Exploring the Wonders of Giant City State Park: Guide and Review

We visited Giant City State Park, one of the more popular and famous parks in southern Illinois. Giant City is full of things to do- there are so many activity options, lots of hiking to interesting areas, a visitor center, a lodge with restaurant, and even campgrounds and cabins for those wanting to stay the night. Our Giant City State Park guide will fill you in on all you need to know to visit Giant City and about our experience there.

First Stop: The Giant City State Park Visitor Center

Start your visit to Giant City State Park with a stop at the Visitor Center. You’ll find information on the park and trail maps and brochures. There are also exhibits about the nature of the park and the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the work they did in the 1930s to build Giant City. There’s a short video you can watch, and a gift shop run by the Friends group.

Giant City State Park Activities

Hiking at Giant City State Park

Giant City offers 8 different hiking trails throughout the park, each with its own unique views and history.

Arrow Wood Trail is a 1/3 loop mile interpretive trail next to the visitor center. You can pick up a trail brochure to learn more about the plants along the way, and some of the trees are even labeled.

Devil’s Standtable Trail is 1/3 mile loop trail that leads to the Devil’s Standtable rock formation. Besides this rock, you’ll also see sandstone bluffs and a large rock shelter.

Indian Creek Trail is a 3/4 mile loop trail that takes you along the intermittent stream, Indian Creek. You’ll also see a shelter bluff, like the Late Woodland Native Americans used for shelter.

Giant City Trail is a 1 mile loop trail that takes you to the park’s titular Giant City streets. There area couple different theories as to how exactly these sandstone canyons formed. This is probably the most popular and iconic trail in the park. We hiked the Giant City Trail on our visit and it was amazing to see how the sandstone rocks look like someone cut them in half. It’s hard to image these sheer walls were created naturally and it was such a cool experience walking through them.

Post Oak Trail is a 1/3 mile loop trail that was built to be wide enough for wheelchairs and strollers- but there are some uneven surfaces. This trail is located near the visitor center and has benches and observation platforms along the way.

Red Cedar Trail is a 12 mile trail that winds through the park. Giant City also offers backpacking along the Red Cedar Trail, as there are designated campsites on the trail. The trail is rugged and could be a challenge for those who are not experienced hikers. The trail starts at the main campground, and is marked with a red circle inside a white diamond. At times hte trail intersects the horse trail and River to River trail. If you do want to spend a night on the trail, you can get a backpacking permit from the visitor center.

Stone Fort Trail is a 1/3 mile loop trail. The main attraction is the recreation of a a prehistoric American stone wall. The original wall was probably built during the Late Woodland Period and was rebuilt in the 1930s by the CCC.

Trillium Trail is a 2 mile loop trail inside the Fern Rock Nature Preserve within the State Park. It is especially popular in spring for its many wildflowers. We took a guided hike on the Trillium Trail and the naturalist Jennifer was great. We learned about some of the unique plants found here, including a few rate species.

Rock Climbing at Giant City State Park

Rock climbers can explore two areas of the park- Devils Standtable and walls by Shelter One. There is bouldering, trad routes, rappelling and places to set up ropes in Giant City State Park. While climbing is allowed here, Giant City does not have equipment available, so you will need to bring your own.

Horseback Riding at Giant City State Park

Equestrians have multiple options for enjoying Giant City State Park. There is a 12 mile long equestrian trail for those with their own horses. An equestrian trail map can be found here. Horseback riders can also stay at the Class A Equestrian Campground during May-Octobers. These sites are reservable on ExploreMoreIL, or you can self-register when you get there. This campground is open only to those with horses, and the campsites have electricity, hitching posts, and water access. Equestrian campers are welcome to use the dump station and showers in the main campground.

For the horse lover who doesn’t have their own horse, you can take guided rides with Giant City Stables. The Stables also offer camps, lessons, and therapeutic riding. Guided trail rides are typically an hour long on the Stable’s private trails and cost $65/person.

