Welcome! I'm a former Illinoisan myself wink

Be sure to look into backpacking the Ozarks too. You're probably around a 7 hour drive or less to SW MO / NW AR and we have some great spots here. The Ozarks Highland Trail, the Buffalo River Trail, and some really nice wilderness areas to explore. I know there are parts of the BRT that you and your boys would love, and you can rent canoes and do float trips there and camp along the shoreline anywhere you want, then pick up a trail and backpack too. Best times to hike here are mid-October thru the end of March.

Please post a trip report with pics when you get back from the Shawnee National Forest. I'd love to go there one of these days!
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"You want to go where?"