Hi all,
I'm located in central Illinois and wanted to do a 2 night 2 day backpacking getaway this weekend. Right now I'm planning for Hoosier National Forest, but I'm unsure which trails would offer the best scenery/have the least amount of traffic. Being able to camp backcountry and make fires is a big plus for me, which is why I was looking at the Charles C. Deam wilderness. The summitpost review of the area however is less than great, so if anyone has ideas for good trails in Hoosier, please chime in! I'm looking to do about 15 miles a day.


It doesn't have to be hoosier, anywhere within 3.5 hours from central Illinois would work too.

Thanks!
Varun

check out the Knobstone trail, a 50 plus hiking trail in southern Indiana

goes like this, Day 1: Spurgeon Hollow JWSF south to Elk Creek, SFWA, 13-15miles
Day 2: Elk Creek SFWA south to Leota trailhead, 7miles
Day 3: Leota Trailhead south to New Chapel trailhead, 9 miles
Day 4: New Chapel Trailhead south to Jackson Road Trailhead, 13 miles
day 5: Jackson Road Trailhead south to Deam Lake SRA, 5 miles

take your pick on where to start.

For southern Illinos check out the river to river trail in the Shawnee National Forest

Plan ahead for water on the Knobstone, especially this time of year.

I went tot he Deam wilderness on Memorial Day weekend and it was empty. I'm guessing you won't encounter many people out there either. It was really nice besides the boaters that come party on the peninsula.

Hi everyone,
Thanks for the advice. Since I don't have the time to do a thru-hike, I'll have to hike one way and back to the trailhead. With both the knobstone and river-to-river, it looks like I'll have to hike the same trail on the way back. Normally most trails are pretty boring to hike both ways, but if you've hiked it both ways, how did it feel on the return?

Thanks,
Varun