Writing about Yellow River State Forest pains me due to the fact that anything I can say about it will only result in attracting more attention to this little-known Midwestern backpacking gem. Less than 4.5 hours from downtown Chicago, 3.5 hours from Des Moines, 2.5 hours from the Quad Cities, and only 2 hours from Madison, WI, the 25-mile backpack loop and connected trail system at Yellow River State Forest provide more than enough hiking for a long weekend.

Trail combinations can be made to create great trips for experienced hikers or for kids and beginners. The backpack trail* includes several steep segments, so it may not be appropriate for small children or people who are not ready for a challenge. Remote camping is in designated areas only, but the sites are large, dispersed areas so parties will not feel as though they are on top of each other.

Remote camping and parking are free, and most remote site are within a half mile of trailhead parking areas, making the almost complete absence of other backpackers on the trail mind-boggling. In addition to backpacking, fishing, car-camping, hunting, birding, cycling, and horseback riding are other activities I’ve seen going on in and around the state forest. A pdf trail map can be found here, and here’s where we parked to catch the beginning of the backpack trail. Click on photos for higher resolution.

My cousin Matt, and I arrived at the Backpack Trailhead on a rainy Saturday afternoon in early October. We were shocked at how empty the parking lot was since it was a holiday weekend, coupled with the fact that the weather on Sunday and Monday was forecasted to be perfect for camping and hiking. I didn’t see anyone in the parking lot during my prior visit to Yellow River State Forest in 2012 either, but that trip was on a standard weekend in September, and backpacking hadn’t gained the popularity at the time that it has today.

Matt is a regular companion on my adventures and a seasoned hiker, previously joining me for an extended trip in the Yellowstone backcountry and several weekend trips to places like Bell Mountain Wilderness in Missouri and Forest Glen Preserve in Illinois.

We put on our packs and headed south up Forester Trail until we reached the backpack trailhead sign. Forester Trail from there rises gently until it intersects with Brown’s Hollow Trail, at which point it ascends quickly up to Camp Glen Wendel a half-mile to the west.  At just over a mile from the parking area, this is a good camping option for young hikers who are up for a brief challenge.

Getting started at nearly 5:00PM we only had an hour of daylight, so we decided to spend our first night at Brown’s Hollow Campground. This remote campground is only 2.5 miles from the main parking area, but far enough to give us a good warm-up hike for our first night out. Brown’s Hollow Trail climbed almost 300 feet from its intersection with Forester Trail,  passing Camp John Shultz and then descending to Fire Tower Road, which doubles as a half-mile section of Brown’s Hollow Trail. (The cover photo was taken on this section of Fire Tower Road).

Brown’s Hollow Trail departs Fire Tower Road just before the road crosses a creek. There’s a parking area where the trail picks up east of the road, and the trail to Brown’s Hollow Campground is a very easy half-mile from the parking area, making it a great one-night remote camping area for parents with young children.

We exchanged greetings with some hunters at the parking lot who were seeking shelter from the rain at their truck, and then headed on to our home for the night at Brown’s Hollow. There were a dozen or so fire rings and picnic tables scattered around the open campground, and being the only people there we had our pick. We selected our space near the woods at the north and easternmost fire ring, and cleared a spot our tent. There were dozens of black walnut trees in and around the campground, so the entire area was littered with freshly fallen walnuts. Matt and I spent some time clearing the ground around our campsite so we could start a fire and cook our dinners without twisting an ankle. We found that a creek is the southern border of the campground, but we had enough water packed to last through the next afternoon.

We stayed out for several hours past dark, talking, laughing, and watching the winds high overhead clear the clouds from the sky. It was a surprisingly quiet night in the woods for how quickly and consistently the wind was blowing overhead.

I woke up the next morning to a loud thumping outside not far from the tent, followed by rustling traveling through the woods to the north. I was too tired to get up and see what it was.

The air outside was chilly, which also made it hard to leave my sleeping bag, but the sky was a pure blue and the sun was already baking the previous day’s rain off of the trees in hooks and spirals of steam.

We moved the tent into the sunlight while we drank my favorite camping coffee and ate our breakfast so the sun could dry some of the rain and dew that had accumulated on the tent the previous night. We looked around the area for signs of what could have made the noise that woke me up, but turned up nothing.

