Greenville: Patriot's Park Hike

Patriots Trail is a moderate 1.7-mile hike around Greenville Lake through deciduous and a pine tree grove.

Located in Patriot’s Park in Greenville, Il., between Troy, Il., and Effingham, Il. along Interstate 70.

Starting the Hike

We parked by the fort-like playground in the park. We began our walk away from the main area of the park.

*Look for the sign for the start of the trail.*

Passing by a maintenance building we went downhill across a back dam along Patriots Trail.

On logs, in the lake, my son Andrew spotted six turtles sunning themselves on a warm day.

Then my son Andrew found a large stone fireplace on a hill above the back dam down a short path.

As we walked down, I spotted violet flowers sprouting among the brown leaves.

Down by the lake, I pointed out the cypress trees with their surface roots above the ground.

“Those roots are weird,” Andrew commented.

“Arborists who study trees think the roots help anchor the trees in the soft and muddy soil,” I told him.

Back of the Lake

We headed away from the lake along Patriots Trail.

Alternatively, if we had wanted to go closer to the lake we could have followed the smaller Fishermens Trail that loops back to Patriots Trail. Or a smaller loop trail is the Fireworks Trail which also goes out and back from the lake.

Instead, we stayed on Patriots Trail walking through the woods.

By the Dam

Patriot’s Trail crosses a metal railing and wooden bridge across the dam spillway for the lake.

Recent rains had caused the spillway to fill with water. My son threw leaves and small branches down the spillway seeing how they survive the flow. We watched while he worked out how gravity and the force of water work on objects.

Away from the Dam

Up from the dam the trail entered a large grove of pine trees.

On the right on a high hill just off the trail is an Archery Range ready for a bow and arrow.

Further up the trail, we passed the back of an old farmhouse.

The trail here goes along a back gravel road that leads to some picnic tables.

Along Patriots Park Road

According to my All Trails App, I could walk this to the road to the highway and back onto Patriot’s Park Road. Instead of doing this we headed through the woods and crossed a ditch and up to Patriot’s Park Road towards the trailhead.

The walk here follows the main park road back to where we parked. Here you could walk closer to the lake through the trees or fields. You could also check out the boat ramp that includes a floating dock.

My son wanted to spend some time on the playground which was what we did next.

Up from the playground was a large field where he flew a kite on a breezy day.

Final Thoughts

This park is an easy hike with a wide trail with some up and down across some short hills. The mix of woods, fields, and lake views add to what to see on the walk.

Trail directions might sound confusing, but it is not a large park so you can’t get too lost.

The downside is once you cross the dam to the main part of the park the trail basically disappears and you walk either along roads or fields to complete the loop.

DETAILS:

Drive: Take Interstate 270 or 70 east out of St. Louis to exit 36 and go north on Pokey Road. Make a right onto Illinois Highway 140 and look for the entrance to Patriot’s Park on the right at the intersection of Illinois Highway 127 and 140.

Hours: 6 am – dusk

Address: 1000-1010, Patriot’s Park, Greenville, IL 62246

Lunch Stop: Diamond Mineral Springs

In Grantfork we picked up lunch at Diamond Mineral Springs. This included mashed potatoes, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, there made from scratch biscuits, and of course homemade pie.

Hours: 4 p.m. – 8 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday; 4 p.m. – 9 p.m., Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sunday; Closed, Monday-Tuesday

Address: 1 W Pocahontas Rd, Highland, IL 62249