Panther's Den, Illinois

Another Southern Illinois hiking gem, Panther's Den offers a looped trail with plenty of scenery. The area seems very far flung once you get to the trail head. On this trip (fall 2011) we came across several rock climbers and students doing trail maintenance for their school. Watching the rock climbers really sparked my interest but I probably need to lose a lot more weight before I feel comfy trying out the sport. There was plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and even some lite climbing. Now enjoy the photos...

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5106369.pdf

The view was amazing from up here!

There are rock climbers in this pic! 

iPhone 4 Photo (looks different I know)