18.195 W 089° 01.293

Hawk's Cave Trail

Hawk's Cave Trail is in Fern Clyffe State Park, in Goreville.  A place I've been many times, but had never taken this other trail.  In fact, there are several trails here I still need to explore.

Hawk's Cave is a short trail, probably a little less than a mile loop, about the same as the waterfall trail.  When you park in the lot, instead of hiking straight onto the waterfall trail, veer left and go across the stepping stones.  That trail will split into three, Hawk's Cave trail is on the far left.

The trail itself will Y a little ways into it, but it's a loop, you can't get lost.  Your only decision is really if you want to go uphill before or after exploring the cave (haha.  We chose before in which case you go right.)

You won't see the cave coming until your nearly in it.  That's the beauty of it.  This massive cave site so perfectly in the rock face that your just walking along minding your own business wondering when this cave will appear and Bam! Your in it.  It's massive.  It doesn't go back too terribly far, but it is move cave than overhang.  There's a lot of big stones that have fallen laying around that you can climb on and have fun with, just be careful, play at your own risk.  I don't have the slightest clue where the nearest hospital is or how long it would take them to get to you.

There's a smaller cave as you leave Hawk's Cave, I could see it from the trail (which is really pretty at that point) but we didn't go back to it, simply because I was doing a photo shoot at the time and light is never on our side.

Walking back down you'll cross a cute little footbridge crossing a stream.  The kids loved it, and had it been a little warmer, I'm sure would have been in it.

You go back down the hill you walked up, then meet back up at the main trail.  You should still have plenty of energy to go and see the waterfall. :)

Take rt 37 to Goreville, and follow it through town.  Just outside of town you'll see the sign for Fern Clyffe.  If you want more to see, Tunnel Hill State Trail isn't far!

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.

The Foundry House at Devil's Backbone

Unfortunately for some, when you search for 'Devil's backbone, grand tower, IL' all you really come up with is haunted ghost stories.  But you know, the Foundry House is much more than that, and honestly, despite being what most would call a 'sensitive,' I sure didn't see'feel'hear anything out of the ordinary at the site of the former home.  Except awe, that is.

We rode the Harley's down to Grand Tower on a particularly beautiful early fall day, just to find the Foundry House.  Devil's Backbone state park is easy to find, and it's actually really big and nice.  We parked in a big playground right next tot he river for a while, and walked around a bit.  While the park was easy to find, nothing I could find said where the foundry house or iron furnaces were, so we had to glean that information on our own.  We ended up asking a very knowledgeable camper.  From the park, the Bake Ovens are to the left, and the Foundry House to the right.

Grand Tower, at one time, was a booming river city (then call Evan's landing), boasting visits from such notable figures as Mark Twain and Ulysses S Grant.  It's hard to know who all came through the town, as most records of visitors and residents have been lost in fires and multiple floods.  We do know, however, that the Mississippi and the Bake Ovens were booming business.  In the 1800s the iron foundry was built on the side of the Devil's Backbone, and the superintendent of the foundry was built high atop a rocky outcrop nearby.  The house had to have once been quite majestic, with an almost 360 degree view of the river.  Few pictures exist anymore, unfortunately, and the one that does has been widely circulated.

We did not seek out the furnaces, as we've seen many before in the Garden of the Gods area.  What we came to see where the remains of the Foundry House.  From the park there is a narrow access road running to a small beach, the pipeline, than back into town.  The Foundry House is right on top of the hill the pipeline rests on.  You can't miss it, really.

So here's the legend that you will get on every other site you pull up about Grand Tower.  After the foundry was built, the superintendent built his home practically right on top of the outcropping called Devil's Backbone (which used to be a much longer, larger outcropping, but was largely blown away to make for better river traffic, as well as stone to be used for various endeavors.)  It was a huge two story house, clearly more than was needed for himself and daughter Esmerelda, but hey, if you have that kind of money, why not, right?  Word has it they came up the Mississippi by way of steamboat after Esmerelda's mother died, although without records, this whole tale could be made up, I have no idea.

Anyhow, Esmerelda falls in love with the pilot of a riverboat called the 'Spectre' (again, how do we know this? We don't.)  Her father, however, has chosen a well-to-do older gentleman as her betrothed, and forbids her to see said pilot.  She stays locked in her room, refusing to see anyone, despite the family having quite the social life beforehand.  She'd stay in her room for days, watching for the Spectre to travel up or down the river.  When a length of time had passed and she failed to see the ship, Esmerelda inquired to it's whereabouts, finding that it had been destroyed in a boiler fire, along with most of it's crew- including the pilot.  The young lady lost all desire to live, and on a stormy night not long after her room was found deserted.  Her broken body was found along the riverbanks the next morning.  

Many people claim to see or hear her at the foundry house ruins.  We saw no such thing.  The walls of the home, however, are quite visible, and we spent some time hiking around the top of the cliff. 

