Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Illinois / Shawnee National Forest

Godwin Trail and the Bald Knob–Clear Springs Wildernesses

Bald Knob and Clear Springs Wildernesses, Shawnee National Forest (near Alto Pass, Union County)

On the far west side of the Shawnee National Forest, two wildernesses meet along Hutchins Creek: Bald Knob, on the steep western slope of the hill topped by the Bald Knob Cross, and Clear Springs, which reaches west toward limestone bluffs above the Mississippi River valley. The Godwin Trail, part of the River to River Trail, crosses both. The River to River Trail Society suggests a loop of about 15 miles here for a two- to three-day weekend.

The Forest Service calls Bald Knob rugged and remote. Expect steep ridges and spotty signs.

The hike

The Forest Service calls Bald Knob a “rugged and remote wilderness” with Ozark-like terrain and slopes steeper than 80 percent, and says Clear Creek Valley views are best in leaf-off season. Wikipedia puts Bald Knob at 5,973 acres, Illinois’s second-largest wilderness, with Clear Springs bordering it to the north and west across Hutchins Creek. The Forest Service gives Clear Springs 4,730 acres, with elevations from 400 to over 900 feet, “narrow ridgetops, steep slopes and scenic creeks along the valleys,” and old stone foundations, fruit trees, abandoned roads, and family cemeteries from former homesteads.

The River to River Trail Society’s Godwin Trail brochure describes the Godwin Trail as the River to River Trail’s section from Bald Knob Road to Pine Hills Road. Trails into the valley “typically follow ridge lines with steep forested hills on both sides,” and Trail 372, along the valley floor, “mainly follows along Hutchins Creek with numerous views of it and crossings.” The brochure also points to Odie’s Place, an abandoned farm about half a mile north of the River to River crossing, with a shelter and old equipment.

Backpacker’s 2011 route, a 15.9-mile out-and-back from the east Godwin trailhead, enters the Bald Knob Wilderness at 0.1 mile, crosses Hutchins Creek at 2.6 miles, passes an early 20th-century homestead at 3.3 miles, and climbs to Inspiration Point, a 350-foot sandstone bluff with views over the LaRue-Pine Hills Natural Area. It notes a seasonal swimming hole at mile 2.9 and warns of blowdowns and “spotty signage,” advising hikers who get lost to follow drainages downhill to Hutchins Creek. Wilderness.net adds that limestone bluffs along Clear Springs’ western edge rise 400 feet with views of the Mississippi and Big Muddy Rivers.

David Hilt, who section-hiked the whole River to River Trail in 2023 and 2024, wrote that the Godwin section “amazed me with the views from the ridges.”

The Forest Service lists two trailheads for Bald Knob: a north end off the road to the Bald Knob Cross, and a south end via Brown Section Road and Rhine Road.

For a gentler trip nearby, see Giant City’s Red Cedar Trail.

Tips

Camping

There are no permits for dispersed camping in the Shawnee. Great River Road says dispersed tent camping is allowed in the Clear Springs Wilderness, and the Forest Service says overnight parking is available at the trailheads. The Godwin Trail brochure says there are no facilities or designated campsites, but “numerous ideal trailside camping areas” outside natural areas. Forest-wide, the Forest Service’s recreation guide says no primitive camping within 150 feet of water or in natural areas, and the occupancy order sets a 14-day limit in any 28 days. Wilderness rules ban bicycles, carts, and drones. Pack out everything.

Inside Intel: Backpacker’s 2011 trip camped on wide gravel bars above Hutchins Creek at about mile 3.6 and recommended “a thorough tick check.” Stay 150 feet back from the water, and pick high ground if rain is coming.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Steep ridges above Hutchins Creek:

The Forest Service says Bald Knob has slopes steeper than 80 percent, and Backpacker's route crosses Hutchins Creek at 2.6 miles before climbing to Inspiration Point. See how poles help on steep ground and crossings.

Get the trekking pole tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.