Hike Location: Mississippi Palisades State Park
Geographic Location: north of Savanna, IL (42.12740, -90.15642)
Length: 2.2 miles
Difficulty: 9/10 (Difficult)
Date Hiked: May 2019
Overview: A pair of short but steep loops climbing rocky
bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River.
Park Information: https://dnr.illinois.gov/parks/park.mississippipalisades.html
Directions to the trailhead: From Savanna, take SR 84
north 2.4 miles to the south entrance for Mississippi Palisades State
Park. Turn right to enter the park, then
park in the first perpendicular parking lot on the right. This parking lot serves a picnic shelter and
the trailheads for this hike.
The hike: The
steep, rocky bluffs and towering stone spires that sit beside the Mississippi
River near the mouth of the Apple River have been attracting visitors for
centuries. Birds migrating up and down
the Mississippi River perch on these bluffs, and early settlers used some of
the same routes up and down these bluffs that hikers use on the park’s trails
today. The area was designated a
National Natural Landmark in 1973, the same year the 2500 acre park was
established.
The palisades’ scenic blufftop
overlooks, many of which are accessible by car, form the park’s main
attractions. In terms of amenities, the
park offers a 241-site campground, fishing and boating on the Mississippi
River, 6 picnic shelters, rock climbing, and 15 miles of hiking trails. The hike described here uses two short loops
that start from the same picnic shelter near the park’s south entrance, and
they provide a good sample of the hiking the park has to offer while passing
the park’s most famous rock formation: a thin stone spire known as The
Sentinel.
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| Trailhead for Sentinel Trail |
This hike starts with the Sentinel
Trail, which begins at a signed trailhead behind the picnic shelter near the
National Natural Landmark plaque. The
trail crosses a creek on a high stone and wood bridge to reach an intersection,
where you need to turn left to head for the bluff. The option going right here goes to the base
of the bluffs near SR 84.
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| Climbing on the Sentinel Trail |
The trail climbs a wooden staircase
to reach the intersection that forms the loop portion of the Sentinel
Trail. To get to The Sentinel quickly,
this hike will turn right and use the left trail as its return route, thus
hiking the loop counterclockwise. The
narrow trail climbs moderately with the bluff to your left and a steep drop-off
to your right. Some rocky areas need to
be negotiated, so take care where you step up here.
At 0.4 miles, you reach the platform
that overlooks The Sentinel. The Sentinel
is a thin grey rock spire that stands separated from the main bluff. The Mississippi River forms the background of
this view, and it was near flood stage due to recent rains when I came here. Birds including goldfinches and indigo
bunting flew past my head, and this park would be an excellent birdwatching
destination during the fall or spring migrations. This overlook may provide the best view on
this hike, so take some time here to see what you can see.
 |
| The Sentinel |
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| The Sentinel with Mississippi River as backdrop |
The now wider trail heads away from
the overlook on an eastbound course that goes directly up the spine of the
ridge. At 0.6 miles, the Sentinel
Trail’s loop turns left on a narrower trail marked as “Main Shelter.” The wider trail going straight leads to a
blufftop parking lot on the main park road.
The narrow trail winds its way
downhill through a forest carpeted with ferns. Trillium in bloom brightened my path. A couple of downed trees need to be negotiated, but overall the trails
at Mississippi Palisades are well-maintained.
At 0.85 miles, you close the loop.
Descend the wooden stairs and return to the picnic shelter to complete
the Sentinel Trail.
 |
| Trailhead for Sunset Trail |
If you are getting tired or running
out of time, then you can return to your car now having hiked the park’s most
popular trail. For hikers with more time
and energy, the Sunset Trail can be accessed from a signed trailhead located
across the road from this shelter. The
Sunset Trail starts by climbing a long wooden staircase to reach the
intersection that forms its loop. To
make the climbing easier, this description turns left and uses the right trail
as its return route, thus hiking the loop clockwise.
 |
| Climbing on the Sunset Trail |
The trail climbs on a gradual to
moderate grade via a narrow route with a steep drop-off to the left. Part of this climb uses some rough stone
steps, so as with the Sentinel Trail you need to be careful where you
step. After a broad switchback upward
through a ravine, you reach an unnamed blufftop overlook at 1.25 miles. Although no rock spires can be seen, the view
from here is broader than the view at The Sentinel, and it includes US 52’s
Mississippi River bridge near Savanna and a riverside BNSF railroad track. Enjoy the view, but be careful where you
step: there are no railings at this overlook, and a fall down the bluff would
be injurious if not fatal.
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| View downstream from unnamed overlook |
Continuing on the Sunset Trail, a
few hundred more feet of hiking bring you to Lookout Point, the Sunset Trail’s
main developed overlook. A nearby
parking lot ensures this overlook gets more traffic than the one you just
passed, but the view is very similar.
Past Lookout Point, the trail drops on a steep grade almost all of the
way to the base of the bluff before crossing a stream on a wooden footbridge,
curving right, and climbing equally steeply to cross the park road that leads
to the Lookout Point parking lot. If you
want to avoid these steep areas, you can simply walk up the road from Lookout
Point and look for the Sunset Trail sign on the right.
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| View from Lookout Point |
The rest of the Sunset Trail is a
gradual to moderate descent back to the picnic shelter. Some black plastic has been buried under the
trail in an attempt to stabilize the trail surface, but some of the plastic has
risen to the surface and is quite slippery.
At 2.1 miles, you close the loop.
Descending the stairs and walking a short distance on the park road
returns you to your car to complete the hike.
If you have more time, the park has many similar trails that wait to be
explored, and the park’s roads lead to many blufftop overlooks offering similar
excellent views.
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