Red Hills State Park
I tried to find a park that I had not heard of, and stumbled upon Red Hills State Park, located in Sumner, Ill. It’s a bit of a drive., however, there are several other parks and nature preserves along the way. Add it to your list if you’re planning a multi-day camp and hike trip.
The Trails
.4 - 8 miles
The hiking-only trails are located on the north section of the park. The longest loop trail (Valley Springs) is 2.5 miles long with several smaller loops and cut-throughs connected. The hiking trails on the south section are shared with bikes and horses, but will add five - six more miles. The shared trails were closed when we visited, and online reviews said that it’s common to close those down due to poor trail conditions.
The north section trails were lovely. As the name promises, you will encounter rolling hills and the snowy, sweeping views are fantastic. The trail markings are primitive, so pay attention to the map at the trail entrance if you want to walk a particular route.
Things We Love
While visiting in the winter, this place was bird city. We saw dozens of cardinals, blue jays, and woodpeckers - who were only mildly bothered by our energetic pup. We also spotted several deer in the woods…which is always fun to see!
To get some extra mileage in, we ended up doing a few loops…and we didn’t mind at all because the trails are so pretty. Lots of huge old trees, meandering streams, and scenic views.
This park’s off-the-beaten-path location means that you’re not going to encounter many people. We had the whole north section to ourselves for the day (in the winter, I’m sure warmer weather brings in more folks).
Things to Know
The park is divided into two sections by a highway. Make sure to take a look at their online brochure to get a sense of where you want to park. In the winter, most of the south section activities were closed for the season. We parked and stayed on the north end.
There is a large campground, as well as primitive tent camping locations, and a cabin. We did not camp, but the accommodations looked nice. There are plenty of picnic shelters and vault toilets on-site as well.
If you’re traveling from Central Illinois, you can easily hit up Fox Ridge State Park or Warbler Ridge on your way to/from (these are just two of my favored places for hiking, but there are other preserves/parks in the area).