It was Matt’s first visit to Yellow River, so I gave him some options and let him choose our route that day. He reliably selected a long route (he’s never afraid of a good hike), but one that would take us through a  scenic tour of the forest’s best features.

I packed the wet tent on the outside of my bag to allow it to dry as we hiked throughout the day, and we headed east to Donahue Road, which doubles as a 1.3-mile section of the backpack trail. We spoke to two hunters at the parking area near Brown’s Hollow Trail and Donahue Road to see if it was they who had made noise near our camp, or if they spooked a deer somewhere nearby. They told us that they had been in the area far earlier and saw nothing, so the mystery noise went unsolved.

We followed Donahue Road for a half-mile toward Fire Tower Trail, passing two young ladies who were backpacking in the direction of Brown’s Hollow. These were seemingly the only other backpackers in the forest besides ourselves all weekend.

Fire Tower Trail begins as a rocky trail, climbing more than 200 feet very quickly from Donahue Road before it evens out. It then rises slowly by another 100 feet, turning into a grassy, slowly rolling highland trail heading westward toward the park’s fire tower. We didn’t see any of the equestrians or mountain bikers who are permitted to share this trail with hikers, but we did occasionally have to watch our feet to avoid stepping in the signs of horses that had passed through the area in recent days. We arrived at the fire tower at the western terminus of the trail, where we met a surly gentleman who was out for a walk with his camera and refused to respond to my repeated “good morning.” Matt and I laughed and moved on.

Different loop trails can be found on either side of Fire Tower Trail, and while Matt and I were tempted to try the Red Oak Loop, it climbs in and out of a steep canyon multiple times over the course of more than two miles, and we had already planned a 16 mile day for ourselves. We resisted the temptation by justifying a future trip to Yellow River State Forest to explore all of the side trails.

We headed due north, up a gravel road from the fire tower, to explore a scenic overlook. This road, like Donahue Road and Fire Tower Road, are also shared by vehicles so be cautious and keep to the side of the road.

The scenic overlook gives a clear view of Paint Creek more than 200 feet below, as well as the western end of the valley and the bluffs across the creek to the north. It’s a flat hike to the overlook and well worth the short trek. After drinking in the views we sat down to have some snacks. That was when we noticed a series of white stones laid out in patterns. Upon further investigation we found additional stones of other colors, as well as feathers and sea shells laid out very intentionally among the stones. The white stones formed the outline of a hawk, with its wings spread out from east to west. We later encountered a local gentleman who told us the story of a local father whose son had died before his time. The father built the memorial at the overlook in honor of his son, stone by stone, including a great deal of symbolism woven into the way the memorial was situated, as well as the colors and the types of stones used. Please visit and pay your respects, but be a good steward of the forest and don’t disturb the memorial.

We walked back up to Fire Tower Road, and followed it northward down to the valley floor, then crossed Paint Creek by way of the State Forest Road bridge, passing horse trailers and picnickers along the way. We followed a flat trail west along the north bank of Paint Creek looking for the start of the Bluff Trail, however we missed our turn, and added an unnecessary half mile to our hike before realizing our mistake and turning back. This trail, however, gave us more opportunities to enjoy the scenery of the Creek and the bluffs from the valley floor.

The bluff trail is a short, but very rigorous hike with several steep sections where I considered using my hands on the ground to help me up. Matt wanted to stop two-thirds of the way up to catch his breath, but I encouraged him to push through the burn and we both made it without stopping. The views at the top are less obstructed than those from the overlook across the river, and we saw several farm buildings on ridges to the south-west, the fire tower to the south-east, and the family campground (Big Paint Campground) across the creek below. The drop-offs are huge and dangerous, so we were already on edge from the heights when at one point a hawk burst from its perch just below the edge of the cliff with a loud flap of it wings, giving us a startle.

Bluff Trail continued on with much less difficulty, rolling through mature hardwood forests which offered some much-welcomed shade as the afternoon was unseasonably warm. The trail was well-marked with yellow blazes that matched the golden sycamore leaves, and passed nearby farms creating quintessential bucolic autumn scenes.

We followed Buff Trail to where it ends at Overlook Road, and descended to Little Paint Creek where we stopped for snacks and filtered some water. The afternoon was warm, so I took off my shirt, rolled up the legs of my pants, and walked around barefoot in Little Paint Creek while my gravity filter did its work.

