Lusk Creek and Secret Canyon Trail is a 3.4 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Herod, Illinois that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is best used from March until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
nice hike. not too much elevation change. some muddy patches, but generally pretty dry. starts through a pine forest, which is really pretty!
Not a lot of water in creeks or falls. But sections of trail still mucked up by horses. Cool canyon to explore. Near the turn around there is a camp to tie up horses. Would love to see the creek when it is raging with water. Maybe two spots to park at trail head
Nice trail with a tiny little waterfall after some rain. Amazing rock formations further down. Uphill hike most of the way back.
Spectacular trail!! Beautiful running water over rocks at Lusk Creek... take a picnic lunch and enjoy the beauty at Lusk Creek. Wide trail most of the way for horses, narrows as you get near to the creek. Watch your trail map.., lots of side trails. Beautiful pines and hardwoods on the walk. #apartmentat217
We were looking for a lightly traveled trail. This is it! The hiking was moderate, but perfect for my family. Even though it was chilly, the kids enjoyed playing in Lusk Creek. Secret Canyon is beautiful. There is evidence of horse hikers, but we saw none on our hike. This was a nice Coronavirus free activity.
This trail was easy to access and well marked along the way. It definitely is a moderate trail with lots of gravel and beautiful scenery. Nice rock formations later on in the trail but not so easy for a greener horse to handle.
Gorgeous hike, love the stream and rock formations, but I second those who say it shouldn't be listed as a loop. Once you pass the cave, the trail goes another direction and does not continue as a loop. We had to trailblaze our way back in an attempt to find the rest of the loop, even while following our blue dot on the supposed map on my phone.
I definitely echo other reviews that you should consider this an out-and-back and not a loop. The Secret Canyon is a good destination spot for lunch or just to see, or you can hike a bit further if you want to get more miles in. Parking at the trailhead is non-existent (we just pulled off the road as much as we could). Also, the trail is not marked with markers, so you kind of have to follow where the horses have walked. If I had more time, I would have tried to make a loop out of it and tried to find the trail that joined back up where I started.
Great trail! So many views, so many bluffs, so many rock formations, wonderful small waterfalls and a fun trail. The trail is very long if u plan in seeing everything. Horseback riders also used this trail. Fun trail to walk and will return to c more and have more daylight.