Trail work begins at Garden of the Gods

The Shawnee National Forest (Forest) will be working on sections of the Garden of the Gods' Observation Trail from June 1 through June 20.

The trail will continue to be open for visitor use, but short sections where the work is occurring will be temporarily flagged off. Visitors can expect to see a small crew of workers with equipment along the trail. Visitors are asked to please avoid the flagged areas for their protection, but enjoy the reminder of the trail.

The work is being done to replace sections of the flagstones along the trail where the constant weathering and surface water runoff have caused issues.

For questions on the Observation Trail work or Garden of the Gods Recreation Area, please contact the Hidden Springs Ranger Station at (618) 658-2111.

Administered by the USDA Forest Service, the Shawnee National Forest is one of 155 national forests nationwide. As the only national forest in Illinois, the Shawnee offers numerous avenues for connecting with the natural world through its 280,000 acres of varied landscape. To discover more about the Shawnee National Forest, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/shawnee.