What a wonderful find! We enjoyed an easy hike on the 4.3 mile Sycamore Trail (loop) and can't wait…read moreto come back to enjoy the others (see map). These trails are accessible by bike & walking - dogs also permitted on leash. There are also several of foot traffic trails throughout the park (see 2 page brochure/ map). Fishing* camping (by reservation), and day shelters/Picnic areas are also available. *permit required. Cost is reasonable for a day pass at $7 per vehicle or you can get an IN Annual State Park Pass for $50 (2021). The trails and park appeared well maintained, the park was beautiful, and we look forward to many adventures to come!

We came here on a whim to see how it was. We usually go to a different state park and this one has…read moreblown it way out of the water. The camp grounds, the family cabins, and DNR staff are so so nice. The park itself is beautiful. They are pet friendly as long as they are leashed, and you can even have them in the cabins. Will definitely be coming back.

Located in Herod Illinois within the Shawnee National Forest,this is a must stop if in the area…read more The views and scenery are absolutely breathtaking. You can hike,camp,pinic or nature watch. The Observation Trail features unique rock formations and scenic views. Make sure you have gas and essentials as there is nothing available in the area.

I live in Milwaukee and the drive here is long but worth it! Having lived in Chicago, I recall this…read morewas on my Illinois Bucket List (along with Starved Rock), and it should be on everyone's Bucket List. The main hike is a short loop with incredible views! Pictures really don't do it justice. And pictures you'll want to take! It's an easy enough hike for all in the family, do wear hiking shoes, running shoes / sneakers, something more than shower slip ons and flip flops, as you'll want safety on the rocks. We were there in late July 2024, and construction had parking lots and trails closed or blocked, but we walked the road to another trail, which was just as beautiful and not popular at all. When we called down to make camping reservations I laughed at a lady who said their campsite closes after July 4th because "the bees take over the forest." Hiking that less popular trail, sure enough, millions of bees were humming in one of the rock structures, bee careful, bee safe! (We were perfectly fine, and crazy old lady wasn't so crazy afterall.) Garden of the Gods is similar to Wisconsin's Devil's Lake, but for those who have never been - put it on your Bucket List!

The views in the cracks of the rock and around the rock were astonishing; however, the trail wasn't…read moretoo much fun and was full of bugs. The day we went was hot and humid, so we felt an obvious and lovely temperature drop while walking downstairs toward the bottom. However, there wasn't too much to see or do while hiking on the trails toward or leaving the scenic spot. Also, it was a little frustrating when our sweat was dripping to the ground and not knowing where we were as there was no sign updating the hikers about their location.

I actually came across this trail based off a recommendation from my hikers app and I am very…read morepleased I did this one. It's about a 15 minute drive from Garden of the Gods and is well worth the view. You do not get all the same views as the previous trail; however you do get some spectacular different ones. You will come across a stair case leading down into the ground besides the cliff and I highly recommend you take it. It feels much cooler down there and you can actually walk alongside the cliffs on a thin rock bridge and look out onto the forest. The paths are well kept in that area although I dont recommend taking small children along the rock bridge. You also get a few cliff views looking out over the forest and really good spots to set up a hammock to relax with.

Walk, Bike, Run on these 4 miles of paved and unpaved, hilly trails while enjoying woody views and…read moremeadow vistas. Some of the grades are steep, although manageable, so your glutes will get a workout. Benches appear from time to time, for those that want or need a little rest. I've seen folks on horses, although I don't know where they started. We always have a good time on the trail---tracking its progress, seeing what changes have come with the seasons, taking a break from whatever we were doing off-trail. A gem---and I hear there are plans to expand it to the Lake Sara area and beyond. Can't wait!

Really great trail! Paved nicely through woods with a bridge over the river and scenic crop fields…read more The signs/address can be confusing. Park at the effingham performance center, turn towards the red circular calico sign, then follow the sidewalk to the trailhead. It's not a circular trail so you will have to turn and go back the way you came to your car.

This park is fantastic! It is well maintained and safe for kids. There are three playgrounds…read more The bike trails are the best around! If you are hiking on the trails don't go when it's damp because they are extremely slick. Some of the rv sites are small but workable. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. My biggest concern is the front gate. It is locked with a chain and padlock so you have to get out of your vehicle to unlock it open the gate and drive through then get back out to close it and lock it. The lock numbers are 5 font so hard to see and it sticks sometimes which is so fun when raining. I felt so vulnerable doing this after coming back from visiting family. They really need an automated gate!

