I had always wanted to visit the Garden of the Gods and I'm not sure how I came across SFC, but when I saw hot tub, I was sold. I was not disappointed and would go back. I was in cabin 4 and would probably pick 1-2 if I'm the same area (2 bedroom cabin) because it's closer to wooded area whereas 4 is closest to road. Actually if I came back I would try for tree house, which is the most popular and was already booked for NYE in September, when I booked my cabin. It s hard to find if you come at night, but there's a gift shop just by the cabins so maybe put that in GPS. Cons- no on-site recycling- yes I took all my beer cans back to Chicago. Heater could be annoying if you're a light sleeper. (Larger bedroom it vibrated bed slightly, but I slept just fine.) read more

See all

Great place to stay. We were in cabin four. It was clean, spacious, and had everything that we needed. Communication with the host was very good. Beds were comfortable, shower was hot and had good water flow, nice fireplace in the living room and fire pit outdoors. Hot tub on the patio was wonderful. Great location. Bathtub could use a couple non-skid decals as it was a little bit slippery. Coffee machine needs replacing because somebody burned it. One of the frying pan needs replacing because it was burnt. Outside hooks next to the hot tub to hang towels would be helpful. All in all a great stay. Very reasonable price and beautiful place. Would definitely stay there again. read more

This place is absolutely fantastic. A truly amazing weekend or mid-week getaway for a single person, a couple, or even a family. The cabins are very well-built with impressive construction. The location is private enough but not entirely secluded from other neighbors or nearby towns. So in essence it feels very safe. The hot tub was pre-heated for us when we got there, which is essential given it can take 4 hours to half a day to heat up. The bed mattresses were very comfortable. Plenty of supplies in the kitchen and a full size stove and fridge. The wifi is actually very fast and we were able to stream Disney+ for kids at one moment (bring your own roku stick or other device if you need to connect). If not, they have DirecTV satellite installed. It was only a 7 minute drive to Garden of the Gods hiking trails were absolutely gorgeous. Also, Carrie was extremely reachable and very quick to respond. She provided personal contact information, which is unbelievable. A wonderful experience; we will be sure to return. read more

Cabins are centrally located within a short walk to the Garden of Gods! Our family of 6 stayed in Cabin 4 which was a 2 bedroom cabin. The cabins were clean and had everything we needed for a 2 night stay; comfortable beds and sofa, a warm shower, a very useful kitchen with fridge and coffee maker, a smart TV and super fast internet. We already booked our next visit for the fall. Do yourself a favor and book this place. You won't regret it! read more

Fantastic! Easy to find (Google Map), comfortable, fully equipped . Excellent WIFI, hot tub (and plastic wine glasses in the kitchen, bottle of wine is not included on some reason) with a forest view at day time and stars visible at night. Firepit (with free firewood at entrance) and camping table and chairs outside (plus portable middle size grill), fireplace (I think it is electrical) inside to get warm. What I would add - few hooks near hot tub (now such hooks are interesting parking for grilling tools) and at bath wall (inside bathroom) - to get water out of wet swim suites and dry a little. Thanks a lot to owners! Our stay in cabin #5 was unforgettable! read more

I gifted a weekend away for my parents here and they LOVED it! They couldn't say enough good things about the cabin, the surrounding area, and overall experience. They spent an afternoon exploring the outdoors, visited a local cafe for coffee, and got to enjoy the cabin and it's amenities. On my end, the staff at Shawnee was extremely helpful in booking and any questions I had. Highly recommend! read more

Can't stretch enough how wonderful this place was. I am just thinking about the next time I will be there. We stayed in cabin 5 and upon arriving we thought that it was not very good because it was the closest to the highway, however we quickly jumped into the hot tub and all of our concerns went away. Very clean ant it has everything you need. Also the Garden pf the Gods park is less than 5 miles away. read more

See all

Very cozy and private. The location was only a 5 minute drive to the Shawnee Forest hiking trails, and a short walk down the street to the outpost if you need anything. A great place to take a romantic getaway. read more

Shawnee Forest Cabins - Shawnee Forest Cabins sign - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Herod, Illinois

