McCully Heritage Project, South Trail System

This hike gives us an opportunity to get out into a very nice region of west-central Illinois and explore an area that not many people hike...and in fact not many people have ever heard of!

The McCully Heritage Project is a unique natural area of nearly 1000 acres of hills and hollows along the Illinois river in Calhoun County, near Kampsville, Illinois. You'll find many miles of scenic hiking trails winding through wooded hillsides, uplands, wetlands, grasslands and stream bottoms. PIcturesque overlooks along the bluffs provide nice views of the Illinois River Valley. The majority of the trails I've linked for the hike are Easy/Moderate, but the hilly terrain means that a couple of the trails we'll be hiking are rated firmly in the Moderate category due to the steepness and rocky trail surface. On the plus side, most are shaded by the mature forest and we'll take it slower on the steeper sections. Total distance will be about 5 miles.

The drive to McCully Heritage Project is about 1 hour and 25 minutes. After leaving the interstate and taking Rt 67 south, I find it to be a nice drive with rolling hills, excellent rural scenery and small towns. If you take Hwy 267 South you'll need to cross the river on the Kampsville Ferry, which runs about every 10 minutes, 24/7 and is free. Alternatively you can take Hwy 100 South and skip the ferry, but that's not as much fun. The drive from the ferry to the parking lot at McCully is only about 5 minutes. Look for my red Toyota Land Cruiser in the parking lot.

Apres-hike: Dick's Riverside Bar & Grill in Kampsville. To attend you'll need to RSVP on a separate Meetup event.