Ferne Clyffe SP and Cache River SNA

Day two of our Carbondale trip was dedicated to visiting Ferne Clyffe State Park and Cache River State Natural Area. Ferne Clyffe SP is in Goreville, IL about 5 hours and 45 minutes away from Chicago or 35 minutes away from Carbondale. Cache River SNA is a little further away, at 6 hours from Chicago or 50 minutes from Carbondale. The two parks are about half an hour away from each other.

Ferne Clyffe SP was our first park of the day. When we got down to Carbondale and talked to locals about why we were visiting, the first question would always be “have you been to Giant City yet?”, and the second question was “have you been to Ferne Clyffe yet?” So we were definitely excited to get out there on our first full day.

This park is well known for its beauty, and was initially purchased by two brothers from Cairo, IL. They called it Ferne Clyffe because of the ferns that grow all over the place. Eventually the land was sold to a woman named Emma Rebman, who was a teacher and a school superintendent. She would open the park to the public on Sundays, and it became a very popular attraction. She initially offered to sell the park to Illinois in 1929, which they eventually did in 1949.

The first trail we did was the Big Rocky Hollow trail.This is three quarters of a mile, and is a very easy trail that ends with a waterfall. It reminded me of the Ottawa and Kaskaskia Canyons in Starved Rock, both in distance and relative ease, but also the rock formations and waterfalls. As such, I really enjoyed this trail. It is really beautiful, even in early spring before the trees are fully in bloom. It also works well as a warm up for some of the more difficult trails this park has to offer.

The second trail we did was the Rebman trail, named for Emma Rebman. You get right up next to the rock bluffs here, and it’s hard to explain just how impressive this trail was. It certainly lives up the reputation of being one of the most beautiful places in the state. There is a small waterfall here that is picturesque and out of the way, and once you’re done there you walk next to the bluffs that tower over you. This is one of the parks where rock climbers are allowed, and we saw several of them out that morning. It was very clear that this would be an excellent spot for anyone who is interested in rock climbing, as long as they were experienced.

Our final stop of this park was the main lake. Although not the main attraction of the park, it was still beautiful enough to be a destination all on its own. There were several people fishing that day as well.

The next stop was Cache River SNA. This is a much more understated park, but still enjoyable in its own right. It is known for its boggy conditions, with the wetlands being our first stop. There isn’t much hiking per se in this area, but you can walk around part of the wetlands and see the many birds we saw. It was a little tricky navigating as this area was affected by heavy rainfall and flooding the week before, and everything was muddier than it otherwise would have been. We also saw what we believe is a muskrat, which was very cool.

Our second stop was the Heron Pond Trail. While the trail was technically accessible from the wetlands we started by, the better option was to drive to the park’s other entrance and start there. This was a lovely trail that goes through the woods and along the river, but we did unfortunately have to turn around due to a bit of trail flooding here as well.

After hiking, we went to Katy Lynn Distillery. This is a very small distillery in Carbondale that mostly specializes in brandy and whiskey. Especially exciting to us was the persimmon brandy, which is not a flavor we get to experience too often up north. They also have some cocktails that use more unique flavors that we expected, like yuzu lemon. Though very small, everything here was delicious.

The last stop of the day was Honker Hill Winery, also in Carbondale. This place is a very good option for people looking to spend some time enjoying their wine outside. The outdoor seating was extensive. We split a half pitcher of sangria while we were there, and it was good, but if we were to go again we would have to bring a third person to help us finish the half pitcher.

Both of these parks were very different from each other, but both had something to offer that made them worth visiting. I would say that Ferne Clyffe is an easier park to get to and to get around within. The trails were better maintained and had scenery that was more interesting to me. It is a popular park for good reason. Cache River is beautiful, but it is much more confusing to get to. You have to specify in google maps that you want to go to the heron pond trail, and to get there you have to navigate a very windy dirt road. Once you are on the trail, it is pretty and not too difficult, just know that high water may affect your experience. Overall, hiking at either park is going to be a great experience.