Beautiful! Gorgeous! Wish you were here!

Panda and went on a gorgeous hike in Illinois - Piney Creek Nature Reserve. This is the most beautiful mid-western hike I have ever been on. Although the trail head says the trail is difficult, I did not think it was too bad - it was quite nice. There was some elevation, but its a slow climb. The trail itself is pretty short, but there are several side trails that you can explore to make a day of it. The trail was extremely muddy, and during or after rain I am sure it is very slick so a walking stick would be a good idea.

Here are some pictures I took on our trek:

Piney Creek

View of the creek most of the hike follows. There was quite a bit of water, and many small cascades and waterfalls were visiable even with the relatively dry winter we've experienced. I can't wait to go back in the spring after some rain fall.

Prehistoric Petroglyphs and Pictographs
Early on in the hike, you can take a short side trail to see these prehistoric drawings. They are dated from AD500 - 1500 Unfortunately these drawings share the rock wall with graffite from later artists and passersby. Some is dated 1904, others are clearly more recent.

Leafy Pine Trees

After you hike along the creek for awhile (most of the hike), the trail leads you up through forest and views that allow you to see the snaking creek down below. Finally, you find yourself on a path through these leafy pine trees. It was beautiful.