About hiking in Union County

Union County, Illinois has 34 named trails tagged for hiking, covering 86.3 miles, an average of 2.5 miles each. The longest is River to River Segment 7 - Alto Pass to Devil's Backbone, at 14.1 miles. 4 run 5 miles or longer.

What the hiking trails in Union County are like

By length, 13 are under a mile, 17 run 1 to 5 miles, and 4 are 5 miles or longer.

Every one carries a difficulty rating: 12 easy, 20 moderate, and 2 hard. Of the 34 with measured elevation, River to River Segment 5 - Ferne Clyffe to Giant City climbs the most, about 3,199 ft, and 5 gain 1,000 ft or more.

All 34 hiking trails, longest first

River to River Segment 7 - Alto Pass to Devil's BackboneHike14.1 mi River to River Segment 5 - Ferne Clyffe to Giant CityHike14.0 mi River to River TrailHike11.4 mi Godwin Trail/River to River TrailHike6.7 mi Illinois Ozark/Hard TimesHike3.9 mi Ranbarger Hollow TrailHike3.8 mi Bald Knob TrailHike3.1 mi White Pine TrailHike2.9 mi Giant City Nature TrailHike2.3 mi Iron MountainHike2.3 mi Hutchins Creek TrailHike2.2 mi King Hollow TrailHike2.0 mi Lyerla Chapel TrailHike1.6 mi Hickory Bottoms TrailsHike1.4 mi Pine Knoll TrailHike1.4 mi Bridgeman TrailHike1.3 mi Ripple HollowHike1.2 mi North Ripple HollowHike1.1 mi Cross Country TrailHike1.1 mi Lead Mine TrailHike1.1 mi Panther LoopHike1.0 mi 235aHike1.0 mi Panther Den TrailHike0.9 mi Inspiration PointHike0.8 mi Fire Trail 12Hike0.7 mi Illinois Ozark/Hard TimeHike0.5 mi Spring House TrailHike0.5 mi Quetil TrailHike0.5 mi Ozark Hills TrailHike0.4 mi CCC Heritage TrailHike0.4 mi Kaolin TrailHike0.4 mi Crooked TreeHike0.2 mi River to River Spur TrailHike0.2 mi River to RiverHike0.1 mi

← All Union County trails

Trail geometry from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed ODbL. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Compiled and published by Trailmonger · trail data last rebuilt October 25, 2026.