North Forest Road

Total Miles
4.1

Elevation

215.78 ft

Duration

0.5 Hours

Technical Rating

1

Easy

Best Time

Summer, Fall, Spring

Trail Overview

North Forest Road is the gravel-based southern forest loop within the Illinois Trail of Tears State Forest. It features a one-way track from the eastern entry to the west exit on the paved State Forest Road. The area features a yearly closure from December 24th to the end of the wild Turkey Season (mid-May), and general public access is closed daily from 9 PM to 8 AM; permitted/paid guests are exempt and allowed during these hours. The road is mild, with only mild erosion on the hill portions of the track, but it makes up for this by being very scenic, featuring deep valleys with narrow ridge tops full of foliage and wildlife. The area is geared for camping and recreation, and features campsite plots along the loop labeled N-1 through N-9, with a second set of sights labeled Y-1 and Y-2, these feature vault toilets, BBQ pits, and picnic tables, with a few select sites featuring a small pavilion for extra accommodations. This portion of the Trail of Tears State Forest features horse-specific trails, so be observant of their potential presence, please approach them slowly, with care, to not spook the horses and cause their riders harm.

Photos of North Forest Road

North Forest Road
North Forest Road

Difficulty

The North Forest Road is given a 1/10 rating based on its general well-maintained condition. There are only mild examples of spots where the gravel fades to dirt or coarse natural gravel, and water erosion on the hills leading up to and down from the ridge top that the track mostly follows. The main downhill grade leaving the ridge top, had most of the gravel stripped off it, being primarily made of soft dirt and surface mud when documented in 11/2024, this spot almost gets into the 2/10 rating criteria, when extremely wet it would achieve this, but that is only occasional and not a normal average experience and is likely to be fixed in the off-season maintenance. In normality, It is safe to expect washboarding, potholes, and mounding of the gravel. In wet seasons and condition scenarios, the low water bridges at the entry can feature mild water depths and could increase difficulty.

History

"The area once was used intensively by prehistoric Native Americans, who were pushed south and west around 1803, as settlers of European descent entered. In 1838-39 the Cherokee, Creek, and Chickasaw nations were forced by the U.S. Army to move from the southeast to reservations in Oklahoma Territory. They overwintered at makeshift camps 2 miles south of the forest, where bitter cold and starvation claimed hundreds of lives. The cruel trek came to be known as the "Trail of Tears," an event now memorialized by the state forest's name. In 1929, the state purchased 3,000 acres, first known as the Kohn-Jackson Forest, later the Union State Forest, and finally, in 1978, the Trail of Tears State Forest. Beginning with World War I veterans in the early 1930s, a series of camps were established at the site, including the Civilians Conservation Corps (CCC), temporary work camps for World War II prisoners of war, and finally a state corrections youth camp, which closed in the late 1960s. The CCC, in particular, had a profound effect on the forest, as it built many of its stonework creek walls, log shelters, and roads." Sourced from: https://camp.exploremoreil.com/location/282

Technical Rating

1

Status Reports

There are no status reports yet for this trail.

Access Description

Navigate to the paved State Forest Road, then head to 37.48929, -89.33773. This is the one-way entry point into the North Forest Road. Enjoy.

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