Fishing at Giant City State Park

Giant City allows bank fishing at the numerous ponds throughout the park. You can try your luck at Makanda, Eagle, Racoon, Air Strip, Campground, Frog, Agnew, Post Oak, Allen, Deer, Horse Campground, Quail, Coyote, Ranger, Piney, or Turkey Pond. Species in the ponds include bluegill, readear sunfish, largemouth bass, and channel catfish.

Managed ponds include:

• Quail Pond- 1 acre, bank fishing only, park on road near pond
• Piney Pond- Size: 1 acre, bank fishing only, managed for bluegill & redear
• Eagle Pond- 2.5 acre, gravel parking lot, bank fishing only
• Deer Pond- 1 acre, park at Lodge and take trail to pond, bank fishing only
• Horse Camp Pond- 2 acre, take mowed path from campground, bank fishing only
• Turkey Pond- 0.75 acre, may be hard to access because of willows
• Allen Pond- 1 acre, bank access only
• Makanda Pond- 1 acre, managed for bluegill, shore may be hard to access because of willows

Giant City State Park also participates in the state’s Access to Fishing tackle loaning program. At the visitor center, you can check out fishing poles and tackle, much like you would a library book. There is no cost to this program, so if you’re not an angler already but want to give it a try, it’s a great resource!

Hunting at Giant City State Park

Giant City allows hunting for deer, turkey, squirrels, rabbits, dove, quail, woodcock, crow, coyote, skunk, and woodchuck. 2,891 acres of the park are huntable, but always make sure to check the hunting maps to see which areas are currently open. Hunters need to sign in and out each day and report their harvest.

Other Activities at Giant City State Park

Giant City also offers an archery range, softball diamond, picnic areas, and reservable shelters.

Stay the Night at Giant City

Camping at Giant City State Park

There are multiple camping options at Giant City. The main family campground has:

• 85 Class A sites (25 are first-come-first-serve only)
• Electric hook-ups (mostly 30 amp, with 9 having 50 amp)
• Dump station
• Recycling station
• Showerhouse
• Playground
• Water access
• Fire pit and picnic table in each site
• $20/night

At the end of the main campground is the Class C tent area with:

• 14 walk-in campsites
• Primitive, no electricity
• Access to water
• Access to main camp showerhouse
• Privies
• Picnic table and fire ring in each site
• $8/night

There is also the Equestrian Campground, which we talked about earlier and a youth group camping area. Campsites can be reserved on ExploreMoreIL. A campground map is available from the IDNR here.

Giant City Lodge

Giant City was built, in part, by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The lodge built by the CCC still stands. It offers 3 different types of cabins for rent:

Historic Cabins:

• 12 available
• Located south of lodge on the sites of the original CCC cabins
• One room with 2 double bed
• $90/night weekdays, $120/night weekends & holidays

Bluff Cabins:

• Larger, more scenic cabins nestled in the bluffs
• 4 available
• 2 queen beds in bedroom
• Living room with electric fireplace and wet bar
• $150/night weekdays, $180/night weekends & holidays

Prairie Cabins:

• 18 available
• Located north of lodge
• Queen bed in bedroom & murphy bed in living room
• Each connects to another unit by a common door
• $110/night weekdays, $140/night weekends & holidays

All cabins have full bathrooms, tvs, and access to the outdoor pool.

Lodge Amenities

For anyone visiting Giant City, the Lodge offers a gift shop, lounge, bar, and dining. The Lodge is most famous for its all-you-can-eat family style fried chicken dinner. Whether you are staying the night, or just exploring for the day, you should definitely end your visit with the chicken dinner.

Giant City Extras

Before leaving Giant City State Park, grab a couple quick photos nears the Lodge of the Gyrator sculpture and view from the water tower observation deck.

The Gyrator sculpture, by Stephen Luecking, was created so that every day at new a shaft of light shines through the circular opening on top to one of the bronze plaques in the concrete. Each plaque is marked for a different season. The idea is that the sculpture can be used to mark the daily gyration of the earth.

The water tower was built at the park’s highest elevation point, giving you the best possible view over the area. You can climb the spiral staircase to the observation deck to look out over the park- a perfect way to end your visit to Giant City.