Shabbona Trail
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The Chief Shabbona Trail is a hiking, bicycling, or canoing trail located between Joliet, Illinois and Morris, Illinois. The Shabbona Trail is a part of the 61 mile long National Park Service Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor.
Hiking, bicycling, and canoing are free. The trail is open year-round.
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[edit] Trail Length
The Shabbona Trail offers access points allowing a variety of trail lengths:
- 1 Mile: Stratton State Park to Gebhard Woods State Park
- 2 Miles: Stratton State Park to Gebhard Woods State Park and back
- 3 Miles: Gebhard Woods State Park to Chief Shabbona grave and back
- 6 Miles: Aux Sable Aqueduct (near Minooka, Illinois) to Gebhard Woods State Park
- 10 Miles: Dresden Lock to Gebhard Woods State Park
- 12 Miles: Gebhard Woods State Park to Aux Sable Aqueduct and back
- 15 Miles: Channahon State Park to Gebhard Woods State Park
- Can also be canoed
- 20 Miles:
- Interstate 55 frontage road access to Gebhard Woods State Park
- Gebhard Woods State Park to Dresden Lock and back
[edit] Trail Options
The Shabbona Trail is compacted gravel and remarkably well protected from traffic and the elements. There is only one point where a rural 2 lane road is crossed. The remained of the trail is on National Park Service Trails maintained by the State of Illinois. Trees line most of the trail. Much of the trail is near the Illinois River. You can:
- Hike or backpack
- Bicycle
- Canoe or kayak (up to 30 miles, round-trip)
- Cross-Country Ski
- Snow Mobile
[edit] Camping & Boating
Camping is available at:
- Channahon State Park
- Gebhard Woods State Park (30-acre site)
Illinois River boating access is available Stratton State Park.
[edit] Grave
Chief Shabbona's grave is in the center of Evergreen Cemetery in Morris, Illinois. It is marked by a large granite boulder. A brass marker at the base includes this information:
- Chief Shabbona
- Born 1775
- Died July 17, 1859
There is a marker 10 feet south showing other family members who are buried here.
[edit] History
The Chief Shabbona Historical Trail was established in the 1950’s by Troop 25. The trail is Nationally Approved by the Boy Scouts of America and follows the paths that Shabbona was known to have walked. Along the way, you will see full-size replicas of canal boats, working stone locks, and fully restored stone aqueducts. These sites date back to the when the Illinois and Michigan Canal was built in the mid-1800's.
[edit] Wildlife & Vegetation
Habitat ranges from open prairie grasslands to dense woods. The nearby Illinois River provides panoramic views in many areas.
The trail is shaded in most areas by a variety of trees including walnut, oak, ash, maple, sycamore, hawthorn and cottonwood. Springtime wildflowers include trillium, bluebell, white trout lily, violets, wild ginger, phlox, and toothwort. Songbirds, mallards, wood ducks, green herons and great blue herons feed and nest all along the trail.
You can fish for bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish and bullhead. Beaver, muskrat, mink, raccoon and deer can often be seen.
[edit] Flier
Chief Shabbona Trail Flier is a printable trail Map.
