The “rails to trails” movement is where governments take old railroads and make them into hiking or biking trails. It’s a great idea, not only because it utilizes old trails, but also because these trails tend to be through some incredibly scenic areas. Nowhere is that more pronounced than at Tunnel Hill State Trail in southern Illinois. Here is why you should walk or bike it.

1. The Tunnel Hill State Trail stretches 45 miles, and it goes from Harrisburg to Karnak.
The Tunnel Hill Trail/Facebook
2. In 1991, Norfolk Southern Railroad gave its land over to the state of Illinois, which completed the trail project in 2001.
Curtis Abert/Flickr
3. The route has 23 trestle bridges, one of which is 450 feet long.
Curtis Abert/Flickr
4. The trail offers a variety of landscapes, from prairies to woods to wetlands to swamps to bluffs.
Jeff Sharp/Flickr

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5. The trail is home to all sorts of wildlife including foxes, wild turkeys, and white-tailed deer.
Curtis Abert/Flickr
6. The trail goes through many ghost towns such as Forman, Bender, Rago, Parker City and New Castle.
Curtis Abert/Flickr
7. There is only one tunnel on the trail, but it is around 550 feet long.
Jeff Schwen/Wikimedia
8. Whether you split the trip up over a couple days or do it in one, you have to do the entirety of the trail.
The Tunnel Hill Trail/Facebook

Have you ever been on this trail?

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