Little Paint Campground was fairly empty for a beautiful three-day weekend, but several families were out in their campers, walking, cycling, and fishing. The campground is rustic, offering few amenities, aside from vault toilets for hikers who’d care not to squat in the woods.

We resumed our hike southward through the Little Paint Campground and past the Creekside and Frontier horse campgrounds toward Heffern’s Hill. The Heffern’s Hill Loop Trail is a 1.6 mile, hikers-only trail (although we still saw a couple of stinky indications that horses had been through) that begins at the valley floor and rises more than 300 feet above the valley in a tough half-mile hike, followed by an easy downhill walk to the campground.

The campground is a sprawling, terraced clearing with several private, wooded alcoves. The entire campground is mowed, and like Brown’s Hollow features numerous fire rings and picnic tables. Matt and I chose to hike to the highest campsite on the hill, which offered the greatest distance from the trail as well as the least obstructed views of the sky.

We set up camp and walked around the campground, inspecting all of the other sites but remaining pleased with our choice. Aside from a couple of day hikers who came to explore the campground, we were again the only people in the campground for the night.

We ate a late dinner and started a fire, and then waited for the sun to set. It was a beautiful night for star-gazing – so dark that we were able to take photographs of the stars with our phone cameras and to see numerous satellites crawling across the sky.

We weren’t far from the car, so we looked at the map over breakfast on Monday morning in an attempt to add enough miles to make a decent morning hike.

The Paint Creek Trail would be the fastest and easiest route, and it does offer scenery of Paint Creek and the surrounding bluffs. However we decided to follow Donahue Road across Paint creek and to the lower portion of Saddle Loop Trail, which rises and falls more than 100 feet from Paint Creek and passes between the tall ridges and bluffs to the south and a large hill to the north, providing a hike across a saddle and past two small ponds. We’d follow the trail back to Paint Creek Trail and then follow the road back to our car, for a total of 2.5 miles of relatively easy hiking.

The hike was easy enough, until we arrived at the junction of Saddle Loop Trail and Paint Creek Trail and realized that we didn’t have a bridge to cross. We took a minute to decide whether we should ford the creek there or hike back to the Donahue Road bridge, and ultimately decided on the latter. We were so close to the car and the weather was warm enough, so there was no risk of hypothermia if we slipped and fell. Plus we were both in the mood for an adventure, so Matt put on his sandals and I went barefoot through the frigid water, which wasn’t more than knee-deep in a few places.

We hiked a little out of our way when we headed back to the car so I could snap this shot of the Bluff Trail from the Paint Creek Trail (that we missed) so you know what you’re looking for when you visit (which you absolutely should do).

 

Wildlife Spotted: Birds, birds, and birds. Oh, and that hawk that scared the crap out of us.

Cell Reception: Zero bars for me, a random bar or two for Matt at some of the highest points on the trek. His carrier tends to be the best I’ve encountered as far as its reach into remote areas. Therefore I’ll never switch to his service.

Costs: Parking and remote camping are FREE!!! Why is no one ever here when I am?!? Car-camping at the developed campgrounds requires registration and a small fee.

What to expect: Solitude, peace and quiet, and tough hikes (if you choose the right trails). You’re also likely to be dodging horse poop on the multi-use trails during the summer, and turning your ankles on walnuts in the autumn. I still love visiting in autumn.

Regrets: Not having time to explore the side trails that spur from Fire Tower Trail, as well as the out-and-back trail at the north end of the Little Paint Campground area. Next time!

*The 25-mile backpack trail is highlighted in gray on the forest map. It begins with Forester Trail at the parking area, then follows White Pines Road for a short period, then follows Paint Creek Trail to Bluff Trail (portions difficult). Bluff Trail ends at Overlook Road and turns into Shortcut Trail, which continues downhill to Little Paint Campground. The trail becomes a bit confusing as it goes through Little Paint Campground, but do your best to follow it to the left of the road as is takes you above the road and ends right where you need to be to find the Heffern’s Hill Loop Trail easily. After Heffern’s Hill Loop (parts difficult), you’ll follow Donahue Road to Brown’s Hollow Trail (which shares 0.6 miles with Fire Tower Road), until Brown’s Hollow Trail intersects Forester Trail just a short distance from the parking area.

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