Little Grand Canyon — Attraction in Murphysboro

This is a great trail loop but if you choose to do the whole loop, you'll be crossing a couple narrow rock ledges and climbing up and down slippery rocks in a bunch of places. And a warning: I highly suspect this trail is a bit more than 2.9 miles! It's probably closer to 6 miles.

There are two canyons on the loop, and there are two parking lots right next to each other. The canyon accessed by the lower parking lot stairs is an easy descent, maybe a half mile.

This canyon is fairly short with a few slippery spots along the way. Continue past the end of that canyon to see some beautiful cliff walls and eventually a majestic view of a winding stream far below in a lush valley. But then you get to the far end of the other canyon.

That's the canyon accessed from the stairs in the upper parking lot, and it definitely lives up to the name Little Grand Canyon! It's a much longer hike to this canyon starting from the upper parking lot. After maybe 2 or 3 miles of being generally downward winding and occasionally steep you reach a beautiful but precipitous lookout point. Continue downward and the trail becomes fairly narrow as it follows a steep ridge, including briefly climbing over a narrow rock ledge atop a steep slope. It's still maybe another half mile to the beginning of this canyon. This canyon is much longer and steeper but it is definitely...

We started the trail from the entrance closest to the restrooms. The first portion of the hike was pretty, but really not much to write home about. However, that all changed as we defended the first waterfall. The scenery was beautiful. As the hike progressed, we began to love the trail more and more. We loved that the trail goes up and down the rocks of the waterfall. Yes, they can be slippery, but I managed to keep my feet completely dry until the top of the last waterfall when I slipped and fully submerged my feet in the water. Portions of the trail were quite boggy and muddy, but could be avoided by stepping off the trail slightly. We didn’t have any issues following the trail signs, but there were a couple of places where there were additional options to venture off further. Regardless of which way you walk the trail, make sure to look back as you’ll see an entirely different perspective.

I would say that for anyone with bad knees, this may not be the best hike for you as you will need to descend and ascend two separate waterfalls.

Overall, we loved the trail. It took us just under two hours to complete the trail, and we felt we were able to fully enjoy many of the scenic sights. This was an incredible hike and one I would be sure to return to if we’re in...

We spent a week in Southern Illinois hiking in various locations in Shawnee National Forest. The loop trail of Little Grand Canyon was one of the most rewarding and beautiful. It is a 3.5 miles loop of moderate hike. You walk on a ridge, descend a waterfall to the floor of the canyon, walk a couple of miles, crossing a number of streams, walk up another waterfall, walk to the parking lot. Sounds easy but in winter or rain it could be dangerous because of ice and water level. We went in mid April and it was fine. We descended from the trailhead near the parking lot bathroom, I.e. clockwise direction, because the waterfall is not as steep on this side and we are better at climbing up steep slope. There are slippery patches you need to watch out for because after all it is a waterfall with moss growing on rocks. The wildflowers were blooming during our visit. Lots of Woodland Phlox. Along the canyon floor you see wonderful formation in the sandstone bluff. There is a picnic table on each trailhead. Parking is plenty. There is a view point on the first part before descending. You have a nice view of Mississippi...