🥾 ActiveLong weekend · from St. Louis, MO
Shawnee Hills — Little Grand Canyon, Ferne Clyffe & Cave-in-Rock
The Shawnee Hills of southern Illinois are the rugged, forested exception to the flat prairie state — a band of sandstone canyons, waterfalls, and bluffs that once marked the southern edge of the last glaciers, wrapped in the 280,000-acre Shawnee National Forest. This three-day weekend strings together the region's best hiking. Day one descends the Little Grand Canyon, a box canyon of slick sandstone flumes and towering walls with a big overlook of the Big Muddy River bottoms. Day two explores Ferne Clyffe State Park, a shaded world of a 100-foot waterfall, a cool box canyon, and fern-draped bluffs. Day three follows the Ohio River east to Cave-in-Rock State Park, where a great cavern yawns out of the river bluff above the water — a former outlaw and river-pirate hideout — before the drive home. Nights split between Carbondale and Marion.
Day 1 — Little Grand Canyon in the Shawnee HillsDay 2 — Ferne Clyffe State Park: waterfall & box canyonDay 3 — Cave-in-Rock State Park on the Ohio River
Day 1 — Little Grand Canyon, Shawnee National Forest, IL
Day 1 — Little Grand Canyon, Shawnee National Forest, IL
🚗 3 hr driving📍 5 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
St. Louis, MO → Little Grand Canyon Trailhead, Shawnee National Forest
2 hr 30 min8:00 AM → 10:30 AM
📍
Little Grand Canyon Trail
The Little Grand Canyon is one of the most dramatic hikes in Illinois — a 3.6-mile loop that plunges into a steep-walled box canyon carved by water into the soft sandstone of the Shawnee Hills. The descent drops through narrow, slick rock flumes where the trail literally follows the streambed down carved troughs (genuinely slippery when wet, and impassable after heavy rain), before opening onto the canyon floor beneath towering fern-and-moss-draped walls. The route climbs back out to a rim overlook with a sweeping view across the Big Muddy River bottoms to the Mississippi beyond. Wear grippy shoes, use hands on the flumes, and start early — this is a physical, adventurous loop, not a stroll.
10:30 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
Rim Overlook & Big Muddy River View
★ 4.7The payoff of the Little Grand Canyon loop comes at the rim, where the trail emerges from the canyon onto a sandstone overlook gazing west across the flat, green expanse of the Big Muddy River bottoms toward the Mississippi valley. It's a wide, quiet vista that captures the odd geography of the region — rugged glacier-edge hills breaking abruptly onto river-bottom flatland. The exposed rock ledges here are the natural spot to break for a packed lunch before the hike out. Mind the unfenced edges, and carry all your water; there are no services at the trailhead.
11:30 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
Pomona Natural Bridge
★ 4.7A short drive from Little Grand Canyon, the Pomona Natural Bridge is an easy, rewarding afternoon add-on — a 90-foot sandstone arch spanning a wooded ravine, reached by a gentle third-of-a-mile loop trail. The stone bridge, sculpted over millennia by the small creek beneath it, is thick enough to walk across, and the shaded hollow around it is thick with ferns and moss. It's a low-effort contrast to the morning's strenuous canyon and a lovely, quiet spot to wind down the day's hiking. The trail is short and family-friendly, though the rock can be slick after rain.
12:30 PM📍 See location
Blue Sky Vineyard
★ 4.6The Shawnee Hills are Illinois wine country, and Blue Sky Vineyard — a Tuscan-styled winery on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail near Makanda — is a scenic spot to unwind after a hard day of hiking. Its terrace and bistro serve wood-fired flatbreads, cheese and charcuterie boards, sandwiches, and estate wines with a view over the vineyard rows and forested hills. It makes an easy early-dinner stop on the way to Carbondale for the night. If you'd rather eat lighter, the tasting room and patio are a fine place for a glass and a snack before rolling on.
1:30 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Shawnee National Forest, IL → Carbondale, IL
30 min5:00 PM → 5:30 PM
🛏️
Carbondale, IL — Lodging
Carbondale, home to Southern Illinois University, is the largest town in the region and the practical base for the first night. It offers a full range of chain hotels — Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, and Best Western among them — plus a walkable downtown and campus strip with restaurants, breweries, and coffee shops for the evening. Its central location keeps tomorrow's drive to Ferne Clyffe short. If you'd rather be closer to the forest, the artsy hamlet of Makanda just south has a handful of cabin and B&B rentals tucked into the hills.
Day 2 — Ferne Clyffe State Park, IL
Day 2 — Ferne Clyffe State Park, IL
🚗 55 min driving📍 5 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Carbondale, IL → Ferne Clyffe State Park
30 min8:00 AM → 8:30 AM
Big Rocky Hollow Trail & Ferne Clyffe Waterfall
Ferne Clyffe State Park is a shaded, fern-draped world of sandstone bluffs and hidden hollows, and the Big Rocky Hollow Trail is its signature walk. The easy 1-mile out-and-back follows a streambed up a narrowing canyon to a 100-foot intermittent waterfall that spills over a semicircular bluff into a shaded amphitheater of rock — spectacular after rain and snowmelt, a mossy trickle in dry spells. The trail runs flat along the hollow floor beneath towering, moss-and-fern-covered walls, cool even on hot days. Go early for the best light and solitude, and time your visit to wet weather if you want the falls at full flow.
