Biking the Tunnel Hill State Trail in Illinois

• Date Biked:  May 16 & 17, 2022
• Posted Mileage: 45
• Total miles Tracked: 51, over three sessions
• Type of Trail: Rail trail, crushed gravel
• Conveniences:  Picnic tables, restrooms
• Best Features:  A nice mix of scenic terrain
• Worst Features:  Watch out for the mosquitos on the southern end!
• Wildlife spotted:  Various snakes 
• Vegetation: Hardwoods, wildflowers
• Associated Website:   Tunnel Hill State Trail - Parks (illinois.gov)
• Primary Author:  James

Back in May, Cheryl and I drove to St. Louis for Fan Expo. On the way home, we stopped in Vienna, Illinois to check off one of the long rail trails we've had on our list for a while, the Tunnel Hill State Trail. 

This is a 45-mile trail from Harrisburg to Karnak, with a spur north to El Dorado. Despite the trail passing through two decent sized towns, Harrisburg and Vienna, we were unable to find a shuttle service. Cheryl asked on the Rails to Trail site on Facebook for help locating a shuttle, and a local bike rider named Jeanne volunteered to drive us to Harrisburg so we could bike back to Vienna, where we were staying at the Perkins House Inn, a bed and breakfast not too far off the trail. 

We stayed in the Bicycle themed room

Homemade coffee cake at the Perkins House Inn

Driving up, we discussed all the wildlife we might encounter, bears, bobcats, eagles, deer, and various snakes. Alas, all the mammals decided to hang out elsewhere while we biked, leaving us primarily to spot snakes (a rat snake, a rough green snake, and a scarlet milk snake). We skipped the El Dorado segment, which looked on Google maps to run primarily along a highway rather than through the more scenic territory to the south. 

The Harrisburg segment is also right next to a highway. You're riding along the back side of fast-food restaurants and gas stations. It's not scenic, but it is convenient to hop off the trail for a bit to eat before buckling in for the 35 miles of rural country between Harrisburg and Vienna. 

Once you leave Harrisburg, you swifty enter forests and farmland, and for the most part you're riding up a gentle grade. There are some road crossings, but we didn't encounter any traffic. The trail is mostly shady. The crushed surface is fine for most bikes. Wide tires would be best, but I've ridden a bike with skinny tires on worse surfaces. Over time, the fact that you're going uphill with no meaningful downhill portions starts to become evident in your legs. Fortunately, this uphill does eventually pay off when you reach the eponymous tunnel that the trail is named for. This is the highest part of the ride, so you can now look forward to many miles of downhill as you head on to Vienna. 

The tunnel itself is just long enough that you probably will want to bring a bike light, but not so long you can't grit your teeth and plunge forward chasing the circle of light at the end of the tunnel. 

Heading south from the tunnel, you quickly arrive at Sandburg Junction, where ice cream and bottled water is for sale on an honor system. Chow down on an ice cream sandwich, then hop back on the trail for several of the most scenic miles of trail as you descend into Vienna. Vienna has a nice trailhead and park.

If you still have it in you to keep riding, the trail continues on from Viena to the small town of Karnak, then onto a connection trail that ends at the Barkhausen Cache River Wetlands Center. The terrain of this section is completely different from the gentle mountains of the tunnel. Now, you're in perfectly flat fields and wetlands, an easy ride. But bring bug spray! We actually tackled part of this section after we ate dinner on the first day of our ride, and as the sun was going down the mosquitoes were waking up and we cut our ride short while we still had a few pints of blood. We returned the following morning, doused in Deep Woods Off, only to find the trail bugless and extremely pleasant in the cool morning air. 

If there was an official shuttle service, this would be an excellent one-day ride from end to end. If you have strong legs and lungs, I imagine there are some people who could tackle this as a single day, out and back ride. But, taking two days to tackle the full trail gives you more time to see everything and enjoy the scenery. It's well worth the journey!