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Best Riverside Hikes near Carbondale

The directory currently contains 6 quality-checked routes matching this guide near Carbondale. Their average mapped distance is 60.8 km and average recorded ascent is 499 m (1,637 ft); the longest route in the set is 231 km.

This subset represents 55% of the 11 quality-checked routes near Carbondale. Its average distance is 60.8 km, compared with 33.8 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 499 m (1,637 ft), versus 284 m (932 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

These routes carry the river tag. The tag does not establish how much of the mapped line follows water or whether crossings are safe. Within this set, 0 routes (0%) are rated easy, 5 (83%) are rated hard or expert, and 0 (0%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

3.3 km

Old River to River - Alternate Segment 6 - Giant City to Alto Pass

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

182 m

Old River to River - Alternate Segment 6 - Giant City to Alto Pass

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

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Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
ADT - Illinois (South) - J - Seg 2Illinois231 km1,295 m56 hrExpertApril to October
River to River Segment 7 - Alto Pass to Devil's BackboneIllinois34.0 km270 m8 hr 3 minHardApril to October
River to River Segment 4 - U.S. 45 to Ferne ClyffeIllinois31.6 km322 m7 hr 33 minHardApril to October
River to River Segment 6 - Giant City to Alto PassIllinois28.8 km388 m6 hr 59 minHardApril to October
River to River Segment 5 - Ferne Clyffe to Giant CityIllinois36.1 km535 m8 hr 57 minExpertApril to October
Old River to River - Alternate Segment 6 - Giant City to Alto PassIllinois3.3 km182 m58 minModerateApril to October

ADT - Illinois (South) - J - Seg 2, River to River Segment 7 - Alto Pass to Devil's Backbone, River to River Segment 4 - U.S. 45 to Ferne Clyffe currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

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