David Kenney Trail

Green Earth offers hiking and outdoor recreation at six sites across Carbondale, IL. All properties are open to the public during daylight hours. Green Earth's Chautauqua Bottoms is located on the north side of Chautauqua Road, between Emerald Lane and Tower Road. Historically this area was bottomland hardwood forest. The soils at this site are representative of wetlands, and indeed, the grounds are wet throughout the rainy season. This site possesses tall grass prairie, upland forest, bottomland hardwood, and a bottomland hardwood restoration area planted in 2005. This 37 acre preserve has four trail heads: the first is accessed from a well-marked parking area located off of Chautauqua Road, the second is located at the western terminus of Freeman Street, the third is located just west of the Flagland site off of Sunset Road (along the east edge of the Carbondale Park District Soccer Fields), and the fourth is at the south end of this trail where it meets Chautauqua Road. The intensity level of each of the trails is light, unless one wishes to cross Little Crab Orchard Creek to successfully loop the trail system. The creek crossing is very steep and should only be attempted when the creek level is low. The David Kenney Trail (named for former Green Earth Board Member, former Green Earth President, and former Director of the Illinois Department of Conservation, D. Kenney) travels along the west bank of Little Crab Orchard Creek from Chautauqua Road to Sunset Road. The trail is approximately 1.0 mile in length and provides beautiful views of the creek and its cliff banks.