bridgmanoutdooradventures-blog

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I ventured my way to the peak of a dead tree. It became a little wobbly up top! Shoutout to Stark waiting for me at the bottom

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Wish I had one of these for life

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Stairway ascending to the side of a waterfall at Rocky Bluff Trail.

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Life is so much more enjoyable when you go out and enjoy it.

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A look at a rock that overshadows Rocky Bluff Trail. I didn't notice on my initial look, but after reviewing the photos, it appears to look like a turtle!

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Stark enjoying himself at a rock overhanging the creek. This would be a wonderful place to sit with a book, or work on writing.

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This is one of the creek crossings right at the beginning of Rocky Bluff Trail that I described in the original post.

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Hello, I am beginning this tumblr page to post my experiences, photos, tips, and thoughts on my outdoor adventures! I thoroughly enjoy hiking, camping, and kayak fishing. I will be documenting future excursions, and gear purchases on this page. Hope you enjoy!

Today I embarked on a hike in southern Illinois with my miniature pinscher mix, Stark! We decided to hike a nearby recommended on my AllTrails app. The photo above depicts the scenic route, entitled Rocky Bluff Trail, to be 1.4 miles, however on the Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge site, it is listed as 2.2 miles. I am inclined to believe that the website is accurate based on the time it took me to complete. For future reference, Ill have to track my hikes with gps.

The sign described the trail as moderate to difficult, however, I would personally rate it easy-moderate. The first third of the trail is fairly uneventful, giving the trail an appearance of a runner and family friendly trail (which it did prove to be). The first third begins with a manmade bridge over a small creek and then a crossing of another small creek before leading to a slightly upward climb through mostly just trees until about the halfway point.

Along the first half of the trail I observed very clear cut pathways littered with small white wildflowers beginning to bloom on the sides of the trail. The trees had potential to be beautiful had they been in bloom, or possibly covered in ice and snow in winter months. The lack of leaves still left the trail pleasing to look at, opening up better views of the bluffs and hills.

The second half of the trail is by far the more interesting portion. Approximately halfway, a clearly marked  stopping point leads to a bench overseeing a magnificent hill that foreshadows the downward portion of the hike. The downward portion takes a series of twists and turns, crossing a few man made bridges before coming alongside a creek, which you stay alongside for most the rest of the trip. Shortly after coming alongside the creek, there is a small side trail that leads to a rock cliff overlooking the creek. I stopped and sat there for a while, making mental notes to come back to this spot for a little reading or writing.

Along the way, the trail continues to wind along leaving the creek on your right, and scenic hills and rock walls on your left. At the end, you are given the option to take a marked shortcut back, or finish the original trail. I opted for the latter, and I pity whomever does not. The trail climaxes at an opening that reveals an open area ending with a 50 foot or so waterfall in front of you. A manmade rock staircase takes you up alongside the waterfall, and leads you to the end of the loop, back where you started. (I also pity the fool who accidentally goes the wrong way around, with the waterfall first and the uneventful straights last.

Overall, I would give this trail 4 stars out of five. This trail is very well maintained, with very clear paths and signage letting you know where you are at, and where the nearest resting points with provided benches are at. This trail is very suitable for families, dogs (I witnessed two dogs aside from Stark on our trek) or just a nice Sunday stroll. Along the way I also witnessed a couple older ladies, a family, and an older gentleman with a dog named sophie (whom I believe stark fell in love with.)