Ferne Clyffe State Park

Welcome to Ferne Clyffe State Park located on Illinois route 37 near Goreville. This park has been known for it's beautiful scenery, it's numerous ferns, and unusual plant communities, for over a century.

Park History: In the latter part of the 18th century it is said that George Rogers Clark and his men passed through this land on their way to Fort Kaskaskia. A century later, the Cherokee used this land as hunting ground. In 1899 two Cairo brothers purchased a piece of the land and named it Ferne Clyffe due to the abundance of ferns. The land was later sold to school teacher and superintendent Emma Rebman who charged 10 cents admission to the park on the weekends. In 1929, Rebman offered to sell the land to the State of Illinois and efforts made by the State and local conservation and political groups worked hard over a 20 year period to bring the land into the State's hands in 1949.

Today over 200,000 people visit Ferne Clyffe State Park each year. Some of the park's amenities include miles of multipurpose trails (no bicycles allowed), several campgrounds and picnic areas, and a 16 acre fishing lake. Some of the park's wild critters include deer, squirrels, quails, and rabbits. Some of the park's plant species include oaks, sweetgums, maples, dogwoods, and others. Please treat their home with great respect. Come on out and explore! The park's campgrounds range from developed class A sites to primitive class D sites.