Burden Falls (Shawnee)

Burden Falls is a seasonal waterfall on Burden Creek in Pope County. The waterfall is located the Burden Falls Wilderness in Shawnee National Forest.

Hike Length: < 0.1 miles
Estimated Time: < 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy to top, more difficult to the base
Location: Burden Falls Wilderness (Hidden Springs Ranger District of Shawnee National Forest)

Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Moderate
Warnings: The rocks around the waterfall are very slippery.  It is difficult to climb down to the base of the waterfall.
Trailhead GPS: 37.56346,-88.64234
Waterfall GPS: 37.56405,-88.64235

Directions:

From Harrisburg, go south on IL-145 for about 11 miles and right on Burden Falls Road.  Drive 4.6 miles and turn right into a trailhead parking at Burden Falls.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking area, the upper section of Burden Falls is just a few feet away and it's easy to scramble down to the base.

Follow the creek downstream a short ways to the top of the main drop.

It's more difficult to get to the base from here.  We climbed down river right side and found a reasonable scramble path to the creek at the base.

It's a seasonal waterfall so best to visit during high water.

Blog Entries:

01-Sep-2020: Shawnee Hills

External Links:

US Forest Service website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/shawnee/recarea/?recid=32309