Illinois · Hiking

Brown Trail

Brown TrailPhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
0.4 mi
one way
22 ft
climb
730 ft
high point
Point to point
route
Apr, Jun
best months

Brown Trail is a short, easy hike in Swallow Cliff Woods, a regional agency-managed area in Illinois. The trail is about 0.36 miles long, and the one-way climb is only 22 feet, with the route running mostly flat between a low point of 702 feet and a high of 730 feet. The steepest stretch comes at about 0.27 miles in, with a grade of about 4 percent. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 73°F and October highs around 65°F, while July averages about 90°F. Black Trail starts just 0.1 mile away, and Yellow Loop is about half a mile off. Green Unpaved Trail and Purple Trail are each roughly 0.8 miles away.

  • Best time to go · Apr, Jun

    Best time to visit Brown Trail

    Best months: April, June and September–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      33° / 15°

      10 wet

    2. Feb

      37° / 18°

      9 wet

    3. Mar

      49° / 28°

      10 wet

    4. Apr

      62° / 39°

      12 wet

    5. May

      73° / 50°

      13 wet

    6. Jun

      84° / 60°

      12 wet

    7. Jul

      90° / 64°

      11 wet

    8. Aug

      87° / 63°

      10 wet

    9. Sep

      80° / 55°

      9 wet

    10. Oct

      65° / 43°

      10 wet

    11. Nov

      50° / 31°

      9 wet

    12. Dec

      38° / 21°

      10 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Little Red School Hse, IL, 2.5 mi away at 715 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Black TrailPhoto: enn-here, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Black Trail

Next door

Short point-to-point trail under 1 mile in Illinois.

Yellow LoopPhoto: Darek214, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Yellow Loop

Next door

8.06-mile loop trail in Illinois with 766 ft elevation gain.

Green Unpaved TrailPhoto: enn-here, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Green Unpaved Trail

~1 min drive

0.36-mile point-to-point trail in Illinois with 59 ft elevation gain.

Orange Unpaved LoopPhoto: davidwilson1949, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Orange Unpaved Loop

~5 min drive

4-mile unpaved point-to-point trail through Illinois countryside.

Purple TrailPhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Purple Trail

~1 min drive

0.39-mile point-to-point trail in Illinois with 1 ft gain and 103 ft loss.

Main TrailPhoto: Joe K Gage, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Main Trail

~12 min drive

9.49-mile loop trail in Illinois with 675 ft elevation gain.

Tan TrailPhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Tan Trail

~1 min drive

0.53-mile point-to-point trail in Illinois with 51 ft elevation gain

HIKE

Yellow East Trail

~4 min drive

A 5.95-mile point-to-point trail in Illinois with moderate distance.

Blue TrailPhoto: davidwilson1949, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Blue Trail

~3 min drive

0.91-mile point-to-point trail in Illinois with 214 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Red Paved Trail

~6 min drive

Red Paved Trail is a 5.54-mile point-to-point trail in Illinois with 104 feet of elevation gain.

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors