Hiking season

It has been so amazingly nice out these past few days. The April showers have been letting up a little, which means I've been able to get outside and enjoy the temperatures!

Spring is my favorite season. Everyone just seems so much happier when the weather is nice.

It's my favorite season to go hiking in. Max and I spent the afternoon last Thursday at Garden of the Gods.

I had been there once before, but didn't get to do much exploring. This time we hiked two different trails and saw some breathtaking views. If you've never heard of it, Garden of the Gods is apart of the Shawnee National Forest and covers more than 3,300 acres of forest throughout the Southeastern Illinois counties.

There are lots of trails to hike, climb, backpack and even horseback ride.

You can camp at certain areas and bike through paths, as well. The scenic views are well worth the treks up. I can't wait to go back and hopefully camp there later on in the summer. I feel like there are so many beautiful areas in Illinois that go unappreciated. If you enjoy getting outdoors I'd definitely recommend making the trip out!

(P.S.--- ignore the poor photo quality, we didn't bring the fancy camera so we had to snap pics with our phones!)

Observation Trail

I would love to come out here and just bird watch.

Indian Point Trail

This trail had so many tall, gorgeous trees!

....aaaand we made it to the top. :)