Visitors Guide to Attractions
Jackson County, Missouri
The Shawnee National Forest also dominates Jackson County and the geological landscape provides a wealth of gems for visitors to choose from. Giant City State Park with its unique Makanda sandstone features is one of Illinois’ most popular parks and offers hiking, picnicking, hunting and fishing, rock climbing and rappelling, horseback riding, camping, and lodging. Hikers and wildlife enthusiasts will enjoy the Ponoma Natural Bridge and Little Grand Canyon areas. Jackson County’s three main lakes attract anglers because of their excellent fishing opportunities. History can be found at the General John A. Logan Museum in Murphysboro and the Mississippi River Museum in Grand Tower. A good view of Tower Rock, a small landmark limestone noted by early explorers such as Marquette and Joliet and the Corps of Discovery, also can be found at Grand Tower.
Cedar Lake
Carbondale, Illinois
Cedar Lake is a 1,750-acre reservoir created by the damming of Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Big Muddy River. The lake is located south of Murphysboro and southwest of Carbondale, Illinois. Although the lake was constructed for the purpose of supplying tap water to the residents of Carbondale it provides fishing, swimming, and active recreation purposes. There is also an extensive trail system running around the lake that is able to be hiked year-round. Although there are no developed campsites near the lake, primitive camping is allowed at least 150 ft. from the shoreline.
Devil's Backbone Park
Grand Tower, Illinois
Devil's Backbone is an unusual limestone ridge that runs for about one-half mile along the eastern shore of the Mississippi River at Grand Tower. At the north edge of the Backbone, there is steep gap and then the Devil’s Bake Oven, a larger rock that stands on the edge of the river and rises to heights of nearly one hundred feet. These two landmarks were used by river men to signal a shallow spot in the Mississippi River. de of the hill below Devil’s Bake Oven. Devil's Backbone Park is located at the northern edge of the community of Grand Tower. It offers RV camping, playgrounds, picnic facilities, and a shower house. The Park offers an excellent view of Tower Rock.
General John Logan Museum
Murphysboro, Illinois
General John A. Logan (1826 - 1886) played an important role in the history of the United States as a politician, military leader, and champion of veteran affairs. The General John A. Logan Museum is located within the Christopher C. Bullar House and its exhibits tell the story of General Logan through the use of photographs, portraits, maps, political memorabilia, Logan family antiques, and Civil War weapons. There is a walking trail around the grounds of the museum. Along the trail are interpretive signposts highlighting historic points of interest. Included along the trail are the Samuel Dalton house and the site of General Logan’s birthplace.
General John A. Logan Statue
Murphysboro, Illinois
There are many statues of Civil War hero and politician General John A. Logan around the country reflecting the regard America held of him. The statue in Murphysboro also honors his wife Mary S.C. Logan and may be the only statue of a Civil War general to also honor his spouse.
Giant City State Park
Makanda, Illinois
Giant City State Park get its name from unique Makanda sandstone features that have been cut by water for centuries to create narrow “streets” between stone “buildings” giving rise to the sense that the area is a city populated by giants. Other features at the park include hiking, picnicking, hunting and fishing, rock climbing and rappelling, horseback riding, camping, and lodging and dining. Giant City State Park’s location in the Shawnee National Forest made it a renowned retreat that attracts more than 1.5 million visitors annually.
Johnson Creek Recreation Area
Ava, Illinois
Johnson Creek Recreation Area is one of three recreational areas on beautiful Kinkaid Lake. Located on a northwest finger of the lake, Johnson Creek Recreation Area offers a variety of outdoor activities. Here you will find something for everyone in the family, from picnicking, camping and swimming to hiking along the lake, biking the scenic roads, and horseback riding.
Kinkaid Lake
Jackson County, Illinois
Lake Kinkaid is a 2,750 acres body of water located in the Shawnee Hills region of southwestern Illinois. The lake attracts anglers because of its abundance of game fish and over 90 miles of shoreline and water depths to 75 feet. There are three recreation areas along the lake and the area offers picnicking, hiking, wildlife viewing, swimming, horseback riding, and camping opportunities.
