Ferne Clyffe State Park

Ferne Clyffe State Park
dnr.illinois.gov/Parks/Pages/FerneClyffe.aspx
Ferne Clyffe State Park has to be one of our favorite weekend stomps. It’s close to home and has a lot of areas to explorer. Usually when we go to Ferne Clyffe, we think that it’s a shame more people don’t visit it. We didn’t have the feeling on our most recent visit as the park was packed!

We have explored Ferne Clyffe in all seasons and the summer is a great time to see the namesake ferns on the cliffs, growing in their full glory. It’s also a great time to seek out the prickly pear cactus, the only cactus native to Illinois, on the Round Bluffs trail. Fall is perfect for spotting eagles amongst the autumn foliage on the lake trail. The main roads to the trails closes for winter; if you start at the campground, you can find Bork’s Waterfall Trail and finding the waterfall frozen over on a cold day is worth the effort.

That brings us to early spring and our experience for the past weekend. We hiked Hawk’s Cave, Goreville Scout, and part of Rebman’s Trail. These were trails we had never explored and the entire area was full of early spring flowers and blooming Redbud trees. The streams and waterfalls were flowing and birds and butterflies were abundant.

We started with Hawk’s Cave. This uphill hike leads to one of the largest bluff shelters in the state of Illinois. The 150 foot long shelter is on the face of the bluffs and the ground is covered with boulders that have fallen over the centuries, creating a unique area to explorer. As you leave the shelter, you can stay on the trail that circles around and out, or catch a trail that heads up toward Goreville and to the top of the bluffs.

The Goreville Scout Trail is a straight up and down. It again ends where Goreville begins and is a tough uphill walk. You are rewarded with views of the bluffs from above.

Rebman’s Trail is primarily an access point for climbers. There was a group on a climbing outing when we were there and we started the trail just to watch them climb. For those of us without climbing gear, there were a few points along the trail where you can test your bouldering ability.

​For those that don’t hike, you can take park in the other activities offered at Ferne Clyffe. The Tunnel Hill Bike Trail runs along one side of the park. The lake offers fishing and there is a campground, picnic area, hunting, horse riding in designated areas, and several playgrounds onsite. Or you can explore the way Lillian and Mitchell prefer to and walk through a creek. However you explore it, Ferne Clyffe is a great way to sample what the Shawnee National Forest has to offer.