A Nature Lover’s Paradise: The Ultimate Ferne Clyffe State Park Campground Guide

Ferne Clyffe State Park is in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest area of Southern Illinois. This state park is great for hiking, while also putting you near other amazing parks and wilderness areas. It features RV, tent, and equestrian camping. Our guide will tell you all you need to know about the various campgrounds within this park and our tips for getting the best experience camping at Ferne Clyffe.

About Ferne Clyffe State Park

Ferne Clyffe State Park has been a part of Illinois history for centuries. George Rogers Clark and his soldiers are said to have passed through Ferne Clyffe on his 1778 march across the state. In the late 1800s Cherokee people used the area for hunting grounds while on their Trail of Tears march. Eventually, in 1899 two brothers purchased the property and named if Ferne Clyffe for the abundance of ferns present. They later sold it to Emma Rebman, a local teacher. Rebman was the first to open the land publicly, charging tourists a 10 cent admission on Sundays. In 1929, she offered to sell the property to the state. It took 20 more years until the state finally bought Ferne Clyffe in 1949. Not, it’s a 2,430 acre property in the heart of Shawnee forest country. It is also home to the Round Bluff Nature Preserve, 2 waterfalls, Hawk’s Cave, and over 700 species of plants.

Ferne Clyffe State Park Map

You can download the IDNR’s .jpg park map here or download the full .pdf park brochure here.

Deer Ridge Campground At Ferne Clyffe State Park

The main campground at Ferne Clyffe is the Deer Ridge Campground. This campground features:

• 35 reservable Class A sites
• 23 first-come-first served Class A sites
• Drinking water
• Dump station
• Shower house with flush toilets

All campsites in Deer Ridge have gravel pads, 30 amp electric, picnic tables, and cooking grills.

Deer Ridge Class A campsites cost $20 a night.

Turkey Ridge Campground at Ferne Clyffe State Park

The Turkey Ridge campground features:

• 20 first-come-first served Class C (non-electric) campsites
• Vehicular access
• Camp pads
• Picnic tables
• Cooking grills
• Drinking water
• Toilets

Turkey Ridge campsites cost $8 a night.

Equestrian Campground at Ferne Clyffe State Park

The Equestrian Campground is a Class C (non-electric) campground on the equestrian trail. The Equestrian Campground can accommodate up to 25 riders. There are picnic tables, cooking grills, drinking water, toilets, and parking access.

Youth Group Campground

Youth groups such as scouts and church groups can camp at Ferne Clyffe. Groups need to call the park in advance to maker reservations. Group camping costs $2/person/night with a $20/night minimum.

Ferne Clyffe State Park Camping Reservations & Rules

Ferne Clyffe’s reservable campsites can be booked through https://camp.exploremoreil.com/location/216. It follows the standard IDNR policies- reservations can be made up to 180 days in advance, but must be made no less than 3 days in advance. Camping fees (minus reservation fee) are refundable if you cancel no later than 3 days before your set arrival. You can only stay at one park for 14 consecutive nights in a 30 day period between May 1- September 30.

Other rules at Ferne Clyfee are that pets must be kept on a leash and that visitors need to leave the park by 10pm.

Our Ferne Clyffe State Park Campground Review

We stayed in Site 30 in the North Loop of Deer Ridge Campground. The gravel pad was a little uneven, but not terrible. We used our Andersen levelers and were fine after that. In a lot of areas the gravel pads have spilled over, leaving very little grass. Some of the sites in this loop, especially towards the center of the loop, would be hard to use with a tent.

The sites in the North Loop are small-medium size. The ones on the outer portion of the loop are bigger. We were on an inner part of the loop, where the sites are more smooshed together and some are angled weird. The campground is full of mature trees, providing plenty of shade. You can access two trails right from the campground, which is really nice too. The camp hosts were friendly and helpful, and we saw them out and about a lot.

We visited in mid-April for two weeks. On weekends, the main loop campsites filled up and the walk-in sites were probably about 80% full. During the week it cleared out a lot and was pretty empty. Overall, it was a quiet campground. At night you can hear a train in the distance, but it’s not close.

Our only regret about camping at Ferne Clyffe is that we wish we had one of the roomier walk-in or outer loop campsites. Even on weekends, the walk-in RV sites were never completely full, so now we know for next time. Otherwise, we really enjoyed our stay at Ferne Clyffe and would definitely camp here again.

Cell Service and Internet Speeds at Ferne Clyffe State Park

We use Verizon for our cell phones and routinely had 4 bars. We have both T-Mobile and Verizon home internet. Throughout our time at Ferne Clyffe, we had good service with both providers, but T-Mobile was stronger. We had amazing speed with T-Mobile at Ferne Clyffe.

Ferne Clyffe State Park Hiking Trails

Ferne Clyffe has a wide variety of trails to enjoy! There are both short and long trails, and trails range from easy to difficult. For a bonus, the River to River Trail passes through Ferne Clyffe. This trail connects the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. There are 8 miles of it in Ferne Clyffe, which is marked with white diamonds with a blue I in the middle.

We’ve put together a complete guide to Ferne Clyffe hiking trails, which you can find here: The Complete Ferne Clyffe State Park Trail Guide

Other Activities at Ferne Clyffe State Park

Horseback Riding

Ferne Clyffe State Park offers an 8 mile equestrian trail, Happy Hollow Horse Trail, that is accessible from the equestrian campground. The 1.5 mile High Ridge Trail is also open to horseback.

Rock Climbing

There are 3 rock climbing locations at Ferne Clyffe State Park: Cedar Bluff, Rebman Trail, and Boat Rock. Combined, there are up to 150 different routes for climbers of all skill levels. The park has been used for technicacl climbing since the 1960s and in 2023 saw same major improvements and expanded climbing opportunities. You can park to access climbing areas at Hill Side Shelter and Boat Rock.

Fishing

There is one spot for fishing in Ferne Clyffe State Park- the 16 acre Ferne Clyffe Lake. The lake has a maximum depth of 22 feet and contains largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and redear. There is no boating or swimming allowed, but it is popular with bank fishers.

Hunting

Ferne Clyffe State Park does allow hunting at certain times of the year, including deer, squirrel, quail, and rabbit. Each year food patches are planted in open areas to attract upland game species. Hunters must check in at the hunter check station at the maintenance building, and should check out the IDNR Hunter Fact Sheet.

Flora of Ferne Clyffe State Park

We visited Ferne Clyffe in mid-April, but the whole region was ahead a few weeks phenoligically. Here is a list of plants we observed in bloom during our trip:

Near Ferne Clyffe State Park

Groceries- There are two options in the town of Goreville for groceries, or you can drive about 20 minutes into Marion for Walmart:

Gas: There is one main gas station in Goreville:

Activities: Ferne Clyffe State Park puts you an hour or less from just about everything in the Shawnee National Forest. There is so much to explore and do here.