Lake Murphysboro State Park
Murphysboro, Illinois
Beautiful rolling hills and woods surround star-shaped Lake Murphysboro and provide a wonderful backdrop for boating, fishing, picnicking, camping and hiking. Fishing is one of the primary attractions at this 1,022-acre state park. Anglers can fish from the bank, on the water, or a handicapped accessible fishing pier. Boaters can bring their own boat or rent one near the boat launch. There are a number of shaded picnic areas located in convenient locations around the lake. A three-mile designated trail offers hikers the opportunity to enjoy the plant, animal and bird life of the park up close.
Little Grand Canyon
Jackson County, Illinois
The Little Grand Canyon National Natural Landmark is a small, but dramatic, part of the 280,000-acre Shawnee National Forest. A small creek with a tiny watershed has carved an impressive box canyon, more than 200 feet deep, leading down to the Big Muddy River. The Little Grand Canyon area features loop Trail that is a challenging 3.6-mile hike offers scenic views, chances to see wildlife, and interesting geological features. The site offers picnic facilities, restrooms, and interpretive signage.
Mississippi River Museum
Grand Tower, Illinois
The Mississippi River has influenced events in the community of Grand Tower since pirates escaping the colonial Spaniards were among the area's first European residents. In 2006 former towboat captain Captain Jack Knupp opened this modest museum in an abandoned 1890s Main Street doctor's office here to try to preserve the history and culture of life on the water dating back to the heyday of steamboats. Exhibits in the new museum include steamboat models, buoys, and riverboat memorabilia.
Oakwood Bottoms Greentree Reservoir
Grand Tower, Illinois
Oakwood Bottoms Greentree Reservoir is part of Shawnee National Forest. A greentree reservoir is a forested area that is flooded during the dormant winter months and drained in the spring for the growing season. The site provides habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl and a laboratory for studying the effects of floodwater on a forest of pin oaks. Oakwood Bottoms Greentree Reservoir Interpretive Site features 2 nature trails, one of which loops around a small pond on a mowed grass path and features rest benches and a fishing pier.
Ponoma Natural Bridge
Ponoma, Illinois
This fascinating stone arch, often referred to as a natural bridge, was formed by the forces of erosion over millions of years and has been a popular tourist spot since the late 1800s. The area features a easy to moderate 1/3-mile short loop trail that leads through a mature oak-hickory and beech forest. The trailhead signs explain the geology of the area.
Nearby Attractions
Union County, Illinois
The Shawnee National Forest dominates Union County and provides visitors with a number of places to get in touch with nature including LaRue-Pine Hills Research Natural Area, Trail of Tears State Forest, and the Union County State Fish & Wildlife Area. The Bald Knob Cross of Peace sits atop Bald Knob Mountain, the highest point in Southern Illinois that offers wonderful scenic views, particularly in the fall. History can be explored at Lincoln Memorial Park in Jonesboro, the site on e of the 1859 Lincoln Douglas debates or at the Union County Museum in Cobden.
For Travelers Heading Up the River
French Colonial Country
Up river of the Meeting the Ohio River region is French Colonial Country. This five county area was heavily influenced by the French fur traders who inhabited the region from 1700 to 1840. Attractions include the town of Ste. Genevieve with the largest concentration of French Colonial architecture in North America, Forts de Chartre and Kaskaskia in Randolph County, and the Cahokia complex in St. Clair County.
For Travelers Heading Down the River
The Upper Delta of the Mississippi River
The cypress swamps associated with the southern Mississippi can be experienced at Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge and Reelfoot Lake. New Madrid’s riverfront district has several interesting museums and historical sites. Although inland, the high country along Crowley's Ridge Parkway National Scenic Byway is actually the natural western boundary of the Mississippi and features a number of state parks.
