Russell Cave Trail Map (click to enlarge)

Length: Hiking Trail: 1.2-mile loop | Nature Trail: .5-mile loop
Time: Hiking Trail: 1 hour | Nature Trail: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Hiking Trail: Strenuous | Nature Trail: Moderately Strenuous

There are two trails at Russell Cave National Monument, the Hiking Trail and the Nature Trail. The Hiking Trail is an extremely strenuous 1.2-mile loop that climbs nearly 400 feet in a half mile, while the Nature Trail is simply a shortcut that bisects the larger loop to form a much easier half-mile hike. Since these trails offer nothing in the way of understanding the prehistoric people who once lived at the Russell Cave Shelter, and they aren’t scenic in any sense of the word, the only reason to hike them is for exercise. And if it is exercise you want, you certainly aren’t going to waste time with the shorter Nature Trail. Therefore, I did the Hiking Trail only, and this is what I will discuss in this review.

Before going further, I just want to say that I find these trails to be a complete waste of time. Russell Cave National Monument is out in the middle of nowhere, so I can’t imagine that anyone visits the park to hike. In late spring, summer, and early fall, the heat and humidity can be extreme, and the place is packed with mosquitoes. I recently did the hike on a 90°F day in early October and was soaked to the bone in sweat and had to battle mosquitoes for most of the way around—they tend to disappear at the higher elevations. I have hiked nearly 450 trails during my visits to National Parks, and I can’t think of many hikes that were more miserable. I also did the hike in November, and it was much more pleasant, but still a waste of time. My advice is to stop at the Visitor Center, walk out to see the cave, and call it a day. For those who insist on hiking, read on.

Trail access, as well as the path to the cave shelter, begins at the boardwalk behind the Visitor Center. It is just a few minutes’ walk to the turnoff for the trails.

Boardwalk to Cave Shelter and Trails at Russell Cave National Monument

Turnoff from the boardwalk to the hiking trails at Russell Cave National Monument

Both trails are considered nature trails in that their purpose—aside from exercise—is to educate hikers about the plants and animals that live in the park. Information is provided by signs along the side of the trail.

Signs along the trail describe plants and animals found in the area of Russell Cave at Russell Cave National Monument

The entire Hiking Trail is paved, though I don’t understand the point since trails are usually paved so wheelchair-bound guests can access them, and I can assure you that nobody in a wheelchair will be hiking this trail. Furthermore, the pavement is old and much of it is now covered in moss, and this can be very slippery after a rain storm. Since I don’t suggest hiking the trail to begin with, I certainly don’t recommend doing so when it is slick.

Moss-covered pavement on Russell Cave National Monument’s Hiking Trail

Not too far from the start of the hike is a trail that branches off to the right. Tire tracks worn into the ground indicate that it was once a road. It is no longer used and is highly overgrown, so stay off of it to avoid ticks and poison ivy. From what I was told, it just leads to another section of the park.

Old road branches off to the right of the Hiking Trail at Russell Cave National Monument

The Hiking Trail is actually what I call a lollipop trail, meaning that you start out on the “stick” before reaching the actual loop. In this case the start of the loop comes .1 mile from the boardwalk. The amount of uphill climbing is about the same either way, so it makes no difference which way you go around. For the record, I kept straight and hiked in a counterclockwise direction.

Intersection at the start of the loop portion of the trail, Russell Cave National Monument

While the Nature Trail is an easier alternative to the Hiking Trail, you still have some steep sections to climb before reaching the turnoff that comes just minutes after the start of the loop. The intersection is marked with a sign.

Steep hill before the intersection with the Nature Trail at Russell Cave National Monument

Intersection of the Hiking and Nature Trail at Russell Cave National Monument

As mentioned, the hike up the Hiking Trail is steep. How steep is it? Well, it is a half mile up a mountain to the point where the trail levels and then begins the descent back down. A grade of 15% is where really steep begins, and the average grade of the uphill climb on the Hiking Trail is 14.4%, and that’s the average only because there are some level and downhill dips along the way. Most of the inclines have a grade hovering around 30%. (The grade is not the angle of the slope, but the calculation of rise (climb in elevation) divided by run (length of horizontal progress) expressed as a percentage ((rise/run) x 100). For example, using feet as the unit of measurement, a 10% grade means that a trail climbs 10 feet for every 100 feet in length.)

Typical terrain along the Hiking Trail at Russell Cave National Monument

The National Park Service has been kind enough to place benches along the way, giving hikers a chance to sit and enjoy the scenery…or to take a break from the grueling hike up the mountain.

Take a break on one of the benches placed along the trail at Russell Cave National Monument

You’ll know that you are getting close to the end of the climb when you pass a second bench and see an information sign about Turkeys. The trail does not go all the way to the top of the mountain, so you are still on the slope when it levels out for a few hundred feet before beginning an equally strenuous descent back to the starting point. If you have hiking poles, I highly suggest using them. For a guy like me with bad knees, the impact of walking down a steep hill makes it harder than walking uphill. Hiking poles can really alleviate the pounding your knees take on the way down.

Other than a couple of intersections that might throw you off, the trail is straightforward and there is no chance of getting lost by taking a wrong turn. You’ll eventually arrive back at the “stick” portion of the lollipop trail, so take a right and follow the path back to the Visitor Center.

Back to the Top