Had a really nice weekend at Ferne Clyff. There are 18 trails that are maintained and for various levels, 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. read more

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This is my go to hiking park when I need to introduce someone to the beauty of SoILL on a tight time 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. read more

We visited this park, enjoyed our walk til......the battery for our Honda Pilot died at the parking lot of the trail!! We called the state park ranger's office and left a message. The ranger came out very quickly and jumped our car! Very friendly and helpful ranger and we really appreciated him for his kindness. I was so stressed out and worried that our family will never be able to leave the park... wish to explore the park a little longer but getting a new battery in Marion was the priority. Thank you Ranger!! read more

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This park has some very cool rock formations. Who would've thought that there were hidden gems in Illinois. Illinois?! We had such a great time exploring all the parks in the area. #getoutside read more

An unexpected gem of geological wonder and beauty in Illinois. I highly recommend a visit to this park.

A true local treasure. This is a pristine section of Illinois and Ferne Clyffe is no exception. Visitors a plenty, but it is the love for the land that shines. Park employees care for her like they love her and it shines through. You may have to search to find it, but it's worth your time. read more

Ferne Clyffe State Park - Parks Near Me - Goreville, Illinois

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The hike to the water fall is very easy and well worth it. Takes about 20-30 minutes. Other trails are pretty easy too. Very beautiful park. Not something that I expected to see in southern Illinois. I absolutely loved it! It was so beautiful, and peaceful. read more

Ferne Clyffe State Park - Parks Near Me - Goreville, Illinois

A lovely little park with nice-looking camping, unusually scenic parking lots, and a nice quick little hike to a pretty water fall (more of a steady trickle when we saw it, but apparently you need to catch it after a rain). The Big Rocky Hollow Trail is a little boring (but still very nice) if you just walk along the bottom, but you can look for ways to get up to the rougher trail closer to the cliffs. (I think that might be the Fern Clyffe Waterfall Trail which runs from the campsites.) Either way, it's a lovely trail and an easy outing, and if I don't give it five stars, it's because of the embarrassment of rich options down here. read more

Well kept State Park...Very good hiking trails. Would recommend to anyone visiting Southern Illinois.

This is a bit of a drive. Next time we are staying and going to explore the area. The hiking trails are very well marked. I think when the creeks are higher you need to proceed with caution it was dry when we hiked. It is an 8 mile lop. Bring water and snacks. Plenty of places for photos and you will definitely get your hike on. I guess it's early in the season, we looked for some paper maps and couldn't find any. read more

Nice little State Park with a short walk to spot the cave and maybe a waterfall after it's rained.

Great hiking experience. Many different trails and level of difficulty. Camping available read more

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Great campground with many hiking trails. No water at the waterfalls due to drought, 2023. But still had a great time.

Stopped by for a quick hike on a road trip. Dogs allowed on leash. It was a beautiful day, very green and lush. We did Hawk's Cave Trail, which is a short loop (0.7 mile), and it was perfect. The trail is wide and very well maintained. The cave was beautiful and very cool to explore and rock hop outside of. Hopped back in the car feeling refreshed and grateful to have seen this special spot. read more

Beautiful lake and nice hike in forests of rock cliffs. Found a snake. No overlooks or waterfalls at the trail we took. read more

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Potential consequence for spilling the T, but locals know this is a real gem. Come see what I mean, but do you really have to tell your friends? read more

Nice, quiet place for year round camping. Numerous trails offer visitors a chance to take in the natural surroundings without having to deal with crowds of people. Picnic areas are spread out as well, so again, no crowds. The class A campground offers showers and flush toilets for $15/night from April to November and then has pit toilets for use during winter months. read more

Beautiful park! Very short drive from the interstate with easy access to trails. We stopped by with our lunch for a quick picnic on our drive to Florida. A nice surprise with the water and bluffs. Took our dog on a short hike before we got back on the road. read more

Excellent park for tent camping and hiking. Lots of trails for hiking of varying distance and difficulty. The waterfall trail is beautiful. The tent camping area is separate from the main site. 18 sites, each with a table and fire pit. Most are fairly secluded, but there are a few sites close together for groups. The nearby town of Goreville has a few stores to get supplies, firewood and other camping necessities. Near many other interesting state parks and preserves. read more

Great place to hike and picnic lots of trails and plants pond is also nice to fish or walk around

I would love to give them a five since most of their parks are so manicured and show on maps but a few of their parks aren't know and less manicured. Like bobcat loop, big buck creek, and cedar bluff trail. I wish they were trails more marked to make sure that you weren't getting lost. Also have paths with names on them instead of symbol so we don't know what path they are. We were fortunate enough to meet a dnr official and assistant that went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure we were safe and back at our car. They were literal superheroes of the day and I can't thank them enough for saving the day when we got lost due to maps we weren't supplied with and paths that weren't labeled enough/correctly. read more

This seems like a great park for RV camping with family's. The trails seem pretty short. The park is easy to get around. And the RV sites seemed pretty nice. We camped here during a weekend trip to Shawnee. We like to tent camp though and saw online there were primitive walk-in sites. they are kind of in a funky spot. You have to park at a horseback riding trail and take that over to the walk-in sites.....which was a lengthy walk only to see they were right next to a road. Luckily, the road was closed, but it still took away from that secluded woods feeling. There are about 5 spots, and had other people been there it would have been cozy. Luckily we were the only ones in the area so that was pretty nice. The area we were staying in seemed especially tick infested. Several times we had to knock one off the tent. Luckily we were all sprayed up pretty good. We did the little waterfall trail towards the end of the day. It's a very pretty little trail and area....however we never found the waterfall. There are so many little run off trails I'm not sure if we got lost or if it just wasn't running due to lack of rain. It seems like these trails are heavily used so it would be nice if they were a little more marked to help keep you on the intended trail. We still had a good time and it was a very pretty place. There were many other trails I wish I could comment on to leave a better review, but since we only did the one, I can't. Seems like a great place for RV camping, but again, we probably won't be back for tent camping. read more

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Ferne Clyffe has great trails , but the signage is spotty. Some of the trailheads are back in the woods and the signs for them aren't visible from the road. The Happy Hollow Trail is great! Also, why isn't it spelled Fern Cliff? read more

Wonderful place to hike and commune with nature. A nice place for a picnic as well as big get together for families and groups.

Pretty Park with bluffs, creek and more. Trails were not very well marked and almost seemed one-way in that you have to backtrack to your starting point. Be sure to pick up a Trail Map at the camping registration office. Would do it again but will want to do further research. read more