Illinois trails · Godwin
Godwin
A 6.8-mile out-and-back in Illinois, with 384 ft of climbing. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 72% of the ascent, between mile 4.5 and mile 6.8. It gives back about 435 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
GODWIN TRAILHEAD WEST — parking nearby. About 1 h 01 min drive (33 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Carbondale. 37.58300, -89.43169 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:38 a.m., the sun rises at 7:04 a.m. and sets at 6:22 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:48 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 17 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 13.5-mile round trip takes roughly 5 h 23 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:28 p.m. — 5 h 54 min before sunset.
Loop options
- GODWIN + HUTCHINS CREEK + KING HOLLOW — 8.8 mi loop, 989 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Little Grand Canyon — 7.0 mi
- Red Cedar Trail — 14.4 mi
- Kinkaid Lake Trail — 16.5 mi