Shawnee National Forest 2021

A Memorial Day weekend deep in the Shawnee National Forest, in the wild southern tip of Illinois that most people never picture when they think of the state. The Garden of the Gods was the highlight — sandstone hoodoos and cliff-top views out over an ocean of trees.

The rest of the weekend was all slot canyons and time-carved rock shelters, mossy grottoes and clear creeks, and green forest trails still dripping from the spring rains. Big scenery, and close to home.

This trip ran 3 days, May 29–31, 2021. Along the way we spent time at Forest Trails & Canyons, Rock Shelters & Creeks, and Garden of the Gods. The gallery below tells it day by day, in 59 photographs.