Joined a friend at their campsite to spend the day kayaking. Easy place to find. Plenty of parking…read more Electric hookup was great for the ac. Easy area to put in your kayak. This lake is spacious. Lots of private beaches so you can't dock anywhere.

Fun place to camp. Beautiful lake. Everything was phenomenal fishing with fun. Fantastic but of…read morecourse there's always going to be bugs. Lol but it was well worth it will be back. Absolutely fun time.

Beautiful campground. Most sites are on the water or real close to the water. The park ranger was…read morevery nice. Everything was clean. There is no running water but there are vault toilets. Dog friendly campground. The only significant downside was the lack of available help around - due to covid the park office is closed, understandably but no one is manning the phones and the website map is confusing. It should be specified which area is mainly for campers (the big bear area).

A wee bit sketchy but I'm terrified of heights. It's beautiful once up…read more 123 steps up! Would be beautiful at sunrise and sunset.

Even though me and my wife were disappointed that we didn't have time to check out the Welcome…read moreCenter since it was closed down Memorial Day we were able to check out a few of the trails at Giant City state park. I enjoyed the mixed variety of Trail Lengths mainly just because I'm not much of a hiker myself. The state park is actually a solid place to check out if you're in the area or are coming to the area since there's many things to check out especially on this side of the Shawnee National Forest compared to the east side. There's plenty of parking spaces and amenities at most of these trailheads. The area is still a well-kept secret in my opinion that I don't feel like a lot of tourists still come and check out. Overall, the state park is actually worth checking out and thankfully the parking is free or you don't need a parking pass of any source

Everyone is so friendly and the grounds are super clean. Tents or campers with electric hook ups if…read moreyou want them. Nice lake to fish in. Sandy beach with roped off swim area. You can kayak, or paddle boat on the lake. Golf cart trails through the woods for riding. Playgrounds for the kids. I highly recommend this campground.

Super friendly staff. Dog friendly park, most people here…read moreare permanent or semi permanent residents squished in here and there around the private lake. Rental spots are inexpensive and most are pull through sites, which we alway love that. Sites are clean and the bath house is practically brand spanking new with hot showers. The memorial day weekend brought back to back activities which included DJ's for everyone to enjoy tunes, try your hand at games, with mega log fire chats and those lake views. Grab some frozen treats or bags of ice at the office. Again, super friendly and rates are great. Only take cash or checks. They are respectful of quiet hours, most people live here for periods of time.

Had a really nice weekend at Ferne Clyff. There are 18 trails that are maintained and for various…read morelevels, but be aware that nearly every trail has poison ivy just at the edge of pathways. There's lots to do, whether you're there to hike, bike, climb, or relax in nature. The camping grounds are a bit crowded, but most everyone keeps to themselves and are very friendly. There are lots of primitive restrooms throughout the park, but maintained with plumbing restrooms are only available for overnight paid guests. If you forget firewood, there is a place near the main campground restrooms where you can get bundles of firewood from a vet owned business. As of 5/8/2026 when I'm writing this, each bundle is $5 and can be paid in cash or QR.

This is my go to hiking park when I need to introduce someone to the beauty of SoILL on a tight…read moretime budget. The Waterfall Trail is flat and wide and boasts a fun waterfall in wet seasons, but also lovely bluffs and wildlife even when it's dry. My favorite hike was on a cold January day. We started with flurries, and the ground was completely white when we completed it. My kids are also HUGE fans of the Hawks Cave hike. Lots of fun boulders to climb on and explore. It's a short (though a bit steeper) hike, but begs you to linger at the cave.

My wife and I wanted to check this place out since it was on her bucket list and apparently it…read morebecame on my bucket list as well since I love to see some other worldly things in my own home state of illinois. Thankfully we lucked out and we didn't get rained on but this place was still pretty busy. Depending on when you show up parking can be a bit Limited. The trails to the top is not too long either but the interaction is so long and breathtaking. I've never been to a park since I've been to Matheson State Park where you are able to climb on every little thing. The views here and the experience is unlike any other. It felt like I was back in the Smoky Mountains but with less tourists. They have public restrooms here as well though if there's a line it could take a while. Me and my wife spent a good few hours here and if you follow the trail it will take you right back to the parking lot. We also enjoyed that this place is also dog friendly too!

Glad we went the route we did which is to the right as opposed to the left. This has the frequent…read morestairs/incline with is better for my knees than the sharp decline if we were to go the other way. I also liked that the multiple or compiled sandstones was the last we saw as opposed to the first, like a grand finale. And then the gradual decline on the way down to complete the circle. This is a very quick route where you can see the famous camel rock actually many of the rocks look like faces ;)

Cleanliness : high marks…read more Grounds : well maintained Playground : swings / slide, very basic Staff : friendly and helpful Views : main road is visible but the site is nestled back amidst mature trees. Wood carved animal totems on site are a nice feature. Other : they have a well designed and maintained chicken coop w 3 dozen or so Rhode Island Reds and a few other breeds. The chickens free range in the day. We raise chickens and can appreciate their set up

What a quaint spot for our overnight stay on our long trek back to Reno, NV. The restrooms/showers…read moreare closed due to COVID-19, so be sure you are self-contained if you stop here. They still have full hook-ups. The ground are well-kept and have statues carved from wood around the site - Rocky (from Bullwinkle, not the boxer ); Abraham Lincoln; and a rooster on top of a pig on top of a horse - not kidding. Oh, and there are real roosters and hens walking around. Super cool! The sites are gravel and level with fire rings. While the campground is very quiet, there is interstate noise at night - be aware. Also, there seems to be a waste water treatment facility nearby - the occasional funk is not so amazing. Great for an overnight stay or a long weekend away with the kids, especially once the pool opens back up.

If you are a trail runner stay away from the red trail. I started at the trailhead from Lake…read moreBoutin. The first half mile of trail is fine. After that it becomes overgrown. At 1.4 miles of this nine mile trail I had to turn back because the trail was impassable with fallen trees and overgrowth. It didn't look like a recent tree downing, it appeared to have been here awhile. I don't think these trails are used very often. Maybe I got off trail. Hard to tell since it was not well marked either. Maybe people only go half a mile and turn back. I had to jump in the lake afterwards to rinse off any potential poison oak/ivy oils. Either way I would not recommend the red loop for running. If you enjoy bushwhacking, running with a machete, and doing volunteer trail maintenance then this trail is perfect for you. That's the only situation where I would suggest this trail for running. Best of luck out there.

We stopped here on way to another town so we could decide if it was worth a trip back here to hike…read moretheir trails. The gal at visitor center was so nice. She was very knowledgeable about the trails here as well as local history. She obviously loves her job and that is a wonderful thing to see. The center itself was very nice with a large number of taxidermy birds and mammals. The history of Indians and the forced march they had to endure is focal point of this park. The park offers some good views out over the mighty Mississippi River. We will return to hike the trails on another day!

Very nice Very clean…read more Workers are all friendly Lots of medium-old growth trees-which many campgrounds remove. Very pleasant Good Sam campground Totally coming back here!

We have been on a cross-county two week trip with another couple. We plotted out our route, and…read morepicked Landing Point on our way home to Kentucky. We loved our pull-through site. The hookups were perfect. We bought firewood and asked for the pit to be cleaned out (we didn't have a shovel). When the fella came to deliver wood, he cleaned out the pit. We told him we we're making s'mores. He actually scrounged up a couple pieces of scrap wood and ran it back over to us. Great guy!!! The girl in the office said they didn't have fire-starter, but said we could walk around by the woods and pick up kindling.