The backbone is overgrown, and while there is a path climbing up to the foundation, there really aren't any to speak of atop the rock, but it's small and you can forge your own path.  It's pretty dense with thorns in a few places though, though keep watch where you step.

How to get there:

It's not hard to find the backbone, follow rt 3 into grand tower, and there is a sign saying 'Devils Backbone Park' or you can go into town and follow signs to the park. Either way it's the same place, just two entrances.  The park road is where you will come in, and it goes straight into the park and also splits off to the right on a small one lane.  Follow the lane past the RV campground and around a curve to the beach.  There it will turn to rock and go up a big hill, and right on top of the hill is the access below the pipeline to the backbone/foundry house.  You can follow the same road straight out to 20th street and 3rd ave back to rt3 when you leave. :)

Makanda Boardwalk (Makanda Trading Co, Visions Art, Rainmaker's garden)

The community of Makanda began with the building of a boarding house and construction camp for the Illinois Central Railroad. In the earliest documents known, the valley was known as North Pass.  Cobden to the south was referred to as South Pass, and Alto Pass to the west was, of course, known as West Pass. Through each ran a line of the railroad. By 1857 the name had changed to Markanda or Markands; historians are not certain.  When the first official postmaster came to town in 1870 the name was Markauda. In 1872, it received its present name which allegedly was the name of the Indian chief last inhabiting the section.  The Village of Makanda was established in 1845 and incorporated Feb 7, 1888.

The prosperity of the community was tied closely to that of the railroad. Fortune offered the advantage of being only one day’s train ride from the market of Chicago.  Many items were shipped and sold from here, including flowers, and in springtime daffodils will still bloom in the valley, left over from the fields grown for sale.

At one time a large business community stretched up and down the valley and hillsides. In fact, a boardwalk used to extend from H. L. Bell’s Buildings to the entrance of Giant City State Park. Business thrived. There existed numerous general or grocery stores, a bank and a coffee shop, a shoe repair shop, 3 or 4 barbers, 3 doctors, a dentist, a druggist, an undertaker, a photographer, a grainery, a flour mill, a haberdashery (men’s clothing store), a blacksmith, several sweet potato storage houses, hotels, a plant nursery, a blacksmith, a police magistrate with a jail, and many other establishments.

Allan Stuck, sculptor and jeweler, said the railroad made an impact on Makanda’s economic climate. The trains ran daily to Chicago to ensure the fruit arrived fresh. Then technology allowed fruit to travel farther, bypassing the village.  “All of the farms down in Cobden, in Anna and Jonesboro seem to get more water than all of us in the little towns,” Stuck said. “Then refrigeration came into existence and Makanda stopped being important as a shipping area,” Stuck said.

Makanda went practically overnight from a shipping hub to a ghost town. Because of multiple floods and a fire that claimed businesses in the valley, prices were low and the population had dwindled. 

The affordability led several Southern Illinois University Carbondale artists to change their residences in the early 1970’s.  Shortly thereafter, Makanda found its resurgence as an artist haven. Dave Dardis, proprietor of Rainmaker Art Studio on the boardwalk, moved to Makanda with a few art school friends from SIUC in 1973.  He and his two partners rented out studio space for $40 a month. Because of the strong artist migration, Makanda is a thriving center for arts. Local art shop, Visions Art Gallery features works from more than 100 local artists.

 Makanda boasts two fairs per year in celebration of their rich arts and crafts foundations, with the annual spring Makanda Fest and the fall Vulture Fest. (Makanda Fest is the first weekend in May and Vulture Fest is the 3rd weekend in October)  The festivals feature live music, arts and crafts and in the fall, hundreds of black and turkey vultures. “I think that between our little village down here and the state park behind us, people just swarm down here,” Addington said.  Stuck said that the swarming was because “people with aesthetic senses automatically wanted to move in here.”

We spent an afternoon in Makanda and spent some time in several of the shops, and in Rainmaker's amazing garden behind the boardwalk.  

Makanda Trading Company

Makanda Trading Company offers a vast variety of art and gifts from around the world. There is something for everyone at the Makanda Trading Company. Open daily from 9am - 5pm.

618-351-0201

Visions Art Gallery

Visions Art Gallery features local artists and their works. Ranging from paintings, stained glass, to ceramics it is a must see on your visit to the valley of the arts. Open every weekend.

618-549-5523

PB&J

Rainmaker's Studio and Garden

Rain Maker Studio displays amazing metal work from jewelry, sculptures and fountains made by an internationally known artist. Visit the 1 acre sculpture garden year round. Open daily from 9am - 5pm

618-457-6282

There is so much more to enjoy in Makanda, we couldn't fit it all in to one afternoon!

How to get there:

Take I-57 to exit 45 onto 148.
Follow 148 North.
Turn left onto Grassy rd.
Twice you will turn/veer left to stay on Grassy.
Turn left onto Giant City rd.
Turn right onto S Church rd.
Continue on to Baptist Hill rd.
From here you will meet up with main street, go left for Allan Stuck's amazing art gallery or go right for the boardwalk!