Hike, Wine, and Dine – A Day in Southern Illinois

Early one (almost) spring, Sunday morning, I woke up and had an itch to explore someplace new!  Even though there were local trails I still have yet to explore, I had my eye on a couple Illinois trails that featured waterfalls (according to All Trails App) and with the recent rains, I figured it would be a good time.

Our two older boys were spending the weekend with Papa and Grandma Judy so I thought it would be a great opportunity for Enrique and I to get out with our little guy Oakley.  Enrique was up to go hike, but when I suggested we cross state lines and head to Illinois to some places I’d been wanting to see, he was a little less than excited. I wanted to go to the Carbondale, IL area which is only about an hour and half away.  Not much different than when we go to St. Louis, but he didn’t want to be gone the entire day. Obviously, I won… Illinois here we come!!

I had marked several hikes in the same general area with no real plan for the day.  I knew for sure one hike I wanted to do and from there the plan was just to “wing it.”  After crossing the “Great Mississip” we made our way to our first hiking destination: Little Grand Canyon Trail.  

Little Grand Canyon trail is a 3 mile trail that features canyons, obviously, waterfalls, magnificent bluffs, and one beautiful view of the valley.  We found the trailhead easy enough and found both parking lots to be almost full. We parked on the lower parking lot directly in front of the trail, so that was the route we took.  A short distance later we came to the first of two canyons.

Pictures do not do the canyons justice.  It was gorgeous. The water over the rocks gave the impression you were walking over obsidian.  And the vibrant green moss….insert smiley face with heart eyes. However, there is a reason that the trail is rated as “difficult.”  Those obsidian rocks covered in water and moss…are SHARP and SLICK!! Hiking down the canyon was no easy task, especially for Enrique who was carrying Oakley in the carrier.  He even found himself sliding down a small waterfall on his backside at one point!

We had two soggy bottom boys after this hike!

After getting down the first canyon, we started walking along some magnificent bluffs in a creek/river bottom.  Considering all the rain we’d had the last several weeks, it was more than a little soggy and we found ourselves having to get off the trail often to avoid mud.  

When we got to the second canyon, it was just as beautiful as the first, but this time we had to go “up” the canyon.  Once again not an easy task. We met several other hikers always coming from the other direction and finally one young lady stopped and said for future reference, it’s easier starting the trail from the other direction.  Noted!!! We got a little lost going up the second canyon because we missed when the path left the canyon and we still kept going up through the middle of it. We knew something wasn’t right as it continued to narrow and we came to a point where we were going to have to climb over around 10 fallen trees to continue on.  

After backtracking a little ways we found the trail again.  From there we had a significant climb up the side of the hill to the one and only view on the trail.  One gets a good look at the valley below. From there it was a pretty strenuous uphill climb to the parking lot.  Two of the three of us finished with soggy bottoms…and it wasn’t me!

So a couple of pointers should you find yourself at Little Grand Canyon:

1. Use the trailhead found at the upper parking lot and go “clockwise” around the trail.
2. Be prepared to get possibly wet and/or muddy.
3. If you use the trailhead at the lower parking lot, be watching for trail markers to your right while going up the second canyon.

After we pulled out of the parking lot to head to our next hiking destination, I noticed a white wooden sign stating “Wine Trail.”  A mile down the road we saw a sign reading Pomona Winery was “Open.” I couldn’t help but pull in. Living in Missouri wine country ourselves, we decided not to pass up an opportunity to see what Illinois wine had to offer.  We weren’t disappointed.

Pomona Winery specializes in “fruit wines.”  No grapes. That sounded right up my ally. We were warmly greeted by a young man who gave us a rundown of our tasting options.  We decided just to do a tasting since we had more hiking to do. I’ve got to say, I’m not a big fan of dry wines or even semi-dry wines, but I enjoyed all the wines I tasted at Pomona.  When we got to the sweet dessert wines, I was already having trouble deciding which kind I was going to buy to take home, but my decision was made as soon as I tried their strawberry dessert wine.  O.M.G!! Dessert wines aren’t really my thing either, but there’s no way I wasn’t leaving without a bottle of that! Enrique purchased a bottle of his preferred dry wine, an aged apple wine.

While at Pomona we learned that apparently we were right in the middle of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.  The Wine Trail includes 11 different wineries that are all easily accessible within a single day. On this particular Sunday, they were all hosting a special event that included a food and wine pairing at each winery.

With a map of the wine trail in hand and a couple more hikes we wanted to do, we now had a new agenda for the day.  This was now going to be a hike and wine event!

Our next stop was Hickory Ridge Winery.  This winery was set in the middle of a field of grapes.  So obviously, this winery used grapes in their wines. They had a nice outdoor seating area with a fire pit.  We didn’t linger too long at this establishment because Oakley had found the bowl of free oyster crackers and was eating them by the handful!!  So, once again, we participated in another wine tasting, purchased a bottle of sweet table wine and headed down the road.

Our next stop was the Pomona Natural Bridge Trail.  At half a mile, this was the shortest, easiest hike we did for the day.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when we arrived, but a short walk to the bottom of a hillside and we came across a much larger natural bridge than I had expected. It was just wide enough that my height fears did not take hold.  We spent quite some time going over and under the bridge before we headed out. I would definitely recommend this short hike. It’s a little bit of an uphill climb to get back to the parking lot, but probably just about anybody could successfully complete this trail.

Our final wine stop was Kite Hill Vineyards.  It was a cozy little establishment next to a private lake.  We had another wine tasting, but instead of purchasing a bottle of wine, I was more intrigued by the Chambourcin Grape Jelly they offered.  However, the biggest stars at this particular vineyard are the turtles that sunbathe on a single log in the middle of the lake!!

After leaving the winery, we made our way to our final hiking destination for the day:  Rocky Bluff Trail in the Shawnee National Forest. This trail is almost two miles in length just outside of Carbondale.  It’s rated as easy, and I would agree it is a fairly easy trail which can be made even easier if you wish. We decided to take the loop counterclockwise, which I would suggest in order to end the hike with a bang!  The majority of the trail is just a nice “walk in the woods,” but the backside of the trail features the rocky bluffs along the creek that the trail is named for. They are beautiful. But the best part are the falls that we came to at the very end of the trail!  Gorgeous!!

There are several connector trails to shorten the length of the overall hike and if you just want to see the falls alone, just go down the stairs like you were going to hike the trail clockwise and they are right there!

So after a full day of wining and hiking, we were starved!  As usual, I always check out my TV Food Map App, and to my pleasure discovered that a featured restaurant was right up the road in Murphrysboro.  17th Street Bar and Grill has been featured on the shows “Best Thing I Ever Ate”, “Food Feuds” (they won), and “Food Paradise.” And it’s all about their ribs!!  Their ribs have won multiple national championships and are known throughout the country. So it was an easy decision…”Two Rib Dinners please!” We started off with a couple of appetizers of pimento cheese and sausage and smoked wings.  For sides we got some of their famous baked beans (which lived up to their name), mac and cheese, green beans, and probably the best potato salad I’ve ever had!

After dinner it was time to head back home.  Let me just say that after some gorgeous hiking, tasty wine, and a delicious dining experience, Enrique’s whines subsided quickly!  It wasn’t my intention to make a full day of it, but you never know what adventures come about when you set off with no particular plans.

Going forward, I’m rather intrigued by the idea of hike and wine events.  Obviously, that would be easy to accomplish where I am in Southeast Missouri and now the Shawnee Hills area.  Do you have other suggestions that offer a fair amount of hiking and wine trails?