St. Louis, MO: Giant City State Park Hike

St. Louis, MO: Giant City State Park

mo

Distance: 9.8 miles

This 9.8-mile loop covers the Shawnee National Forest essentials: lovely waterfalls, scenic sandstone cliffs, singing birds, and colorful wildflowers.

Ted Villaire ">Indian Creek
Ted Villaire ">Ghoulish Rocks
Ted Villaire ">Sandstone Wall

Trip Description
Waypoints

GTC001

Location: 37.6029701, -89.1704788

The Red Cedar Trailhead is just west of the main campground area. Follow the trail sign arrow to the right to begin this counterclockwise loop.

GTC002

Location: 37.609336, -89.1725922

The trail crosses Indian Creek on stepping stones several times in the next half-mile. The park's horse stable area is north of here: stay on the main trail bypassing north- and south-bound horse trails. The hiking trail is well marked with a white blaze and red dot.

GTC003

Location: 37.616815, -89.1930199

After crossing the park road, a creek runs over a series of low sandstone shelves. Near the shore, look for moisture loving trees such as tulip, cottonwood, and sycamore.

GTC004

Location: 37.6125996, -89.2060661

Turn right @ the T-junction, where the hiking and horse trails merge. Stop to check out the multi-hued and heavily textured rock formations on the left. Decorated with mosses and lichens, some of these rocks have a strange-almost ghoulish-appearance.

GTC005

Location: 37.6053085, -89.2048492

During the wet season, the sounds of little waterfalls echo through the forest. Most of the falls are just a few feet high and many are partially hidden by boulder piles. Watch your footing as you cross over the top of this six footer.

GTC006

Location: 37.5991173, -89.2067642

Pitch a tent at the backcountry campground: the picnic tables, fire rings, and pit toilets are surrounded by bluebird houses mounted on posts, but there is no running water. In the morning, the park's wild turkey population may serenade campers. Gobbling all year long, these birds reach their zenith in April as hens prepare for egg-laying.

GTC007

Location: 37.5970726, -89.2082901

Kick off your shoes to ford this Drury Creek tributary, but watch your step: the submerged slabs of tilting sandstone are slippery. The creek is only 15 feet wide and 10-12 inches deep.

GTC008

Location: 37.5888939, -89.2139587

After crossing an open meadow, the trail weaves around huge sandstone chunks before climbing gradually east and north.

GTC009

Location: 37.5908393, -89.2028046

At mile 6.5, the trail crosses Shiloh Road, continue straight to the creek below a sandstone cliff. In the next mile and a half, the trail climbs nearly 300 feet to the trail's high point, 800 feet above sea level.

GTC010

Location: 37.5819633, -89.1811752

The trail's high point passes through park-operated farmland. The next 0.75-miles is a wooded, downhill trek north toward the trailhead.

GTC011

Location: 37.5933609, -89.1779175

The rugged terrain mellows to a wide, woodchip-covered trail. Concentrate on spotting wildflowers: daisy fleabane and white baneberry in spring and white trillium, butterfly weed, and wild petunia in summer.

GTC012

Location: 37.595829, -89.1750183

It's worth bringing a fishing pole to this backcountry pond near trail's end. The park stocks fish in the pond--presumably to lift the spirits of hungry hikers.

Indian Creek

Location: 37.609642, -89.1740265

Stepping stones ease the way across Indian Creek. © Ted Villaire

Sandstone Formations

Location: 37.6167755, -89.1928101

The sandstone formations, like these shallow steps are one of the park's defining features. © Ted Villaire

Ghoulish Rocks

Location: 37.612587, -89.2060623

Sandstone Wall

Location: 37.5906639, -89.2025223

On this sandstone cliff above an arm of Drury Creek look for ferns, vines of Virginia creeper and wild grape, and wildflowers such as partridge peaberry and French's shooting star. © Ted Villaire

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This difficult 9.8-mile loop samples the natural treasures of southern Illinois’ Giant City State Park, an area known for hard-rock stream erosion. Beginning at the south end of the main campground, head north to begin a clockwise loop past sandstone boulders, trickling streams, waterfalls, and wildflower-speckled bluffs and hollows. The Red Cedar Hiking trail passes beneath horse stables and crosses several equestrian paths before joining one for a bluff-side stretch where this loop turns south. For a longer backcountry trip, consider an overnight at the primitive campground near mile 5: it has picnic tables, pit toilets and fire rings.

After crossing Shiloh Road, the trail climbs toward maintained cropland before turning north and skirting a small, fish-stocked pond—catch spotted bass, bluegill and channel catfish in these murky waters. From the pond, it’s an easy 0.5 mile north back to the trailhead.

The trail is closed for a few weekends in early winter, so check conditions with the park at (618) 457-4836. There is no water along the trail, or at the primitive campground, so be prepared to carry all you’ll need for trip.

-Mapped by Ted Villaire

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