We stayed here for our anniversary over the summer and we loved it. The cabins are short drive away from Garden of the Gods, which is gorgeous. We're vegan, so it was great not having to worry about whether there were any restaurants we could eat at in the surrounding area. We just brought great food and made our own awesome meals each day. The one bedroom cabin includes a private hot tub, a grill and a fire pit. The fire pit has fresh cut wood in it when you get there. We really enjoyed hanging out by the fire at the end of the day. The cabins have wifi. They're also surprisingly affordable. Definitely a great long weekend getaway for couples. There are two bedroom units for families and groups. I like this place so much that some friends and I are planning to book a couple of cabins in the spring for a group getaway. read more

Amazingly clean inside and out. Had everything we needed. Well maintained within a beautiful setting. Highly recommended.

Our Shawnee cabin #8 met all our expectations. Clean, comfortable, and well equipped for our trip to the Garden of the Gods. The confirmation emails sent are detailed and explain everything. I highly recommend staying at the Shawnee Forest cabins. read more

Great stay. So clean and comfortable!! Hot tub was great and bed super comfortable! So close to the Garden of the Gods and the property itself is really nice. Will stay again!! read more

Recently my husband and I stayed here for a mini getaway and it was perfect! Quiet, beautiful and relaxing. Everything you need is there for you. Extremely close to Garden of the Gods. Definitely we will be back!! read more

A gorgeous home in a gorgeous place! Our family of 4 stayed in the treehouse cabin and absolutely loved everything about it! The house is cozy and clean. The fire pit and hot tub are perfect additions to an already great place to stay! read more

Very nice & clean cabins. We had no issues of any sort, was a nice touch to have the free firewood & the hot tub on the privacy deck / porch. The bed was excellent & better than most places. Also, location is excellent & close to the many places we visited & hiked at. We would return. read more

Shawnee Forest Cabins - Entrance (2 miles from Garden of the Gods - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Herod, Illinois

See all

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful eight night stay at Shawnee Forest Cabins. We stayed in Cabin 1, which is probably the most secluded since it sits toward the back of the six cabin development, away from Karber's Ridge Road, and since its private hot tub on its private wooden deck overlooks a little pond that provided a nightly concert of beautiful frog song accompanied by the voices of wolves off in the forest-covered distance. The air-conditioned cabin that also has heat and an electric fire place was very clean and ready for us when we arrived. We met the owners, Doug and Carrie, the next day, and they were very welcoming. Each day, they checked in with us via Facebook Messenger or in person to make sure we had everything we needed. The cabin provided linens, paper towels, dish soap, coffee filters, trash bags, and toilet paper along with cooking pots and utensils, plates and bowls, flatware, and wi-fi. They accommodated our need to receive a stack of fresh towels every other day since we went through quite a few as we soaked in the hot tub and then showered before bed. We spent the week sitting in the hot tub (Did I mention the hot tub? It was so awesome!), grilling out with the charcoal grill (Bring your own charcoal.), making camp fires with the wood that Shawnee Forest Cabins provided, hiking Garden of the Gods and Rim Rock, and visiting Cave-in-Rock. Family from Tennessee, Florida, and Nevada rented a house that accommodated 11 people nearby, so we had a family reunion as well! We could've stayed another week. Shawnee Forest Cabins is a great place to relax. We didn't even leave the cabin on two days of our visit. It was just so nice to use the hot tub, watch a DVD, and play board games! However, it was also nice to use Shawnee Forest Cabins as our base for exploring the nature of the area. We packed in all of our own food and alcohol from Chicago. The closest grocery store is in Harrisburg, which is about 25 minutes away by car. Luckily, Harrisburg is in Saline County because Pope County, where Shawnee Forest Cabins is located, is currently a dry county. (Noooooo!) There is a liquor store and two bars in Elizabethtown, which is about 30 minutes away in Hardin County. A few items I'd like to see added to Cabin 1 include a fly swatter, kitchen knives for preparing food, a skimmer for removing insects that fall into the hot tub, and solar lights that help visitors find the cabin after dark. It's so dark at night in Herod, Illinois that I sometimes missed Chicago's light pollution simply because I couldn't see well enough under the star-filled sky to find the cabin's door. If you're looking to relax and to have exceptional customer service provided by super nice small business owners, this place is for you! P.S. The Garden of the Gods Outpost, which serves excellent ice cream concoctions and sells regional souvenirs, and the Big Foot Statue are within walking distance. read more