I was down in Southern Indiana and took the opportunity to visit Scales Lake Park. Scales Lake Park…read morefalls under Warrick County Parks. The park offers a 66-acre lake with activities including boating (including boat rentals), camping, fishing, swimming, picnicking, and cabin rentals (both primitive and with utilities). The beach opens Memorial Day weekend and closes August 6th for this year. Admission is $3 per person on M-F and $4 on weekends. Children ages 5 and under are free. Hours are 11am-5pm weather permitting. It should be noted that flotation devices are not allowed. There are mountain biking trails. You can buy a daily pass ($3) or annual pass (General, $40), Warrick County residents ($35), Seniors ($30), and Warrick County Seniors ($25). Annual passes are good for the entire calendar year. Having checked out some of the mountain bike trails, they are generally not wheelchair friendly and since they are for mountain bikes that makes sense. Scales Lake also has a petting zoo that is included with your park admission. It's relatively small but kids will love it. Scales Lake offers events and even week-long summer camps that are surprisingly affordable. Scales Lake offers camping sites that are Class A sites with water, sewer, and electricity, Class B sites with water and electric, and Class C (primitive) sites for the more rugged outdoors person. The lake offers four two-bedroom cabins that can sleep eight persons each. One of the cabins is specifically wheelchair accessible. Pricing per night is $150 (Thursday-Saturday and holidays), $130 (Sunday-Wednesday), and there's a $65 deposit. Finally, Scales Lake also offers an event pavilion and outdoor shelter available for rentals. Scales Lake is particularly great for those who like to rough it a bit more in terms of camping, hiking, or biking. I wouldn't call it a particularly wheelchair friendly park, however, I enjoyed my visit and had no problem justifying park admission and making good use of it. As is true of many public parks, rules and policies can be fairly strict so before renting definitely review agreements. However, for Warrick Park residents in southeast Indiana this park is a definite gem.

Loved the many places in the Shawnee National Forest! Of course we came down to this area for…read moreGarden of the Gods which is five stars, top three places in Illinois to visit! And we hiked there as well. The Shawnee is large and stretches east and west, so it's really like, two National forests in one! The town of Marion was lovely, and we camped at Cave in Rock on the Ohio River. I also visited Scratch Brewing in Ava, IL. There's so much to do on all sides of the Shawnee, I'd love to return to do more hiking!

Come for the Garden of the Gods, stay for the wondrous hiking…read more If you drive 4.5 hours to see the Garden of the Gods, you also have to spend time hiking the actual forest it's in. That's what Emily and I did after taking in the breathtaking views at the Gardens. We kind of went into this blindly with just a map of the area. We backtracked a bit to this area that may have been something called Backpacker's Hike or something like that. Pictures say it was the Indian Point Trail. Anyways, we parked next to a few other cars and headed out to hike. I don't need to explain hiking but I will go over a few fun things we saw. There were more cliffs to enjoy but the views were just a bit less than stellar compared to the Gardens. Still great though. We saw a lot of places where people must've camped or hung out at night cause there were fire pits everywhere. We deviated from the path cause we were looking to hike as much as possible and ended up getting dead-ended about 4 times. While we were limited to this area of Shawnee, I would say we got a pretty good taste of what it offers. We got to see so many beautiful viewpoints and took plenty of great photos. I know this is just scraping the surface of what Shawnee National Forest offers and maybe some day I can go back and see all the other landmarks that this place is known for. Enjoy nature. It's a thing of beauty.

A nice state park in the area with a pretty nice trail in the Ghost Dance Canyon. Some interesting…read morestuff to see when it's raining, but the rain also makes the rocks very slick. All in all, I have no complaints it, but this shouldn't be your first or second or even third stop if you have time to roam around in the area.

Beautiful place we went right after a cold snap sure beautiful! I love the peace of this placeread more

It's lovely. Great trails. It's exactly what I'm looking for in a nature preserve in central IL.read more

it was amazing to have so many options I. trails and wildlife interaction, the deer are so close…read moreits very peaceful the inside filled with goodies and games definitely loved going with my children but will go again many times without just to get a simple and easy going trip

Although short, I had a great time exploring the park. The trail that I really wanted to see was…read moreinaccessible because of construction. The visitors center is also wonderful and I highly recommend exploring this park especially in spring or Fall. There are several accessible trails.

Beautiful rocks and park! Here is some info that maybe helpful before your visit:…read more - Internet connection is not good at some spots in the park. - Fat Man's Squeeze has no signage on it, or around the park. It only says "Nature Trail" on the rock. It is a very tight giant crack. You will not miss it. - Also there is no sign that indicates Venomous Copperheads hibernate in between those rocks. I heard stories about it, but we only saw warning signage about ticks and some bugs. - The visitor center is nice. It has bunch of valuable info about the park and taxidermy. Also 1 live tortoise and a black snake live in the tanks inside. There are picnic tables around. The area is so peaceful. - Alcohol is banned between September & May