Extended Vacation Tours, 2010

Tour of Tunnel Hill State Park

June 26 and 27, 2010

Tunnel Hill State Park is a linear park that was built on an abandoned railroad line. The park is located in southern Illinois, and passes through portions of Shawnee National Forest, the Cache River State Natural Area and Cache River Wetlands. The trail is 45 miles long from end to end; we will be riding the 34 mile section from Vienna to Harrisburg, with an option to ride the remaining 11 mile section to Karnak on the second day of the tour. The park is very rural and scenic. The trail has gentle grades as a result of its railroad legacy. It passes over numerous railroad trestles which offer very nice views of the surrounding countryside; one of those trestles is 430 feet long and sits 90 feet above the river. Of course riding through the trail’s namesake 540 foot long tunnel is always exciting. You can read more about Tunnel Hill State Park at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website.

The trail surface is finely crushed limestone, similar to the surface of the KATY Trail that we in St. Louis are familiar with. Any bicycle will work, although racing bikes with narrow tires are not recommended. Hybrid bikes, comfort bikes and mountain bikes are the best choice. We have bicycles available to rent for this tour, if you don’t have a suitable bike or are coming from out of town and don’t want to bother transporting your bike here.

Tour itinerary

Saturday, June 19 – Ride from Vienna to Harrisburg (34 miles). We will meet at the State Trail Site Office in Vienna at 10:00 AM. Those participants who have driven themselves to the tour start will leave their cars in the lot here, which is lit at night and well patrolled. We load up the support coach with the luggage and set off down the trail towards Harrisburg. At about 9 miles down the trail we reach the Tunnel Hill trailhead, which is the lunch stop for today, with a picnic lunch served from the support coach at 1:00 pm. Then we continue on to Harrisburg, a total of 34 miles.

Tonight we stay at the Economy Inns and Suites in Harrisburg, located one block off the trail at 411 East Poplar. Your luggage will be waiting for you at the motel. Dinner is at a local restaurant in Harrisburg at 7:00 pm.

Sunday, June 20 – Ride from Harrisburg to Vienna, optional ride to Karnak (34 or 56 miles). We start today by loading our luggage back on the coach, then ride our bikes to a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, which has an excellent breakfast buffet. Upon returning to Vienna you can optionally continue along the trail to Karnak, which takes you through the Cache River State Natural Area, then back to Vienna. This option adds 22 miles to the ride, so today’s ride totals either 34 or 56 miles. The support coach will be in Vienna at 12:00 Noon for those who drove themselves to the start to pick up their luggage.

Directions to the start

From St. Louis, take Interstate 64 east to Mt. Vernon, Illinois, 85 miles. Go south on Interstate 57 past Marion, IL, 45 miles. Nine miles past Marion take Interstate 24 east. Continue on I-24 14 miles, then exit onto Highway 45 eastbound, 2 miles into Vienna. The trail site office (our meeting point for the start of the tour) is on State Highway 146 on the east side of Vienna. Allow 2.5 hours to drive to Vienna from St. Louis.

Cost of the tour

This tour costs $130 per person, double occupancy. The tour package includes lodging in Harrisburg Saturday night, lunch and dinner Saturday, breakfast Sunday, luggage transport during the tour, and full mechanical and sag support during the ride.

As an option we offer transportation by motor coach from St. Louis to the tour and back, for an additional $30 per person. We will carry you, your bicycle and your luggage, leaving St. Louis at 7:00 am Saturday and returning at 3:00 pm Sunday. The cars of those using this service can be left in the locked parking lot at our warehouse in Bridgeton.

Registration

To reserve your spot on this tour, call, email or write us today. This is a very enjoyable tour and you are sure to have a good time, so register right away.

The Touring Cyclist
attn: Tunnel Hill Tour
11816 St. Charles Rock Road
Bridgeton, MO 63044
phone: 314-739-4648
email: [tctours AT touringcyclist.com]

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