Touring Tuesday - Tunnel Hill Trail

Tunnel Hill Trail in Illinois

If you are looking for an interesting bike trail not too far away, consider the Tunnel Hill Trail in southern Illinois. It's a 45-mile trail that runs from Harrisburg to Karnak. It is built on a rail line that was donated by Norfolk Southern to the state of Illinois in 1991, after it had stopped using the line.The most notable feature of the trail is its single tunnel. The tunnel was over 800 feet long when it was originally built.  A portion of it collapsed in 1929 (The same year the stock market collapsed), and it is now only 543 feet long. The trail also has 23 trestles, with the largest being 450 feet long and 90 feet high. About half of the trail runs through the Shawnee National Forest.

For more information about the trail, please visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Tunnel Hill State Trail web page. Here's a two and a half minute video that shows cycling on the trail: