The Chief Shabbona Trail is a hiking, bicycling and canoeing trail, located between Joliet and

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. The Shabbona Trail is a part of the long National Park Service

Illinois and Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Po ...

National Heritage Corridor. Hiking, bicycling and canoeing are free. The trail is open year-round.

Trail length

The Shabbona trail extends from frontage road access at

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

east of Channahon () to

Gebhard Woods State Park Gebhard Woods State Park is an Illinois state park on in Grundy County, Illinois, United States. Originally was owned by Mrs. William Gebhard, but was bought by the Grundy County Rod & Gun Club in 1934. After paying the $1,500.00, the Rod and ...

in Morris (). The Trail offers access points allowing a variety of trail lengths, but the length to earn the official Chief Shabbona Patch is the from Channahon to Gebhard Woods: * 1 Mile: Stratton State Park to Gebhard Woods State Park * 2 Miles: Stratton State Park to Gebhard Woods State Park and back * 3 Miles: Gebhard Woods State Park to Chief Shabbona grave and back * 6 Miles: Aux Sable Aqueduct (near

Minooka, Illinois Minooka is a village in Grundy, Kendall, and Will counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,924 at the 2010 census, up from 3,971 at the 2000 census. The village is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The Chicago, Rock Island ...

) to Gebhard Woods State Park * 10 Miles: Dresden Lock to Woods State Park * 12 Miles: Gebhard Woods State Park to Aux Sable Aqueduct and back * 15 Miles:

Channahon State Park Channahon State Park is an Illinois state park in Will County, Illinois, United States. The park was named after a Native American word meaning "the meeting of the waters". It lies adjacent to the confluence of the Dupage, Des Plaines, and Kan ...

to Gebhard Woods State Park - : Can also be canoed * 20 Miles: : Interstate 55 frontage road access to Gebhard Woods State Park : Gebhard Woods State Park to Dresden Lock and back

Trail options

The Shabbona Trail is compacted gravel and remarkably well protected from traffic and the elements. There is only one point where a rural two-lane road is crossed. The remainder of the trail is a National Park Service Trail, maintained by the State of

. Trees line most of the trail. Much of the trail is near the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

. You can: * Hike or backpack * Bicycle * Canoe or kayak (up to , round-trip) * Cross-Country Ski

Camping and boating

Camping is available at: *

(30-acre site) *

boating access is available at Stratton State Park

Grave

Chief Shabbona's grave is in the center of Evergreen Cemetery in

Morris, Illinois Morris is a city in and the county seat of Grundy County, Illinois, United States and part of the southwest Chicago metropolitan area. The population was estimated at 15,053 in 2019. Description Morris is the Grundy County seat and has a larg ...

. It is marked by a large granite boulder. A brass marker at the base includes this information: : Chief Shabbona : Born 1775 : Died 17 July 1859 There is another marker {{convert, 10, ft, m south, showing where other family members are buried.

History

The Chief Shabbona Historical Trail was established on July 30, 1960, by Troop 25. The trail is Nationally Approved by the Boy Scouts of America and follows the paths that Shabbona was known to have walked. By 1963, over 10,000 scouts hiked the trail. 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the trail. Along the way, you will see full-size replicas of canal boats, locktender's house, working stone locks and fully restored stone aqueducts. These sites date back to when the

was built in the mid-19th century.

Wildlife and vegetation

The habitat ranges from open prairie grasslands to dense woods. The nearby

provides panoramic views in many areas. The trail is shaded in most areas by a variety of trees including walnut, oak, ash, maple, sycamore, hawthorn and cottonwood. Springtime wildflowers include trillium, bluebell, white trout lily, violets, wild ginger, phlox, and toothwort. Songbirds, mallards, wood ducks, green herons and great blue herons feed and nest all along the trail. You can fish for bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish and bullhead. Beaver, muskrat, mink, raccoon and deer can often be seen.

Flier

* Chief Shabbona Trail Flier is a printable trail Map.

External links

National Park Service Illinois & Michigan Canal

Protected areas of Grundy County, Illinois Hiking trails in Illinois Protected areas of Will County, Illinois