Giant City Park's Post Oak Trail
I've got a three-year-old who loves hiking. The Post Oak Trail is a short and easy trail with some beautiful views, and a little pond where you can see turtles and other wildlife. The best part about any trail though, in my opinion, is the off-trail possibilities. And the Post Oak Trail is much more than it appears on first glance if you're talking about off-trail.
I love walking and hiking. Breathing in beautiful views is therapeutic, and the better the view the more profound the therapy. One of my favorite places in the whole world is Land's End in San Francisco. The reason I love it so much is that it was very untamed whenever I had been there, which was probably most recently ten years ago. It was so impressive because you could take these trails that were just little indentations in the cliffside with unfettered views of the crashing surf just below you. Another incredible hiking venue is the Cinque Terre in Italy, which I have only visited once but where I plan to return. The ancient paths clipped onto the cliffsides and the variety of distractions along the trail, from olive gardens to sunbathing pools, make it something unique in the world as far as I can tell. As far as hiking hours, my biggest hiking destination is the King's Park in Belgium (officially know in English as the Sonian Forest). It's beautifully manicured by what I call the 'forest elves' since I hardly ever saw them and wasn't sure they existed, although I know they were always around. The gorgeous trails and enless off-trail hiking was so bountiful that it was never boring after 2.5 years of living just about 100 meters away.
The reason I like the Post Oak trail is because of its dexterity; it's got the cliffs and the views, and while being well manicured it's got some untamed areas on the off-trail. There is the main trail that is often times just enough for a nice easy hike. Or there's the long string of off-trail you can access (if you know where you're going) that runs along the top of one of the bluffs in the park. It's a straight trail that just goes up and back as far as I know, since I've never gone all the way to the end. There are some cliffside trails that make me grab on to my three-year old's hand as we pass, and some beautiful rock formations. There's no surf crashing below but it's a pleasant view, an easy hike, and good enough for rock climbers to set up their ropes and go careening over the side. Definitely worth a visit if you're looking for some nice nature in southern Illinois. More information is availalbe on the Giant City State Park website.
I love walking and hiking. Breathing in beautiful views is therapeutic, and the better the view the more profound the therapy. One of my favorite places in the whole world is Land's End in San Francisco. The reason I love it so much is that it was very untamed whenever I had been there, which was probably most recently ten years ago. It was so impressive because you could take these trails that were just little indentations in the cliffside with unfettered views of the crashing surf just below you. Another incredible hiking venue is the Cinque Terre in Italy, which I have only visited once but where I plan to return. The ancient paths clipped onto the cliffsides and the variety of distractions along the trail, from olive gardens to sunbathing pools, make it something unique in the world as far as I can tell. As far as hiking hours, my biggest hiking destination is the King's Park in Belgium (officially know in English as the Sonian Forest). It's beautifully manicured by what I call the 'forest elves' since I hardly ever saw them and wasn't sure they existed, although I know they were always around. The gorgeous trails and enless off-trail hiking was so bountiful that it was never boring after 2.5 years of living just about 100 meters away.
The reason I like the Post Oak trail is because of its dexterity; it's got the cliffs and the views, and while being well manicured it's got some untamed areas on the off-trail. There is the main trail that is often times just enough for a nice easy hike. Or there's the long string of off-trail you can access (if you know where you're going) that runs along the top of one of the bluffs in the park. It's a straight trail that just goes up and back as far as I know, since I've never gone all the way to the end. There are some cliffside trails that make me grab on to my three-year old's hand as we pass, and some beautiful rock formations. There's no surf crashing below but it's a pleasant view, an easy hike, and good enough for rock climbers to set up their ropes and go careening over the side. Definitely worth a visit if you're looking for some nice nature in southern Illinois. More information is availalbe on the Giant City State Park website.
posted by Amy at
5:09 AM
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