Plentiful selection of exercise equipment available. Great workout options. Open to members…read moreanytime. Makes it very convenient for me.

People don't even realize how big the Shawnee National Forest is. It basically stands most of…read moresouthern Illinois. It would truly take you about a week or more to truly experience everything in this entirety or at least the most out of it. Most of your activities if you come to the show National Forest are on the west side. Many things I wish we could still check out where the Little Grand Canyon that were on my bucket list but unfortunately we couldn't make it. Due to time restraints. The east side of the Shawnee National Forest is basically home to the very popular Garden of the Gods and I recommend the Rimrock Trail as well. I have yet to visit the central part of the Shawnee national forest as well as a few other parts. This place was beautiful to check out it says I felt like I was not even in Illinois, it felt like I was back parts of the Smoky Mountains. I do recommend if you come out to bring plenty of bug and Sun spray because these bugs do bite out here and you should be prepared especially in the summer

Loved the many places in the Shawnee National Forest! Of course we came down to this area for…read moreGarden of the Gods which is five stars, top three places in Illinois to visit! And we hiked there as well. The Shawnee is large and stretches east and west, so it's really like, two National forests in one! The town of Marion was lovely, and we camped at Cave in Rock on the Ohio River. I also visited Scratch Brewing in Ava, IL. There's so much to do on all sides of the Shawnee, I'd love to return to do more hiking!

Yes very well maintained and picked up and has an actual real fire hydrant for the dogs.read more

There are two fenced areas, one for big dogs, one for smaller dogs. I took my Bully there to let…read morehim run around the large fenced in area. There are dog bowls for water to share. No other people came so it was nice that it's not crowded with too many dogs. There is an A Frame ramp that's fun to teach your dog to use, makes me wish there were a few different practice agility course of sorts. I would highly recommend to take your dog to a this dog park.

We came here for a friend's birthday party, and it was awesome. It's nice to have a spacious, air…read moreconditioned place for kids to run around during the summer months. There were several bounce houses, a styrofoam block pit, balance beams, and more. The staff was really nice, too. They kept their eyes out on our kids, and also handled all of the cleanup. Now I'm thinking about having my son's birthday party here!

They did not do a good job of helping us get started on time, and understanding when our time slot…read morestarted. I recommend bringing a big enough group because if not you may have to wait if you are sharing a slot with a different party.

The dog park was nice, with some fun things for the dogs to do, but the small dog area was TINY…read more Unless your dog is a chihuahua or a yorkie they can hardly run around and play. And if they want space from the other dogs they literally can't find any. That being said, if your dog is tiny and doesn't have much energy, or your dog is over 25 pounds, then this would be a great dog park to try. But for any high energy smaller dogs who want some space to run, find a different dog park

We are always thankful when we find a fenced in dog park. Especially when the fence is sturdy, well…read moremaintained and without holes or weak spots where our escape artists can get through. This dog park is inside a larger Riverside park and towards the back, so just keep driving through the park and you will find it. There's plenty of parking next to it. The dog park had doggie bags & a few benches. Pretty standard dog park. Our rescue beagles get bored easily if there's not many trees or areas to chase squirrels but we still love these open kinds of dog parks because they can be off-leash and get some running in. The park was clean and pretty.

Disgraceful! I took my 69 year old mother and my 1 year old grandson today to swim $32!!! We were…read moreso disappointed!

the staff was so terribly rude, lifeguards mostly. Way overly aggressive, especially to little ones…read more(2-4 especially.) I understand enforcing the rules and sometimes having to be just a little meaner, but the lifeguards were so disgustingly rude to all parties involved. Not to mention there was a middles aged man, looking in from the gym touching himself, while there were little kids swimming. there should not be a way to see the swimming area from the gym that clearly. disgusting.

This is most definitely not a beginner's hiking trail!!…read more This spot is hidden away outside Carbondale, and offers a great overview of the bluffs and the Big Muddy River. The trail is rugged and is quite slippery, especially after a rain. You will have to descend down a slippery rocky waterway to get down into the canyon, but the views are amazing. To get back out, another climb up a waterway is needed, and both can be quite hard to get up and down on. However, if you are looking for an amazing but challenging trail with great views, a wonderful stroll along the bluffs, and just overall connect with nature, definitely give this trail a try. Definitely need a good pair of shoes for this. Hiking boots/shoes greatly recommend!!

Trying to milk every last possible drop of warm weather out of the fall, our friends Eric and Laura…read moreasked us to get outside and take a hike with them. Knowing that my boyfriend has been getting restless to travel amidst the pandemic, The Little Grand Canyon gave us the perfect opportunity to "get out" of St. Louis and enjoy a mini-road trip with two great friends. At just two hours outside of the city, this popular hiking spot was the perfect destination. More about the actual trail: Erosion carved this deep box canyon located in Shawnee National Forest, south of Murphysboro. It is located on east bank of the Big Muddy River across from Turkey Bayou to the west, between Swallow Rock to the north and Chalk Bluff to the south. There is about a 350-foot difference in elevation between the bottom of the canyon and the trailhead. Access to the park is gained from Hickory Ridge Road to the east. The area was designated a National Natural Landmark in February 1980. The trailhead area is well maintained. There's a small bathroom, a few picnic tables, and ample parking. We did go on a slightly busy day and the access road was a bit tough to navigate because of people trying to drive as close to the trailhead as possible. From the trailhead to the first overlook is a pretty easy hike. The trail is well worn and doesn't change elevation much. The first overlook is incredible! You truly understand why it's called the Little Grand Canyon. It had three levels so it was easy to space out away from other hikers so you could get your group photos! Once you have your good social media post, you can either take the trail back to your car or descent into the canyon. DO IT. The second half of the trail is definitely more challenging as you go through a steep and sometimes slippery sandstone side canyon to the lusher, damper habitat of the canyon floor. But getting to see the way the stone has eroded over the years is absolutely worth it. You feel like you're on a movie set or on a different planet. The beauty of the stone is beyond compare. Getting back up out of the canyon was quite a workout. You really don't realize how far you had gone down until you have to go back up. I did, however, enjoy the challenge! Worked up a sweat getting back up to the car. I was glad I didn't drive so that I could snooze on the car ride back to St. Louis!