Shared by Lois Guyon and Ruth Fennick

Trail riders who tell of their eight-hour, twenty-mile rides repeated over five days amaze us. Reports of parks with hundreds of miles of equestrian trails seem like trail overkill. As senior-citizen cowgirls, we view long distance riding in terms of how long it would take to walk again, if we could get off our horses after such a ride. We are astonished at trail riders who insist that a ride of anything less than twenty miles is not worth getting the horse tacked up. We listen intently to stories about riding fast. We hear tales of steep hills. All the while, we ride mostly slow, flat, and short.

We think there must be others like us, who can appreciate shorter, less demanding trails. Unfortunately, although such trails exist, too often they tend to be overlooked and underused. Small parks such as Catlin Park, southwest of Ottawa in LaSalle County, and the Putnam County Natural Lands Area, four miles west of McNabb, are examples of such underused short trails. These small trails have the advantage of being close to home for us. Within a half hour, we can be at the park ─ we are able to drop everything, load the horses, and be on the trail without traveling the length or width of the state to find a lengthy trail system. Having these short trails near our homes enables us to ride on safe, groomed trails several times a week. What we also understand is that these trails need to be used if they are to remain available to us. When we recently complimented the LaSalle County Board for providing such extraordinarily beautiful and meticulously maintained horse trails at Catlin Park, the Parks Committee Chair implored us to spread the word. Unless we use the park, the County has little justification to drain off much needed funds for its upkeep. We urge trail riders to seek out such trails or to develop more of their own. The one- or two-hour ride requires only a short trail. Not every ride needs to be a marathon. Not every rider needs to ride like the Man From Snowy River.

Both Catlin Park and the Putnam County Natural Lands Area offer well-groomed, safe trails that are perfect for the novice horse or rider, yet challenging enough for more seasoned riders. These scenic trails offer flat stretches, as well as enough hills for variety. The terrain is both open and wooded.

Catlin Park, which is open from May through October, is best accessed from the south unless your tow vehicle is able to pull your trailer up the steep hill from the north (see pages 38-39 in the Illinois Trail Riders’ Handbook). A designated grass horse trailer parking area is large enough to hold the trailers for a large group ride. Although there is no shade in the parking area, a shaded picnic area and toilet facilities are adjacent to the parking lot. Horses are not allowed in the picnic area, but they may be tied to the trailer within a few yards of the picnic tables. There is also a covered picnic shelter in a large grassy area on the trail. Horses may be tied to rails provided or hobbled to enjoy the grass while you rest in the shade and eat the contents of your saddlebag lunch. No camping is allowed in the park, but the trails are long enough for an enjoyable day ride, and overnight camping is available at nearby Matthiessen State Park (2-1/2 miles to the northwest; see pages 70-71 in the Illinois Trail Riders’ Handbook). Riding at Catlin Park is confined to trails and prohibited on roads. Water for your horse is available in a shallow creek that may be crossed numerous times. Bring your own drinking water. Professionally developed trail maps are available as you enter the lot. This is a good park for "deer training" your horse - any trip to the park will give your horse the opportunity to shy at a number of deer. Although this park has abundant flat trails through deciduous and pine forests, prairies, and creek beds, it also has its share of challenges. One of our favorite memories at Catlin is climbing "Oh, Heck Hill" for the first time. It is not uncommon for riders to be yelling, "Oh, heck!" (and less printable epithets) as their horses churn to the top.

The Putnam County Conservation Area is much smaller than Catlin Park, but trails are open all year, and unlike many parks, no hunting is allowed. The trails include open areas, a stand of pine trees, deciduous timber, and scenic views. The trails may be ridden one way and then ridden in reverse. Our horses think they are on a different trail. Actually, so do we - the trail looks different when ridden backwards. A designated horse trailer parking area is grassy with little shade. The staff at the park office will give you a trail map and suggest appropriate places to ride. Cross-country ski and hiking trails are off limits to horses. A small creek runs through the park, but do not count on it for your horse’s water during dry periods. We bring a small plastic barrel with our horses’ favorite barn water, but water may be carried from a hydrant. Camping is permitted with a $2.00 fee and advanced reservations. The park has no formal horse camping area, so consult with park staff for appropriate places to camp.

