Giant City State Park — Attraction in Carbondale

We love Giant City State Park!! The history here is so touchable. Even before the CCC build the Lodge, road bridges and buildings in the 30s and 40s; people were out and about in this beautiful area. We found rock carvings from around 1830 and I'm sure there were several from before white settlers arrived that we just weren't able to find. People have been hiding out in the nooks and crannies here for the longest time. Hiking amoung the standing rocks is a little trip backwards to touch our ancestors. The names craved on the rock facings made us talk for the next several days about what their lives might have been like and how different life is today. Even without the craved names, the standing stones are awe inspiring. I was so tempted upon over hearing another woman hiker tell her companions she regretted not having a tool to "add her name to the rock" that I had to restrain myself from stating; 1. illegal!, 2. Why! Why! Why! and, 3. varied curses on her house (somehow Shakespearean English and Klingon were close to erupting together from my lips. I know, I know, nerd, nerd, nerd.) The lodge itself seemed to us like an American castle. All big dressed stone; arched stair-wells, black wrought ironwork, wavy glass windows and massive wooden pillars. The place had a settled contentment about it that was comforting and exciting all at the same time. Our meal there was very good with generous portions and moderately priced. The staff were all kind and generous with their time and information. The small museum was very interesting with sections on the CCC and natural history. The CCC was an country-wide orginazion that our great country could use today. Our government gave America's men their pride back and helped end the great depression with programs like the CCC. Every place we travel there are still buildings, bridges and roadworks attributed to these men. The campground was tidy and well maintained. We were here during the off season (love the empty park but dislike that the water in the cg wasn't turned on yet) and had the area almost to ourselves. The wooded areas were wonderful, I love sitting out at night listening to the owls. I probably could go on and on but seriously folks, do yourselves a big favor and spend time here. The trip is...

Lots of cool places to hike and scramble. Lots of unmarked locations throughout the park with picnic tables, plus a few different covered shelters (which are able to be reserved).

We were able to hike the roughly 5 miles offered by all the shorter trails, plus a break for lunch, with 2 younger kids (who enjoyed exploring some of the offshoots, even though that seems to be discouraged, at least by signs posted around), in under 6 hours.

Arrow-Wood Trail was a good starter near the Visitor Center, and has a connector (that isn't super convenient) to the Post Oak. Arrow-Wood has signs at some of the different trees that are common throughout the park. Post Oak takes you near the bluffs, but isn't particularly exciting.

Indian Creek was a fun little jaunt, a little longer than the previous 2. It takes you back to the Indian Creek Falls, which have bluffs overhanging and evidence of Native American use there a thousand or more years ago.

Giant City Nature Trail takes you on a loop around and through some of the more stunning features in the park, with what almost seem to be man-made cuts up to 5-10 feet wide through rocks up to 30 or 40 feet tall.

Devil's Standtable Trail has some places for scrambling near the bluffs. The trail seems to have, at one point, wrapped around up the bluff near the trail's namesake, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore, at least how it's officially marked.

Stone Fort Trail takes you along part of one of a handful of stone walls, thought to be 1200+ years ago, found in southern Illinois. This wall isn't original, but was reconstructed by the CCC nearly 100 years ago after it had been scattered and scavenged by early residents more than a century ago.

Trillium Trail takes you along some of the park's typical bluffs, looping around so you can view these both from above and below. At 2 miles, this is the longest that isn't the Red Cedar or Equestrian Trails, both of which are about 12 miles each. It's rated "rugged", but wasn't terribly difficult, even in wet conditions from rain as recently as 12 hours before we hiked it.

In addition to all these trails, our kids enjoyed the lookout at the water tower by the Lodge, and probably would've liked the playgrounds, too, if they weren't all soggy while...

We visit Giant City State Park anytime we can. It is part of a forest preserve, and it is pristine! We always bring a trash bag on our walks to pick up any litter we find, but we barely find any trash. Thank you everyone, for respecting Mother Nature here! The Giant City Lodge is a must go-to for all you can eat fried chicken and homestyle sides, plus you can learn about the history of the lodge while you're there. One thing I want to mention, if you want to stay in a cabin onsite, they don't allow pets, and there is no microwave or stove in any cabin. I assume that's because they want you to go spend money at the lodge instead of cooking your own food. Also, if you want ice, you have to go to the lodge, and they will give you a tiny little plastic bag of ice. Besides these inconveniences, Giant City Park is an amazing place to experience! Check out Pin Oak Trail and then turn left onto the beaten path, and you will end up at the top of Devil's Stand Table. It's a sight to see! The challenge is to jump across to the stand table. I haven't tried that and I never will, but I've seen people make the jump. It's scary to watch! There is also a trail dubbed the "fat man squeeze," where you walk in between two walls of rock that get narrower and narrower.

I love this park! Every time we go, we find something else to explore. It doesn't feel like we're in Illinois when we visit because of the huge rock outcroppings and hills and curves. It is a...