Ferne Clyffe State Park Rock Climbing

Ferne Clyffe has 2 separate campgrounds: Deer Ridge (Developed) and Turkey Ridge (Primitive).

Deer Ridge: has 59 campsites with sites 1-23 being first come first serve (call ahead for availability) and sites 24-59 being reservable online at https://camp.exploremoreil.com/location/216 Note: reservation must be made 3 days in advance. Deer Ridge campground is a well-shaded Class A facility offering gravel pads with electricity, picnic tables and cooking grills. Drinking water, showers, flush toilets and a sanitary dump station complete the setting for campers who prefer to include a few comforts of home with their outdoor adventure. Deer Ridge has shower facilities and are available seasonally, usually closing after Thanksgiving and opening up 2 weeks before Memorial Day.

Turkey Ridge: has 20 first come first serve campsites and is for campers who want a serene outdoor experience. It is a Class C walk-in campground that includes camp pads, picnic tables, cooking grills and showers. Drinking water and toilets are located near the parking lots. Note: for shower access drive to the Deer Ridge campground, there is no shower house in the Turkey Ridge campground.

Climbing access parking lots include Hill Side and the Boat Rock area. Hill Side parking is a minutes walk to the right side of The Ferne Clyffe Wall. Boat Rock parking fills up quickly, but is closest to the Rebman walls.

Ferne Clyffe State Park can be reached from I-57 and I-24. The park is well signed from both interstate highways. 

• If traveling on I-57, take Goreville exit #40.  Head east 5 miles to IL Rt. 37.  Turn right (south) on Rt. 37.  Park entrance is 1 mile south of Goreville. 
• If traveling on I-24, take Goreville exit #7.  Head west 2 miles to IL Rt. 37.  Turn left (south) on Rt. 37.  Park entrance is ½ mile.

From the park entrance, drive 0.5 miles to the stop sign and turn left.  From the stop sign, drive 0.8 miles to the fork by the lake and turn right.  From the fork, follow the road for 1.7 miles to the parking area before the turn around loop.  

On the North side of the parking area (opposite the bathrooms), cross the creek at the round stepping stones.  Once across the creek, follow the first trail on the right marked as Rebman Trail.  Stay to the right, the bluff is about 100 ft down the trail where there is sign designated for climbing.  As a point of reference: Facing the bluffs near the sign, head to the right to find Hawk's Beak.

All new routes will be added to MP promptly.

Currently, Fern Clyffe State Park has two guidebooks available for purchase to guide your climbing experience. The first being Eric Ulner's book Vertical Heartland which accurately shows routes and their descriptions. The second guide for Fern is Matt Bliss's book Sandstone Warrior. In Matt's guide he covers all the great bouldering that the park has to offer along with beautifully pictured pages. Both guides can be picked up at Shawnee Trails in Carbondale Illinois.

Climbing at Ferne Clyffe State Park is only allowed during daylight hours.

This project is fully supported by ICA donations. As of Sept. 30, 2023, the ICA used $7500 in funds to develop ~65 routes. Please donate so you can continue to have more routes to climb at ilclimbers.org/giveback . It costs $100 per route.