A short ride combined with a cookout or picnic can be an enjoyable trail experience. Riding these short trails provides a relaxing alternative to trail marathons and, at the same time, helps to insure their continued availability. As they say, use it or lose it.

Shared by Lyle Behl

This is summary of my visit with Steve Carey, Site Superintendent, at Sangchris Lake on April 3, 2003.

In mid-March, Steve presented a proposal to request funding for a low water crossing from the FY'03 Symms Trail Fund. According to Steve, the Symms Fund has $350,000 available for state-wide trail projects. All requests are held until April 15, then the lucky ones will be selected and our crossing could be one of them! Steve graciously gave me a copy of his proposal as well as took me to the proposed site of the crossing.

If anyone has been riding the East Clear Creek Trail lately, you have probably seen some red marks on several trees. That is the location of the proposed crossing. It is just a short distance downstream from the old illegal low water crossing.

Steve's proposal stressed that we needed safe access to other portions of the equestrian trail from our equestrian campsites. With this crossing, the two Clear Creek Trails will be linked as well as provide access to the 15 (plus) miles of the West Shoreline Trail. He indicated that currently there is no authorized crossing of the creek below the spillway. Riders are using unauthorized crossings to get to the other side of the creek, many times in unsafe areas. He mentioned that the crossing will also allow park staff to access both sides of the trail, saving man hours when doing trail rehabilitation.

At the proposed crossing site, the work will involve cutting a 100 foot long and 8 foot wide crossing through the creek bed. Geoweb material will be laid in the stream bed to provide solid underfooting. Approach and side slope work will also need to be done. Oversized rock and rock to fill the geoweb will also be required as well as fabric to cover the slopes. Equipment rental for the work will also be required. Estimated costs for this project are $11,200.

This is where we stand at the present time. I will be in touch with Steve and keep everyone informed about any progress that is being made. Hope everyone is spending some time riding!!!

Editor’s Note: Lye advised us that as of the publication date of the Newsletter, no word has been received regarding funding.

Shared by Charlie and Nancy Boland

Along with our friends, Jerry and Cindy Brown of Washington, IL, we had the opportunity to take a long weekend over Easter. Our pastime and passion is camping and trail riding, so naturally we incorporated the long weekend with our passion. We packed the trailer and made the four-hour pull to Southern Illinois. We had been hearing the rumors about the closing of trail crossings on Lusk Creek. The rumors could lead you to believe that there was no riding around Lusk Creek at all. We had to see for ourselves.

Our arrival at Bear Branch, Eddyville, Illinois was very timely. We arrived the afternoon of the court’s decision to re-open several crossings on Lusk Creek. Dick Manders, owner of Bear Branch, was very hospitable and informative. He gave us excellent directions and the latest information concerning Lusk Creek. Of course the crossings weren’t immediately opened for the Easter weekend so we were still restricted to the one crossing on the River To River Trail.

We camped next to some real nice folks from Indiana that had heard the same Lusk Creek rumors. They had just about decided not to come to the Shawnee because of those rumors. By Sunday we had all agreed that the rumors were greatly exaggerated.

The only reason we did not make it to all the areas around Lusk Creek that we have ridden before was time. We simply did not have enough time to ride it all. We did, however, ride to Indian Kitchen, Natural Bridge, Secret Canyon and other areas with names unknown to me. We did not make it to Salt Peter Cave, but again it was a time issue. We rode along both banks of Lusk Creek getting to and from those areas and found that the single crossing was no problem at all. We may have had to ride a little longer to get where we wanted to go but riding is why we were there. We adopted the philosophy, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

We only crossed Lusk Creek at the River To River Trail. Access to all of the areas we wanted to ride was easy and as always beautiful. Our timing was really good. The Dog Wood and the Red Bud trees were in full bloom. There are very few areas as beautiful as the Lusk Creek area, especially in early spring. Had we listened to the rumors we would have missed some great riding and terrific scenery. If you want to ride the Shawnee be sure to put the Lusk Creek area on your itinerary. Don’t listen to the rumors go see for yourself. The Lusk Creek area is not only beautiful, but it is also VERY ACCESSIBLE.