Atwood Road SFR 266

Total Miles
1.6

Elevation

276.84 ft

Duration

0.75 Hours

Technical Rating

2

Easy

Best Time

Spring, Fall

Trail Overview

Atwood Road SFR 266 is a Shawnee National Forest state forest road that travels to the old Atwood lookout tower site. The hill's grade is one of the steepest and tallest in the area right at a 500-foot elevation climb within 1.5 miles. The road features sections of well-maintained gravel along with areas lacking gravel and being exposed to mud. Though there are no major washes or ruts, washboarding is present in several places and the gravel is rather loose on the steep grades and could pose a threat to 2WD, especially FWD vehicles, this should not be underrated, especially when the hill is wet, this being said the roadside ditches are deep (the valleys are deeper yet) and well kept to keep water flowing and away from carving into the gravel road. Leading to the tower there is also a low water bridge that could turn into a water crossing upon a heavy rainfall.

Difficulty

Are very steep grade for the area that has a few low traction areas due to loose gravel, also features a low water bridge at the trail entrance to add to the fun. A FWD car would struggle to climb this on a dry day do to the grade of the hill putting weight towards the back of said vehicle, my Jeep felt like it slipped a few times with it in 2WD upon climbing the main uphill section.

History

Historically this hilltop was used for a Fire Tower site between the 1930s until 1974 when the Forestry Service put it up for sale and required it to be dismantled in 180 days from purchase, though it stayed private for years in 1996 the land was reclaimed to become a historical part of Shawnee National Forest.

Technical Rating

2

Status Reports

There are no status reports yet for this trail.

Access Description

At the intersection of IL-146 west and Berryville Road, head south on Berryville Road for .1 mile, stay right, continue to follow Berryville Road for 1.2 miles, turn right onto Water Plant Lane, and continue for .5 mile until you see the low water bridge straight ahead and the water plant to your left, roughly at 37.43.931, -89.32573. Continue over the low water bridge to start the road.

Popular Trails

Go Farther

Try onX Offroad Elite for free for a week — no strings attached. Get access to thousands of off-road dirt trails and snowmobile trails across the nation. View your favorite zones in 3D. Send trails to friends. Start planning the trip of a lifetime now.