Temporary River-to-River Trail detour
Date/Time
Date(s) - 06/15/2026 - 06/30/2026
12:00 am
Categories
Temporary River-to-River Trail detour
Max Creek Salvage Project Begins Monday
HARRISBURG, IL, June 12, 2026— A portion of the River-to-River trail in Johnson County
will be temporarily detoured due to work on the Max Creek Salvage Project. The detour will
require hikers to do more road walking to avoid the project area and will be in place until
approximately spring 2027.
The contractor for the project will begin moving in equipment Saturday June 13, and begin work
Monday, June 15. Signs will be posted at both ends of the detour, directing users to follow Gilead
Church Road and Route 45.
For their own safety, forest visitors should avoid these areas during active timber operations.
When traveling near a timber sale motorists may encounter logging trucks on narrow roads and
should slow down and use extra caution.
This area was impacted by an EF-2 tornado in March of 2025, prompting the need to salvage
damaged trees and reduce threats to adjacent undamaged stands. The project will improve
safety conditions for visitors by removing merchantable dead and dying trees that are down on
the ground, root damaged, leaning or have broken tops or damage to the main stem.
Salvage projects from natural disasters contribute towards managing for a healthier, more
resilient forest ecosystem that will continue to provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and
contribute to the local economy.
Sustainably harvesting wood makes critical forest management activities possible, such as
removing dead or dying trees, thinning overgrown forests, and prescribed burning. This
essential forest management reduces the risks of wildfires, supports healthy trees, and creates
habitat for wildlife, among many other benefits.
For more information about this project, please contact the Hidden Springs Ranger District at
618-658-2111, and for additional information about timber sales, visit our website.
About the Forest Service: The Forest Service has, for more than 100 years, brought people and
communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology
— and rooted in communities — the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The
Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and
social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and
private landowners, and maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the
world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million
forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans
live.