Spring Ozark Tour features waterfalls, wildflowers
The Shawnee National Forest and a variety of interested citizens and civic groups have been working hard over the last several years to bring back the annual Trigg's Trails, Tours and Detours, also known as the Ozark Tours to Southern Illinois.
The original annual tours originated with Eldorado newspaperman L.O. Trigg who once a year, from 1931 to1949, conducted sight-seeing expeditions for many of the government officials and area boosters to some of the most remarkable sites in Southern Illinois. The purpose behind the tours was to highlight the special places of Southern Illinois, including both scenic and important historical sites and to encourage the establishment of a national forest. Col. Trigg was an early and enthusiastic promoter of a national forest in Southern Illinois and dedicated much of his life to showing others the beauties of the region. His dream was realized when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed the establishment of the Shawnee National Forest in 1939.
On Saturday April 18 a variety of outdoor enthusiasts from the U.S. Forest Service, Gallatin and Hardin County Tourism groups and the River-to-River Trail Society will host an Ozark Tour. The spring tour begins Saturday at 8 a.m. at Stonefort General Baptist Church in Stonefort, where participants will embark by bus for a day of hiking and exploration to several waterfalls in Southern Illinois. As in previous Ozark Tours, the Waterfalls and Wildflower Tour will visit some of the sites that Col. Trigg visited during the 1930s such as Jackson Hole, Cedar Falls and if time permits, Burden Falls as well as some not so well known landmarks such as Indian Falls. The day will conclude back in Stonefort, with a relaxing supper at the Stonefort General Baptist Church.
This tour is different from previous Ozark Tours in that access to the waterfalls is much more challenging and therefore the hikes are more strenuous. There will be a lot of cross-country hiking, climbing up and down and scrambling over steep rocky escarpments to reach each individual waterfall (and hopefully beautiful wildflowers along the way). Participants will need to wear sturdy hiking boots, long sleeved shirts and long pants. Packing a daypack with water is also recommended and don't forget a camera. Pre-registration is required and interested individuals can find more information or register by visiting the Illinois Ozarks tourism site at www.illinoisozarks.com or by calling 618-287-4333.
Sponsored by the Gallatin and Hardin County Tourism the cost of this one-day hiking tour is $40 per person and includes bus transportation, guided tour and wildflower identification, catered picnic lunch, souvenir T-shirt, and a good ol' church supper at Stonefort General Baptist Church.