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Joel’s Journal: Giant City State Park
By Joel Raeber
Posted January 2011
 Named for the massive “streets” formed by geological cracking, faulting, and folding of the sandstone bluffs in the southernmost part of Illinois, Giant City State Park in the Shawnee National Forest of Southern Illinois attracts more than one million visitors every year for RVing, hiking, and numerous outdoor activities.
Formed more than 12,000 years ago and now covered in layers of fern, moss, flowering mints, hundreds of species of wild flowers and more than 75 varieties of trees, this “giant city” offers a fun and exciting camping and hiking experience for visitors.
Located just a few minutes south of Carbondale and Southern Illinois University, the area was first inhabited nearly 10,000 years ago. Shelter bluffs, or rock shelters, worn into the sides of the cliffs show evidence of this early human habitation, and the blackened ceilings caused by cooking fires are still visible today. The remains of a stone wall that was built by Native Americans about 1,400 years ago is visible on a sandstone cliff near the park’s main entrance.
Early settlers in the area came from Kentucky and Tennessee in the 1800s. During the Civil War, many of the cliffs and canyons were used by soldiers of both the Union and Confederate armies. Biologists and geologists became interested in the unique rock formations and natural diversity in the early 1900s, and the region became a center for study and relaxation.
The State of Illinois purchased 1,100 acres of land for the park in 1927. In 1936, the Civilian Conservation Corps completed construction of a lodge and several cabins on the highest point in the park. Today, the park has more than 4,000 acres and includes the 110-acre Fern Rocks Nature Preserve. Giant City’s natural beauty attracts visitors for camping, horseback riding, fishing, natural history and rappelling.
Giant City offers a variety of campground facilities. The 85-site Class A Family Campground provides water, electricity, showers, and sanitary facilities for tent and trailer camping. The sites are level and can accommodate the largest RVs. Most sites are pull-thru with gravel and lots of shade. There is also a Class A equestrian campground located off the horse trail in the southwest corner of the park. The park does take camping reservations for Class A sites.
A walk-in campground with 14 sites is located at the south end of the family campground for those who prefer a more primitive camp setting. This campground is closed during shotgun deer season.
The park’s visitor center has exhibits on the natural and cultural history of the park, as well as a gift shop and a discovery corner for children. A tower with an observation deck provides panoramic views of the area.
The Giant City Lodge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936, has been expanded and remodeled over the years. Care has been taken to preserve the colorful sandstone and the huge oak timber used in the initial construction. Many original furnishings and decorations have been restored and are still in use throughout the lodge. The lodge dining room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and has a reputation for excellent food at a reasonable price. It is especially well known for its family-style, home-fried chicken.
For guests not RVing, the cabins offer forest views. Most of the historic cabins built by the CCC are one-room units. There are four bluff cabins, the largest and most scenic, can house a family of six.
Giant City State Park offers several hiking trails that range from one-third mile to 12 miles, and an interpretive trail guide is available at the visitors’ center. Visitors can also pick up checklists for trees, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and wildflowers.
The most popular trail at Giant City is the one-mile Giant City Nature Trail. This hike takes visitors through the famous "streets" of Giant City. The trail is mulched and has wooden walkways over some marsh areas. These provide views of the park’s massive sandstone formations, which give the park its name, along with many plant habitats from creek bottomland to dry bluff top. It also offers opportunities for seeing pileated woodpecker, the largest woodpecker in the United States, along with numerous other birds and animals. There are some strenuous uphill portions on this trail, and copperhead snakes can be found on sunny ledges.
The 12-mile Red Cedar Hiking Trail is the longest in the park and provides a challenge even to dedicated backpackers. The Stonefort Nature Trail is a strenuous one-third-mile trail to explore one of only ten "stonefort" wall sites of heavy stones left by Woodland Period Native Americans in southern Illinois. Although called "stoneforts," their true use is unknown.
Climbing and rappelling are permitted at the park in two locations. The areas of Devil's Standtable cliff and the bluff at the Makanda entrance are accessible to climbers, and ropes are permitted on these cliffs. No permanent anchors are allowed, and no check-in is necessary. The cliffs are steep, and sandstone can be slippery when wet.
The park has a Class A Equestrian Campground in the southwest corner of the park for RVers bringing their own horses. A 12-mile loop horse trail is open from May 1 to October 31 every year. All 25 campsites have electricity, hitching posts, and access to water and showers. At the back of the campground is a trailer parking area. Giant City Stables, located in the park, offers guided rides for RVers without their own horses. Weather permitting, the stables are open from March 15 to October 31 each year.
Fishing is available at numerous ponds located throughout the park. Little Grassy Lake, on the east side of the park, has a boat launching ramp and offers largemouth bass, bluegill, and crappie. Boats are limited to 10-horsepower motors. The lake also is ideal for canoeing. Hunting for some wildlife species is allowed at Giant City on a controlled basis.
Nearby the park are the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, Southern Illinois University, Garden of the Gods Wilderness Area and Metropolis, Illinois (home to Superman)!
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