Theres 16 acres of wilderness to cover, a ton of camping sites, plus the 53 acre adjoining nature preserve. The trails we did have Hawke's Cave, a 150 long shelf cave, cut right out of the side of a bluff.
On Big Rocky Hollow, there is a 100 foot tall waterfall, although they say if its a dry season it wont really be there.
There really are many ferns the park's named for, but most interesting to me was all the moss. Almost every surface has some kind of furry green moss covering it, and it really makes for pretty pictures, especially in the fall.
My husband and I have taken our motorcycles through the park on more than one occasion and it really is a nice rise, even if you don't get off of them. If you pull off at the entrance to the trail for the waterfall, there's a huge rock near the parking area that looks like a ship. There are a few small trails where you can just wander near and even on top of the rocks, and as long as your kids are a little older and your not worried about them falling off, its a great place for them to explore.
As a photographer, I've also taken several people out here for photo shoots, which no matter what time of year it is always turn out really nice.
The trails are all easy, and most are just a mile or so, so even kids can really enjoy this one. Its also really easy to get to:
Ferne Clyffe State Park
Rt.37, P.O. Box 10
Goreville, Illinois 62939
Phone: 618-995-2411
