Front Lake Loop Trail at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Hiking trails at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site are for exercise purposes only—you won’t learn anything new about Sandburg on the trails. However, the entire park is serene, and if you are looking to take a pleasurable walk, this is as good a place as any. From what I saw, the park seems popular with the locals who come to walk their dogs and get their exercise. You can pick up a trail map at the Visitor Center or you can download one here: Sandburg Trail Map (PDF)

Trails take visitors to various places on the Sandburg property. Some overlap, and there is no one trail that covers everything. If hiking is on your agenda when you visit the park, then I have the plan for you. With my itinerary you can cover most of the trails, plus take the house tour and see the Goat Barn. The only trail not covered is the Memminger Loop Trail, but the trails are all pretty much the same, so you won’t be missing anything. If you have time, you can go back and hike this trail on its own, which is about a mile long.

The park is open daily for hiking from sunrise to sunset. If the main parking lot is full, there is a Hiker’s parking lot on Little River Road a half mile from the main lot. It is a .3 mile walk from the parking lot to where the trails start at the Goat Barn.

Park Loop Hike and Attractions

Carl Sandburg Home suggested hike route (click to enlarge)

Length: 4 miles
Time: 5 hours, includes stops for the house tour and a visit to the goat farm
Difficulty: Moderate, with two mildly strenuous but short uphill climbs

Hike 1: Half of Front Lake Loop

Most people get to the Sandburg home from the visitor parking lot by walking up a steep, .3 mile road. Why not take a more scenic route that adds only a tenth of a mile and is about the same incline as the road? A hike around one half of Front Lake will do the trick. When you leave the park, hike back on the other side of the lake. That covers the Front Lake Loop trail, and you won’t be walking much more than if you were to walk to and from the house on the asphalt road. (Note: getting to the Sandburg House via this route takes approximately 15 minutes. If you have a tour scheduled, be sure you can get there in time before departing.)

Just a few minutes after leaving the parking lot you will come to Front Lake. Take the footbridge to the left.

Footbridge to the trail around the left bank of Front Lake at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

The trail along the lake, on both sides, is flat an easy.

Typical terrain of the Front Lake Loop Trail at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

At the halfway point on the opposite side of the lake is the steep trail that leads to the Sandburg House, but as I mentioned, it’s really no worse than the paved road. This is marked with a sign, so you can’t miss it. When you get near the house there appears to be more intersections than there are trails on the map, but don’t worry about this—just be on the lookout for signs pointing to the house.

Signs on the Front Lake Trail point the way to the Carl Sandburg Home

Depending on which way you end up going, you may come to a large area of exposed rock. This is where Carl Sandburg loved to come to write whenever he was working on something that didn’t require research. He would not have come here to write his Lincoln biography, but it is a great place for writing poems and stories.

Total time from parking lot to Sandburg House: 15 minutes

Rock on which Sandburg wrote his stories and poems, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Wayside exhibit at the rock outcropping near the Carl Sandburg Home

Stop 1: Sandburg Home

Once at the Sandburg House, stop in and take the House Tour. The park’s Visitor Center is located on the lower level of the house, and this is where you can purchase tour tickets if you did not already do so in advance online (provided any tickets are left). There are also two videos about Sandburg that you can watch that take up a half hour of time. The National Park Service claims the tour takes 30 minutes, but the one I took lasted an hour. Also keep in mind that depending on when you arrive, you may have to wait a half hour or more for the next available tour. All in all, plan for two hours at the house, though you might get everything done in 1.5 hours.

Sandburg House at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Stop 2: Goat Barn

When you have finished with the house tour, depart to the right of the house and follow the paved road to the Goat Barn. The road is well marked. Plan for a half hour stop, unless you just love goats and want to stay longer.

Lilian Sandburg’s Goat Barn at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Hike 2: Orchard Trail (to Trout Pond)

Directly across the street from the Goat Barn is a trail that runs between a garden and some goat sheds. This is the Orchard Trail, though on the trail information panels along the actual trail it has no name. This is a very short trail that will eventually connect to the Spring Trail (again, no name on the trail information panel ), which then takes you to your ultimate destination, the Glassy Mountain Trail.

Total hiking time: 5 minutes

Start of the Orchard Trail at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Man made Trout Pond at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Hike 3: Spring Trail

When you get to the man-made Trout Pond, the trail continues sharply to the left. You’ll see a set of stairs—take these and turn right at the top. You are now on the Spring Trail. In .2 miles you will come to the intersection with the Glassy Mountain and Memminger Trails. Follow the sign to Big Glassy Mountain.

Total hiking time: 5 minutes

Steps to the Spring Trail from the Trout Pond at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Intersection of the Spring, Glassy Mountain, and Memminger trails at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Hike 4: Glassy Mountain

The hike to the top of Glassy Mountain, as you might expect, is uphill. However, you are only gaining about 300 feet in elevation over the 1-mile hike. That’s not flat, but it’s not super steep either. I saw a 4-year-old kid coming back down, so anyone in decent shape can make the journey. There are benches along the way, as there are on all of the trails at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site.

Benches are along all of the trails in Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Of all the trails in the park, the Glassy Mountain Trail is the only one to offer any scenic views. However, be sure to get to the end. You will come to a large patch of exposed rock and might think that’s the top. Nope, keep on going a little farther—the trail continues on the far left side of the rocks.

Glassy Mountain Trail continues after crossing a patch of rock, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

From this point it’s just a short hike to the top where you will have a view of the surrounding mountains.

View from the top of Glassy Mountain at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

When you return and get back to the intersection with the Spring and Memminger trails, take a right an follow the Memminger Trail to the intersection with the Little Glassy Mountain Trail. It is a fairly steep descent that starts out on a gravel path but quickly becomes an earthen trail.

Total hiking time: 1 hour for round trip hike

Start of the Memminger Trail at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Hike 5: Little Glassy Mountain Trail

You won’t be on the Memminger Trail for more than five minutes before coming to the intersection with the Little Glassy Mountain Trail. This is a very steep trail, much steeper than the trail to Glassy Mountain, but luckily it’s short, and after about five minutes of climbing you will be heading back downhill. Also, you won’t arrive at some sort of mountain peak. All you are doing is hiking up one side of a small hill and down the other side.

Total hiking time: 15 minutes

Little Glassy Mountain Trail at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Hike 6: Other Half of Front Lake Loop Trail

Once at the bottom of the Little Glassy Mountain Trail you will once again be at the area with more intersections than trails on the map. Luckily there is plenty of directional signage. At the first sign, follow directions to the Sandburg Home.

Signage at the northern trailhead for the Little Glassy Mountain Trail at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

You will then come to a fork, with the left taking you over exposed rock and the right leading back into the forest. The exposed rock trail is a dead end, so take the fork to the right.

Fork in the trail near the Front Lake Trail at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

The next sign should be familiar. This time stay straight—do not go to the Sandburg Home.

Fork in the trail near the Front Lake Trail at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

When you get to where the Front Lake Loop trail starts, stay to the left so you can hike around the other side of the lake.

Front Lake at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Once you get back to the main area, take a left over the bridge to get to the parking lot. You will pass by the Information Center and bathrooms. If you are looking for a good photo of the house—which are hard to come by—there is decent shot just after passing the Information Center, though you will need a telephoto lens.

Total time: 15 minutes

Photo of the Sandburg House taken from near Information Center at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Information Center and restrooms at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

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