Illinois trails · Bell Smith Springs
Bell Smith Springs
A 7.3-mile network in Illinois, with 153 ft of climbing. Reaches Bell Smith Natural Bridge. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 46% of the ascent falls between mile 4.9 and mile 7.3. It gives back about 874 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. About 48 min drive (22 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Harrisburg. 37.52472, -88.66083 · 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 17 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 47 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:48 a.m. — 8 h 31 min before sunset.
Loop options
- BELL SMITH SPRINGS + Sentry Bluff Trail — 5.1 mi loop, 1,019 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