Excellent cabins! Very clean and owner is very responsive to any needs. Highly recommend for people who want a camping experience with hiking and campfires but with a nice place to sleep with full bathroom, kitchen and air conditioning. read more

We heard great things about theses cabins. We booked it over Mother's Day weekend. The cabin was much smaller and cramped than the pictures make it appear on-line. We were very close to the other cabins. The view therefore was nothing special. No beautiful forests to look at. The icing on the cake was the smoke detector started chirping at 12am. I contacted the host who responded right away (found out later this was only because she was scrolling thru emails). She helped us find a long pole to reset it. She assured us that the batteries were changed in January and didn't understand why this happened. The next evening at 11:30am it went off again. Since this was a hiking trip, our goal was to get up early. So instead of changing the batteries while we were out on day 1 -they waited for it to happen again. Two nights of sleep interrupted. No compensation for our inconvenience and interrupted sleep on both of the nights of our stay. Not what I call good customer service. When you are one of two places to stay in the area, the bar doesn't have to be that high. Definitely will not stay there again read more

Highly recommend these! The cabin was perfect- exactly what we needed for our getaway. Beautiful and clean, with everything provided for us. We really enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back!! read more

Cozy, quiet and comfortable little cabin. A perfect place for a weekend getaway. Very well maintained grounds in the center of shady, wooded area. read more

The place felt very private even though we had nearby cabins. Very cozy stay! There are 2 queen size beds in each room with storage and one queen-sized pull-out couch bed, sheets provided. The Tv had Direct Tv cable service with enough channels and a DVD player if you bring your own movie. After a long day of hiking, it was nice to unwind by the electric fireplace and watch a movie. The bathroom was very clean and towels and bar soap provided. No washer/dryer, not really a problem for us though. I took my boyfriend to Garden of the Gods as a surprise birthday getaway. I found Shawnee Forest Cabin's website by google searching nearby locations. I was pleased with the price and the distance from our main reason for going. When we arrived the campground was clean and easy to get to from the road, we missed it at first though, and turned around. We contacted the mainline because I was unsure how to check-in, I've never experienced self-check-in. The woman on the phone was very nice and explained it all to me. Great customer service. The cabin was very cute and we enjoyed the woodsy feel it provided while hiking the areas. It was stocked with pots, pans, cooking utensils, bottle openers.. etc. Pretty much anything you need to cook a good meal after a long day of hiking. At night we cozied up to the fireplace with the pull-out couch bed and watched a movie. There is a cute little gift shop store right off the road to the cabins that offers food and ice cream treats. Everything was perfect and we had a great time. Also, they have this notebook by one of the bedsides that have people's entries of their stay and cool areas to see. It was pretty interesting reading them and seeing all the places people came from to stay /see the area, nice touch! read more

Really pretty area, quiet, but near Garden of the Gods. Price was right. Clean, well appointed cabin. Well worth it.

This is a great place very quite and romantic this is the 6 time I have been here. Very lean great owners

Beautiful and very clean cabins. It was an amazing point from which to start our hikes. We did 2 nights and it was perfect. read more

See all

Amazing cabin! Cozy, clean and with everything you need! Many places to explore near by. Will definitely be returning!! Thank you for a great mini getaway!! read more

We highly recommended the Shawnee Forest Cabins. Our cabin was very updated, clean and had everything we needed inside. The hot tub was clean and had a nice view of the forest. We booked over-the-phone and the owner was very nice and helpful. They offer a no contact check-in. The owner mentioned they're taking extra cleaning precautions during COVID-19, including using bleach to wipe down high-touch surfaces. Our trip was the perfect social distancing escape! read more

See all

Beautiful new cabin inside Shawnee Forest. Went here for my daughter's tenth birthday. Well kept and very clean though we could not write in the journal given to us, it was one of the best stays. Will definitely return in the fall!!! read more

