Nature trails are plentiful in the Illinois town of Carbondale. Let’s just say the home of Southern Illinois University is well preserved, in a natural sense. It certainly helps that Green Earth, Inc., has created nature preserves featuring several hiking trails that are generally short and easy to walk. Founded in 1974, Green Earth is a not-for-profit organization that’s responsible for a significant chunk of Carbondale’s outdoor recreation offerings. Nearly all of the trails listed below are accommodating to families with children, with varied landscapes and peaceful settings.
The Herbie Beyler Trail is named after a founding member of Green Earth. The 0.6-mile loop features varying habitats within the Brush Hill Nature Preserve and is moderately difficult.
The 1.8-mile, out-and-back David Kenney is considerably longer than most trails in Carbondale and also connects to some shorter trails in the Chautauqua Bottoms Nature Preserve.
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9. Fernlands Preserve Trail
Green Earth's Fernlands Nature Preserve, 468 Kennedy Rd, Carbondale, IL 62903, USA
The Fernlands Preserve Trail is a 0.8-mile, out-and-back trail that goes through three distinct areas of the preserve.
In all, Green Earth operates six sites in the Carbondale area, covering 220 acres. The land conservation organization was launched with a $102,000 grant from the town and used some of that money to acquire Brush Hill, then used investments and donations to fund its expansion. Here’s another hike to a waterfall not far from Carbondale and a great lake to visit in the town.
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