The Tunnel Hill State Trail is a bicycle trail running from Eldorado to Karnak,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The trail runs along the former bed of a part of the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad, a transportation unit led during its early years by

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

General Ambrose Burnside. The Cairo & Vincennes became a branch line of the Southern Railway before its trail section shut down in the late 1900s. The northeast end of the trail is in Eldorado, on Trolley Road just north of U.S. Route 45. (). The southwest end of the trail is west of Karnak just off Illinois Route 37 at the Cache river wetlands center (). The trail connects to several trails including the River to River Trail; the Illinois southern route of the American Discovery Trail; the U.S. Bicycle Route 76 (part of the TransAmerica Bike Route); and the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. The trail is long. The trail is suitable for both hiking and gravel cycling. The trail surface is crushed limestone. During the summer, the surface is hard packed and easily ridden on a road bicycle. However, at other times of the year, the trail may be soft and is better navigated on a gravel bike, mountain bike or hybrid. Parking is available at several locations. (Vienna, Karnak, Cache river center, Tunnel Hill, New Burnside, Stonefort, Carrier Mills, Harrisburg, and Eldorado) However, full services (restaurants, lodging, groceries) are only available in Harrisburg, Carrier Mills, and Vienna. There are limited services elsewhere along the trail. (Soda machines in Stonefort and Karnak)

References

External links

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American Trails-National Recreation TrailsMap from the League of Illinois Bicyclists website - pdfRails-to-Trails Conservancy
Rail trails in Illinois State parks of Illinois Protected areas of Johnson County, Illinois Protected areas of Pulaski County, Illinois Protected areas of Saline County, Illinois Protected areas of Williamson County, Illinois National Recreation Trails in Illinois Long-distance trails in the United States {{WilliamsonCountyIL-geo-stub