Giant City State Park

We stopped to explore Giant City State Park near Makanda in southern Illinois. Giant City gets its name from the large rock formations that have eroded to form what appear to be city streets amongst sky scrapers of a city, or at least that is what the early settlers thought big cities looked like.

The park was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930's. These were men who were paid $1.00 per day to work for the government building parks and roads during the great depression when jobs were unavailable. They earned 30 dollars per month of which 25 dollars was sent home to their family and they kept 5 dollars for themselves.

The builders were very good at working with timber and stone and made a beautiful lodge and cabins.

We used to travel to the lodge with my parents and enjoy family style chicken dinners - turns out they still serve them and we enjoyed a meal along with the memories it recalled.

Later we hiked thru the rock formations and enjoyed the history of the area.

A beautiful lodge  of stone and timber as well as hand made furniture

The lodge balcony has seating all around the perimeter

Enjoyingfamily style chicken dinner in the lodge dining room

This was fun to figure out

This art piece is aligned to cause its shadow to line up with the  day of the start of each season

Rear view of the lodge and dining room to the left

Enjoying a meal with my cousin and wife

Looking up in the lodge

Main entrance

There is a nice campground in the park

Many trails are found in the park

This one was paved for handicap access

Water and minerals have eroded honeycombs into the sandstone

Undercut rock provided shelter for the early inhabitants

Walkways eased access in certain parts of the trail

"Streets" of the Giant City

They call this the "Fat Man Squeeze"

It is closed this time of year however

More streets in Giant City

Many have etched their names and date into the sandstone

Some from the 1800's

Signs mark the trail

You walk under the Hanging Rock

Julie tempting fate

The nature trail intersects the cross state hiking trail

Beautiful Berry Bush outside the lodge

Outside the lodge just before heading out