Golden Eagle Trail — Attraction in McHenry Township

Not a bad hike - went counter clockwise and appreciated the early incline. Trail was hard to enjoy in summer due to constant unrelenting insect activity of mosquitos and gnats. Especially the gnats that seemed to target eyes - 10 miles of that just made me pick up the pace so I could finish. Also note that large parts of trail are lined with stinging nettles - more of an annoyance but you may want to wear long pants - overall just wish the insect count was lower. Vistas weren't stunning at the middle of trail - highlights were walking along the creeks and the lush vegetation and narrow...

First overlook is breathtaking. This is a fairly hard trail with some awesome views. Best advice is to go clockwise. Get the big hill with the great view out of the way first. Then the second hill is out of the way and you can enjoy the scenery as the day starts to get hot. We hiked the loop in June. There are a few parts that are quite steep but overall it is very enjoyable. The map listed about 10.5 miles but at the end of the day we had gone a total of about 12 miles. We ran into some nettle at the end so I wish I had not...

Great vista's great work out. I do the short loop up to Raven rocks. It is about 4 miles. 1000 vertical. The bike trail at the bottom has a great cold spring to get a drink. Please watch for rattlesnake especially at the vista's. Please don't hurt them. That is their home. I do the trail clockwise. It you do the whole trail you may not go over the ridge to Raven rocks. Don't miss out do it. Also don't miss the 1st vista onthe left going clockwise right at the high point of the trail. It is...