Illinois trails · Bell Smith Springs
Bell Smith Springs
A 7.3-mile network in Illinois, with 213 ft of climbing. Reaches Bell Smith Natural Bridge. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 55% of the ascent falls between mile 6.4 and mile 9.6. It gives back about 913 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Bell Smith Natural Bridge (arch)
Heads up
Getting there
HUNTING BRANCH - BELL SMITH SPRINGS — parking nearby. 37.52472, -88.66083 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:57 a.m., the sun rises at 6:23 a.m. and sets at 7:25 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:52 p.m. (CDT) — 13 h 02 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 7.3-mile route takes roughly 2 h 48 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:12 a.m. — 10 h 13 min before sunset.
Loop options
- BELL SMITH SPRINGS + Sentry Bluff Trail — 7.0 mi loop, 1,323 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Sentry Bluff Trail — 0.5 mi
- Bay Creek — 3.1 mi
- Lusk Creek — 6.8 mi
- River To River Trail — 9.6 mi