8:30 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
Hawks' Cave & Rebman Trail Box Canyon
★ 4.9The Rebman Trail loops through some of Ferne Clyffe's most striking terrain, centered on Hawks' Cave — not a true cave but a vast, shallow sandstone shelter bow, a 150-foot-long overhanging ledge curving into the bluff like a natural amphitheater. The path threads a cool, shaded box canyon dense with ferns, past dripping rock walls and mossy boulders, in a compact loop of a mile or so. It's a magical, otherworldly stretch that showcases the strange sandstone geology of the Shawnee Hills. Footing is rocky and can be slick beneath the overhangs, so tread carefully and wear grippy shoes.
9:30 AM📍 See location
🍽️ Lunch10:30 AM
17th Street Barbecue, Marion
A short drive from Ferne Clyffe, 17th Street Barbecue in Marion is a nationally celebrated pit — championship-winning ribs, brisket, and pulled pork smoked low and slow, the kind of place barbecue pilgrims drive hours to reach. It's a hearty, well-earned midday feast after a morning in the canyons, served in a casual, welcoming room. Portions are generous and the ribs are the signature; arrive hungry. If you'd rather stay in the park, Ferne Clyffe's shaded picnic areas near the lake are a pleasant packed-lunch alternative.
2 options · tap to switch
☀️
Afternoon
Ferne Clyffe Lake Trail & Cedar Bluff
★ 4.9For an easier afternoon, the loop around the small, scenic Ferne Clyffe Lake winds through streamside forest beneath more sandstone bluffs, with quiet water reflecting the wooded hills. Ambitious legs can add the longer Cedar Bluff Trail, which climbs to a high overlook of the park's forested valleys. Either way it's a gentle, shaded wind-down to a day of canyon hiking, with plenty of spots to sit by the water. Watch for wildflowers along the streambanks in spring and vivid color in the canopy come fall.
12:00 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Ferne Clyffe State Park, IL → Marion, IL
25 min5:00 PM → 5:25 PM
🛏️
Marion, IL — Lodging
Marion, just off Interstate 57, is the base for the second night and the best jumping-off point for tomorrow's drive east to Cave-in-Rock along the Ohio River. It offers an ample supply of chain hotels — Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Drury, and more — clustered near the interstate with easy access to restaurants and shopping. Its position east of Carbondale trims the next morning's drive to the Ohio River bluffs. Fuel up and stock a picnic here, as services thin considerably along the rural river route to Cave-in-Rock.
Day 3 — Cave-in-Rock State Park, IL
Day 3 — Cave-in-Rock State Park, IL
🚗 4 hr driving📍 4 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Marion, IL → Cave-in-Rock State Park
1 hr8:00 AM → 9:00 AM
Cave-in-Rock Cavern & Ohio River Bluff
★ 4.7Cave-in-Rock is the region's most storied landmark — a 55-foot-wide cavern mouth yawning out of a limestone bluff directly above the Ohio River, worn into the rock by water over millennia. A short, steep path descends from the bluff-top park to the cave floor at the water's edge, where you can walk inside and look out through the great stone arch to the wide river sliding by. In the early 1800s the cave was a notorious hideout for river pirates, counterfeiters, and outlaws who preyed on flatboat traffic — a history the park's markers recount. Watch your footing on the worn rock down to the cave, and time the visit for morning light streaming into the mouth.
9:00 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
Bluff-Top River Trail
Above the cave, the park's short trail system rides the wooded bluffs along the Ohio River, with overlooks gazing down on the wide water and the Kentucky shore beyond. The paths are easy and shaded, linking the bluff-top picnic areas to viewpoints where towboats push barge tows past far below. It's a gentle final morning of walking, letting you soak in the big-river scenery without the strenuous canyon terrain of the previous two days. Benches and clearings along the bluff make natural spots to pause and watch the river traffic roll by.
10:00 AM📍 See location
Continue at Cave-in-Rock Picnic Grounds
★ 4.7Use the afternoon to explore a different side of Cave-in-Rock Cavern & Ohio River Bluff — there's more to discover beyond the morning highlights.
11:00 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
Tower Rock & Ohio River Overlook
★ 4.5On the way back west, a short detour into the Shawnee National Forest's Ohio River bluffs reaches Tower Rock, a rugged sandstone-and-limestone promontory rising steeply above the river with a hand-earned overlook of one of its old navigational hazards. A brief but steep trail climbs to the top for a sweeping view up and down the Ohio, a fitting last vista of the big-river country before the highway home. The climb is short but rocky; skip it in favor of the drive if legs are spent after three days of hiking. Either way, it's the last taste of the wild Shawnee Hills before turning back toward St. Louis.
12:00 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Cave-in-Rock, IL → St. Louis, MO
3 hr5:00 PM → 8:00 PM
Plan your own escapeExplore more trips →