We had a great time The cabin was clean the whirlpool was wonderful and the hiking was great

A great, relaxing, cozy cabin! Perfect for a weekend getaway. If you're a chef, the utensils/cookware are a little lacking but the hot tub and comfy bed make up for it. Will definitely return! read more

great cabins, super beautiful. i suggest going with a group because there are about 4 cabins that are right next to each other and then two down the hill. but it was so much fun for the 2 families that went with us. the cabin me and my siblings stayed in had 2 bedrooms and then a kitchen and a living room with a tv and a fold out couch. it was very fitting. the other cabin that my parents stayed in was one bed with a connected bathroom and a kitchen and living room. also the best thing ever a hot tub on the deck that could easily fit about 5 kids or 3 adults. these cabins were amazing but the internet was kinda spotty. we weren't that far from a hiking trail that had big rocks and great hiking trails with beautiful look out points. great location to take kids very safe. it was very peaceful and in all the cabins they have a notebook where you can write about your stay. oh the wifi password is also very hard to find and it was Bigfoot2018 we enjoyed our stay and will for sure be coming back!! read more

This is an amazing location and my family stayed in the treehouse. It was pure magic for my girls (and their parents)! It was clean and had all the amenities needed for our stay! We can't wait to go back. read more

So peaceful and relaxing! Wish I lived closer! Simple, clean, comfortable cabins in a quiet location close to lots of hiking and a very short walk to local "convenience" store. The owner, Carrie was friendly and helpful suggesting local hikes and answering my questions. Could have easily stayed more than 2 nights to enjoy more hiking. read more

My partner and I cannot wait to rebook a stay at these cabins! Super easy, no contact check in/check out. Beautiful little log cabin with great amenities and features like the electric fireplace and hot tub. A great private location for a short getaway from the city is exactly what we were looking for and it's exactly what we found at Shawnee Forest Cabins. read more

We had a wonderful stay! The hot tub was great, the cabin was comfortable, the staff were friendly, and the scenery was beautiful. I hope to come again! read more

We have now stayed here twice, once in spring 2017 and once in summer 2020. The cabins seemed very new in 2017, so we were curious to see if they had been maintained this summer. We did not notice anything that diminished the quality or feel of the place. The two bedroom cabins are perfect for our family. Everything we would need is provided, and they are kept very clean. The beds are comfortable, the water tastes great, and the kitchen has everything you'll need. Partway through our four night stay, we returned back to the cabin to discover a delivery of fresh towels and more toilet paper and paper towels. Meanwhile, the owners are taking proper precautions during the COVID pandemic, being sure to clean all surfaces, bedding, etc. The location is perfect. The Garden of the Gods Outpost, with its souvenirs and snacks, is within walking distance if you want. Also within 10-15 minutes are hiking spots at Garden of the Gods, High Knob, and Rim Rock, as well as swimming at Pounds Hollow Lake. If you want to expand to 30 minutes, you could also explore Cave-in-Rock State Park and/or take the free ferry to Kentucky's Amish country. We also ventured to the western portion of Shawnee National Forest and did some hiking in Giant City State Park, which was only about an hour and 15 minutes away. We packed our three full days here with lots of fun, and we won't hesitate to come back! Thanks again for a great stay! read more

Thus was a wonderful place to stay! I was hiking the River to River trail and heard there were cabins close to GOGs so I called. Carrie and the whole crew are amazing. The cabin was beautiful and cozy! There was a nice feeling of privacy with all the comforts! I recommend them and would love to go back! Just some of the kindest people. read more

Stayed here for our annual deer hunting trip. Cabins were immaculate, and the owners are amazingly friendly and accommodating. Can't recommend this place enough, we will be back year after year! read more

What a great extended weekend at the Shawnee Forest Cabins! Our cabin was comfortable, super clean and nicely decorated. The owners thought of everything, both inside and outside! There was no contact check-in and good internet. Owners were very available for any issues but we didn't need to contact them. Great hiking opportunities right close by. Perfect socially-distanced weekend!! We highly recommend the Shawnee Forest Cabins!! read more