Explore the great outdoors with 56 extraordinary miles of natural-surfaced hiking trails through wetlands, prairielands, and woodlands—all located, here, in the Metro East. Whether you’re searching for waterfalls and picturesque, blufftop views at Olin Nature Preserve or trekking through dense old-growth forest and around the large, natural sinkholes at Stemler Cave Woods Nature Preserve, from the interweaving and sloped hiking paths at Willoughby Heritage Farm to the 4.5-mile nature hike at Silver Lake Park in Highland, nature is knocking all throughout the Metro East… will you heed its call?
There are a number of unique hiking opportunities available across the Metro East, like the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. And did we mention that you can find cacti growing in the wild here, too? Make a visit to Poag Sand Prairie in Edwardsville, IL and enjoy a short nature hike through one of Illinois’ most unique and rare landscapes formed by glaciers: a sand prairie.
Metro East Hiking Trails Map
There are plenty of hiking options in both St. Clair and Madison Counties, IL and you can conveniently browse them all with our interactive Hiking Map. Simply open the map and start exploring!
