My husband and I have been camping several times at Crab Orchard Campgrounds. We love it there. The…read morecampgrounds are kept clean, restrooms and shower houses are very clean. Staff is friendly and goes out of their way to be helpful. Every lot has a nice scenic view. You have the opportunity to fish and swim at the beach. We enjoy just walking around the campgrounds. The campground is dog friendly, and all dogs are on a leash or small pen. We are looking forward to many more visits here. The Grizzell.

Brought out 6 year old and 8 year old to camp for the weekend. Before we knew it we had kids from…read moreseveral other camp sites at our site so my husband brought out the s'mores and began fixing them for everyone. He cut a limb from the tree in our yard for 1 of the boys and all of a sudden a man filming him with a phone started walking towards us yelling at him. This was one of the camp host.My husband explained what he was doing and the man continued to film in in front of all the children and yell about the stick he pulled from the tree. My husband apologized and said it wouldn't happen again. About an hour later about an hour later the refugee police pulled up and said that the man had called him grumbling about the tree. We were ticked and fined. I have read other reviews on the FB website where people have written about this particular camp host.

Inexpensive daily weekly and monthly rates. Always something to do. Beautiful lake. Town amenities…read moreare close by.

Absolutely beautiful park. Well maintained, office guy was super helpful and friendly! 2 awesome…read moreplaygrounds for kids. Beautiful trail around the lake! Friendly ducks walking like they owned the place. Spots along lake were huge. Loved it!!

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.

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

In my opinion, after living here for 13 months, the owner of the RV park presents himself as a…read moredecent man. I am here to tell you that my experience is he has quite a temper. If you do something he does not like, even if it's not a violation the park rules, he will come after you with a vengeance. I am moving and I would recommend you stay away from the site. There is a very nice RV park just south of here in Marion. I strongly Suggest you go there instead. Do not cross the owner or you will experience his wrath. Please I am Ploor you to check other sites in the area. This is the last place I never want to come to.

Stayed here for the 2017 solar eclipse and it was such an amazing experience! Not only did we get…read morelucky with clear skies and having some amateur astronomers staying in the campground, but the campground itself was great! The grounds were very well kept, the bathroom was always clean, and the family that runs the place was so nice and helpful. There are some nice hiking trails that branch off the campgrounds as well, just watch out for horse poop! I had never been to the southern Illinois area but now that I know of a great place to stay, I will definitely be back! Thank you Ben and Patty for this great place!

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.

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.

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 ;)