I was at the Little Grand Canyon in April and found it pretty well overgrown. There is a tricky stretch in the trail that goes down a gully. If water is flowing, this can be slick and I don't feel comfortable doing this section without a rope. I was walking back up the trail when I met some people who asked whether I had seen any snakes. I told them that I had seen plenty of poison Ivy, but no snakes. A few hundred feet up the trail where they had been,I saw a Rattlesnake crossing the trail. I gave it plenty of room and it kept on going.

Most of the information that I had came from the Forest Service, either online or at the office in Jonesboro. I hadn't been on the west side of the Shawnee National Forest for many years. I started at the Trail of Tears State Forest and then explored my way up Pine Hills Road to Inspiration Point. After that, I took a trip to Pomona Natural Bridge and Little Grand Canyon. This trip was just a series of short day hikes. The Godwin Trail takes off from Pine Hills Road and heads into the Clear Springs Wilderness. I had printed maps from Caltopo.com.

On the East Side, Garden of the Gods and Pounds Hollow are nice trips. Garden of the Gods and Belle Smith Springs get a lot of traffic. Again, the best source of information is the Forest Service.