Camp at Giant City State Park Campground

Makanda, Illinois

Description

85 site campground located next to Little Grassy Lake

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 park. Camping reservations may be made for Class A sites, visit the ReserveAmerica web site for reservations. Campers without a reservation may register upon arrival with the self-registration system. Be warned though that in the spring and fall, walk up sites may not be available.

A Class C camping area is located at the south end of the campground and offers 14 walking sites, for those who prefer a more primitive setting. Outhouses, fire rings and access to showers just down the street are provided.

Also nearby the campground is a boat ramp to nearby Little Grassy Lake, and also the trail head for the backpacking Red Cedar Trail.

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Features

Camping

Bathrooms

Dog Friendly

Easy Parking

Family Friendly

Forest

Groups

Picnic Area

Wildflowers

Wildlife

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Nearby

Hike Indian Creek Trail

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,...

Explore the Giant City Lodge and Water Tower

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....

Hike the Giant City Nature Trail

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...

Hike or Climb Devil's Standtable

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...

Devil's Standtable Trail

Hike the Stonefort Trail

The massive stone wall was at one time 285 feet long, six feet high, and nine feet thick. The appearance of a “stone fort” or stone wall here at Giant City is one of at least ten in Southern Illinois. The trail begins at the parking lot and traverses a intermittent cascade waterfall that is amazing after snow melt or spring rains. It is steep and rugged, so be sure to wear quality shoes. Once ...