Giant City Nature Trail

Devil's Standtable Trail is a loop trail where you may see great forest setting located near Makanda, Illinois.

Devil's Standtable was once a large block of the bluff that cracked loose during earth movements. The wind and rain erosion of the surface removed the softer areas of sandstone in the mid-section of the pillar leaving the large base and iron embedded cap much larger, which creates the mushroom-like appearance. These types of spires are often seen in Utah or Arizona, so to see one in the Midwest...

Pioneers had not seen skyscrapers, so these sheer bluffs seemed like the “streets of a giant city” to them. Thus became the naming of a pinnacle state park in Illinois. Giant City State Park is a paradise for hikers, climbers, campers, and lovers of nature. Parts of the park reminds you of the Missouri Ozarks or Cumberland Plateau rather than a piece of the "Prairie State" Illinois. Begin the j...

This wandering intermittent creek inside of Giant City State Park only flows in periods of heavy rain or after snow melts. Prior to a confluence with Drury Creek, the path comes to a mid sized shelter bluff wall. What this shelter lacks in sheer size, it made up for in importance to Native Americans who used the south facing wall for shelter. By facing this way, the bluff would get morning sun,...

Like the rest of the park, the Giant City Lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930's. The lodge's architecture will remind someone of great lodges of the West with its hardwood timber and sandstone blend that has a two story fireplace and rotunda to enjoy one of the best meals in Southern Illinois. The rustic beauty of the building is found no where else in Illinois....

Giant City is a popular weekend retreat because it provides for all levels of camping. There are 85 campsites in the Class A Campground which provides water, electricity, showers and restroom facilities for tent and trailer camping. Some facilities such as showers are closed for the winter. A separate Class A equestrian campground is located off the horse trail in the southwest corner of the pa...