Ferne Clyffe State Park
- Status
- Status not posted
- Entrance fee
- Statewide rule — see below
- Day-use reservations
- None mentioned
- Dogs
- Not stated — check with park
- Camping
- Yes
- Official site
- dnr.illinois.gov(618) 995-2411
Official page last checked Oct 29, 2026. How we keep this current
Overview
Covering about 2,572 acres, Ferne Clyffe State Park lies in Johnson County, in Goreville.
Fees and passes
Free: 'The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) does not charge an Entrance Fee to any state owned or operated land.' Camping, cabins and shelters are fee-based.
Statewide fee rule from Illinois's park system; this park’s page doesn’t list its own fees.
Reservations
- Day use
- No day-use reservation requirement mentioned
- Camping
- Not required
- Booking system
- ExploreMoreIL (IDNR camping, cabins, group camps and shelters)
Turkey Ridge campground is only first-come, first-served.
We link to the official booking system rather than showing live availability, which changes minute to minute.
Camping
Reserve Your Campsite
Camping
Ferne Clyffe has a campground for every type of camper: modern, primitive, youth group, or equestrian. Shower facilities offered at some campgrounds are available seasonally. Some campsites can be reserved online at ExploreMoreIL™.
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.
Turkey Ridge 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.
Read more from the park
Scouts, church groups, and other youth groups will enjoy the Youth Group campground. This Class D facility is equipped with drinking water, picnic tables, cooking grills, toilets, and parking. Groups of minors must have adequate supervision, with at least one adult accompanying each 15 minors.
Equestrian
Horseback riders can ride directly to their own Class C equestrian campground on the trail or drive to it in their vehicles. Up to 25 riders can be accommodated at the site, which includes picnic tables, drinking water, cooking grills, toilets, parking, and showers. The campground is well-shaded by an abundance of trees, and you must protect the trees by tying horses to the hitching rails. No horse rental is available.
Deer Ridge campground has both reservable and first-come, first-serve sites. Turkey Ridge campground is only first-come, first-served. Group camp reservations shall be made by calling the park office at 618-995-2411. Advance reservations for the equestrian campground can be made by calling the park office at 618-995-2411 but are not required.
From the official park page, checked Oct 29, 2026. Site counts and prices can change; confirm when booking.
Things to do
Trails
Trails
Eighteen diverse trails offer visitors the chance to view the beauty of Ferne Clyffe at their own pace. Motorized vehicles and bicycles are not permitted on the trails. Equestrian use is allowed on equestrian-designated trails. Equestrian trails are closed to horses from November 1 to April 30. Naturally occurring dangerous areas exist within the park, so hike on designated trails and exercise awareness and caution. Each trail has been assigned a number, as well as a name, to make map reading easy for even the novice hiker.
Fishing
Fishing and Hunting
Bank fishermen will be impressed by Ferne Clyffe Lake's populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and redear in the lake. Hunters will appreciate the 1,750 acres of forested habitat, with good populations of deer and squirrels. Quail and rabbit populations are fair. Food patches are planted in open areas annually to enhance habitat for upland game species. Hunters must check in at the hunter check station (maintenance building) prior to hunting. Find the Hunter Fact Sheets for Cedar/Draper Bluff, Cypress Pond, Ferne Clyffe, Skinner Farm Habitat Area, Deer Pond, and Wise Ridge.
A state fishing license is usually required.
Amenities
Facilities
- Picnic areas
✓ listed by the park · ✕ the park says it is not available. Anything not shown here isn’t mentioned by the official source — that means unknown, not unavailable.
Accessibility
Accessibility at Ferne Clyffe:
- Parking - Ferne Clyffe State Park has accessible parking at the following locations: main office, maintenance shop, shower house, lake parking, shady bend shelter, and boat rock. They are a mix of concrete and asphalt surfaces.
- Park office - The office is wheelchair accessible. There are no public restrooms.
- Restrooms - Shady Bend Shelter has accessible vault-style toilets with a gravel walkway. Boat Rock and Lake View shelters have accessible vault-style toilets with a concrete walkway.
- Showers - The shower house in the campground has accessible showers and stalls.
- Camping - Deer Ridge campground has three accessible campsites.
Official accessibility information
Conditions change. Contact the park to confirm specific accessible features before your visit.
Getting there
- Address
- 90 Office Drive
Goreville, IL 62939 - Nearest town
- Goreville
- Coordinates
- 37.5310, -88.9700
- Phone
- (618) 995-2411
Nearby state parks
Sources and freshness
- Illinois State Parks (IDNR state parks and recreation areas) — park page — last checked Oct 29, 2026
- IDNR All Parks list (AEM content-fragment list JSON) + each unit's landing page for official title, coordinates, address, phone
- Wikidata
- USGS PAD-US 4.1 (boundary and acreage)
“Last checked” is when our system last read the official source. No change has been detected since this page was first published. Hours, fees and rules can change without notice — confirm with the park before you go. Methodology