Illinois trails · Bay Creek
Bay Creek
A 7.4-mile network in Illinois, with 223 ft of climbing. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 45% of the ascent falls between mile 4.9 and mile 7.4. It gives back about 401 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Heads up
Getting there
RANCH access. About 48 min drive (27 mi) from Harrisburg. 37.48025, -88.66714 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:35 a.m., the sun rises at 7:01 a.m. and sets at 6:19 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:45 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 18 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 7.4-mile route takes roughly 2 h 50 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:51 a.m. — 8 h 27 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- Sentry Bluff Trail — 2.7 mi
- Bell Smith Springs — 3.1 mi
- Lusk Creek — 8.8 mi
- One Horse Gap — 10.8 mi