Clinton Lake

Hike Name: Clinton Lake Location: central IL Length: 9.6 Submitted by: David A Milner Date Submitted: 0/0/00 Rating:	more Illinois trail reviews Illinois national parks Illinois state parks
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Description
Clinton Lake has been my favorite hike for Central Illinois. It is "probably" 9.6 miles for the entire loop. The sign says 13 miles but there is NO way it is that far. The trail meanders for 4+ miles along the east side of Clinton Lake before returning for 5+ miles on the west side. The trail is easy to follow, lightly traveled, and well marked. It is very hilly, for Central Illinois, with few flat areas. I have yet to complete a hike without seeing deer. Morels can be found in the area when in season. Low areas can be flooded out by heavy spring rains, especially on the western section. I never had any troubles getting around the flooded-out areas but I can imagine that there must be times when this could be a bigger problem.

I have hiked this trail probably 20 times over the last year. I keep returning as the distance and hills are a great workout for me. It is not a heavily traveled trail and this leads to problems in summer. I find the trail too thorny with heavy overgrowth from late June to September. This may not be a problem every year but in 2002 it certainly made July trips unpleasant. As was mentioned in a previous review, don't wear shorts from June to October as there are areas of thorns that will slice you up. It takes between 3 and 3.5 hours at a steady, uninterupted pace.

Directions to Hike
From Springfield: Take route 54 past Clinton. At the tiny (and I mean tiny) town of Birkbeck, take a left (only intersection around).

Take a right turn 1.5 miles after leaving 54. (You should see a sign for North Fork Boat Access Area.) After making this right turn, the parking lot will be on the right, 1.0 miles later.

Contact Information
Clinton Lake State Recreation Area.
Park Office
R.R 1, Box 4
DeWitt, IL. 61735
217-935-8722

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