Review Date
April 12, 2012

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: artistdrs ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
i finally completed this whole trail and it was probably the best workout of my entire life. Its an awesome trail with some pretty tricky downhill sections and some near impossible uphill sections. you will have to get off and push your bike because many of the hills are just too complicated to enjoy riding but its an out and back trail so you get to enjoy them on the way back. there are some pretty fast sections with small jumps and some of the hills are pretty difficult to ride down due to a bunch of rocks roots holes and washouts and sharp turns you have to choose your path wisely. the rocks are very hard on tires its best to have dual suspension. this trail is relatively well taken care of but very difficult in some areas especially if u try to ride up all the hills. awesome ride tho

Recommended Route:
I dont really know a good route to take just bring a gps and type in rowen cemetary in makanda illinois i dont give good directions cuz i dont know the names of any of the roads

Other recommended trails in the same area:
I heard lake kinkaid was fun i havent rode there yet but i want to

Review Date
September 22, 2010

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: lift2win ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
this is the best trail i have yet to ride in illinois!. lots of challenging parts, lots of high speed, lots of climbs and more trail then u will ever need. i ride this trail about 3 times a week and is still the best one that i can find in southern illinois!!

Recommended Route:
start at the rowan cemetary trail head and just follow the trail

Review Date
July 9, 2009

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: poontank ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
You'll never find the trail head if you follow the written directions on MTBR.com. Instead, you need to go North on old US Hwy 51 in Makanda as shown on the map not Cobden as in the written instructions. If you find yourself in Cobden, you are too far south. Turn around and go back north on US 51. After turning onto West on to North Old US Hwy 51 you will find McGuire Rd. not McGuywer Rd as stated in the above written instructions. Turn left (east) on McGuire Rd then another left (south) on Rowan Rd. The trail head is about 1/2 down Rowan Rd on the right side (west side) of the road.


This trail is in need of some IMBA trail care crew love. On both the downhill and uphill sections erosion is taking a big toll on these trails. They need to be redesigned to be sustainable. That being said the trail is actually a blast to ride. There are rocky challenging climbs and fast downhill sections. A few stream crossings keep things interesting while a flat sections here and there allow you to catch your breathe. If you are ever in southern Illinois it is worth checking out.

Review Date
May 22, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: unezridr ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
From my most recent experience, this should be described as a horse trail that allows mountain bikers. The steep technical climbs were seriously torn up by horse hooves. There were trail "pies" every 1/2 mile or so. Worst was being behind a large group of 10 or so horse riders with no room on single track for them to allow me by without spooking the animals. When they pulled off at the spillway I tried many "thank you's" and smiles but all I received in return were hateful grimaces. (I'm sure they think that MTBers are messing up their trail).

Other than that, it was a nice ride, although in need of some maintenance/repair. Plenty of fun to be had once the view (and smell) improved from horses' a$$ to cedar trees.

Review Date
August 6, 2005

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: eherbst ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I went down there with my wife earlier this week, and we rode only the section between Boat Dock Road and the slickrock spillway. I found it to be a blast; loved the ups & downs, rocky sections, creek crossings, etc. My wife got a little frustrated on the way out (we started at Boat Dock Road, and from there it's quite a bit more uphill than down until you get to the doubletrack). But on the way back she enjoyed it quite a bit more. The forest is beautiful, as is the lake. I would love to get back down there and explore the rest of the trail sometime soon.

Recommended Route:
see Shawnee Mountain Bike Association's website, www.smbatrails.com, for directions and recommended routes.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Kinkaid Lake