Ferne Clyffe State Park: Hawk's Cave, Rebman, and Big Rocky Hollow Trails (Blog Hike #807)

Trails: Hawk's Cave, Rebman, and Big Rocky Hollow Trails
Hike Location: Ferne Clyffe State Park
Geographic Location: south of Goreville, IL (37.54280, -88.97987)
Length: 1.8 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: July 2020
Overview: A trio of short trails featuring sandstone cliffs and rock shelters.
Park Information: https://dnr.illinois.gov/parks/park.ferneclyffe.html
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=826240
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video:

Directions to the trailhead: In southern Illinois, take I-24 to Tunnel Hill Road (exit 7).  Exit and go west on Tunnel Hill Rd.  Drive Tunnel Hill Rd. to its end at SR 37 and turn left on SR 37.  Drive SR 37 south 0.6 miles to the signed park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, then in 0.6 miles turn left to follow signs for the park's picnic area.  Park in the parking lot at the end of the picnic area road, which is reached in another 1.2 miles.

The hike: Established in 1949, Ferne Clyffe State Park protects 2430 acres of southern Illinois' famous cliff-lined hollows.  The park came to be when the State of Illinois purchased the central piece of land from Emma Rebman, a local schoolteacher and Johnson County school superintendent who previously allowed the public to access her land on Sundays for a 10-cent admission fee.  The unusual old-English spelling of the park's name is due to a pair of brothers from Cairo who owned this land before Rebman and admired the large number of ferns that grow here.

            Today the park features some nice amenities, which include a 16-acre lake, 3 campgrounds with modern and primitive sites, and numerous picnic areas.  Yet the cliffs that made this area famous still take center stage, and to see them you will need to hike one of the park's 18 short hiking trails.  The hike described here combines three of the park's short nature trails to explore the park's central area.  On a personal note, I considered stopping here several times while driving I-24 to more distant hiking destinations, and my decision to finally stop here in July 2020 on my way to Colorado was rewarded with a short but excellent hike.

Exiting north end of parking cul de sac

            All three of the nature trails start near the parking lot at the end of the picnic area road, so you could hike them in any order.  I chose to hike the Hawk's Cave Trail first.  To find the start of the Hawk's Cave Trail, walk north to cross a creek on a concrete low-water bridge and look to the left for the Hawk's Cave Trail's signed trailhead.

Trailhead: Hawk's Cave Trail

            The gravel Hawk's Cave Trail climbs over some wooden waterbars, and in only a few hundred feet you reach the trail intersection that forms the Hawk's Cave Trail's loop.  I chose to continue straight and use the trail going right as my return route, thus hiking the loop clockwise.  The trail dips to cross a small creek on a wooden footbridge before climbing to approach Hawk's Cave.  The smooth gravel trail surface turns to rough dirt and rock in this area, and some poison ivy needs to be minded.

Hawk's Cave

            At 0.3 miles, you reach Hawk's Cave.  More a large rock shelter than what you would typically think of as a cave, Hawk's Cave impresses with its size and length, and it reminded me of the rock shelters of the Appalachian Mountains such as those at Big South Fork in Tennessee.  Some large slump blocks laying on Hawk's Cave's floor need to be negotiated, and you need to step carefully in this area.  After exiting the rock shelter, the trail surface turns back to gravel before you close the loop; turn left to complete the Hawk's Cave Trail.

Start of Rebman Trail

            Next I hiked the Rebman Trail, which starts at another signed trailhead located right beside the Hawk's Cave Trail's trailhead.  (Aside: the trail that heads north between these two trailheads is the Goreville Boy Scout Trail; it leads uphill to the town of Goreville and this park's original entrance.)  The Rebman Trail is named for this land's previous owner, and it provides access to the park's rock climbing and rappelling area.  Where the trail splits to form its loop, angle right to rock-hop a small stream and arrive at the base of the climbing/rappelling cliffs.  These sandstone cliffs are not as impressive as Hawk's Cave, and overall the Rebman Trail is the least scenic of the three short trails that comprise this hike.

Head of Rebman Trail's hollow

            The trail meanders north around some large slump blocks with the creek on your left and the climbing/rappelling cliffs on your right.  Where a seasonal rocky waterfall appears at the head of the hollow, the trail curves left to rock-hop the creek again and begin heading downstream on a more established track.  After passing the park dedication plaque on the right, you return to the trailhead for the Rebman Trail just shy of 1 mile into the hike.  Walk back across the low-water concrete bridge to return to the picnic area parking lot.

Start of Big Rocky Hollow Trail

            The last trail, the Big Rocky Hollow Trail, starts to the left at the very rear of the parking lot's cul de sac.  The Big Rocky Hollow Trail is the park's most popular trail because it leads to the park's largest waterfall, and it starts as a wide gravel trail with the creek to your left.  The forest in this hollow is dominated by maple and sweet gum trees, and the ferns for which this park is named are also plentiful here.

"Waterfall" at head of Big Rocky Hollow

            The trail crosses the creek using a concrete ford, and some rock cages that stabilize the creek's banks appear below the trail.  Ignore the Waterfall Trail that exits right and heads for the park's campground, and also ignore some unofficial trails that lead out of the hollow.  At 1.3 miles, you reach the trail's end: a wooden viewing platform at the base of the waterfall.  The creek and waterfall were completely dry on my visit, but some benches still provided nice places to sit, enjoy the surrounding sandstone cliffs, and admire the hollow's excellent acoustics.  After spending some time at the head of the hollow, retrace your steps down the Big Rocky Hollow Trail to reach the parking lot for a third time and complete the hike.