Giant City State Park

Have hunted near here for most of our lives and never stayed at this park until now. We have been missing out on a real gem! We have eaten at the lodge in the past and it is highly recommended but the campground was a huge surprise. Well laid out with the shower house being a short walk from sites 50-52. Our site was fairly level. Only had a problem with the electric hookup which had to be replaced while we were there but the park attendants were great and very accommodating. Will definitely camp here again possibly in the winter since it is open year round. Nice hot showers as well!

We enjoyed staying here. I checked out the bathhouse and found it clean. We liked our site (17) and appreciated having pull through spots available. Great hiking trails nearby. I’m glad we stayed in the off season though as the are many sites and all are close to each other. Good spot for the price.

Tip! Some sites have fire pits with fire rings while others have more open grill types. I guess which one would prefer is the fire ring for a campfire vs open grill for actually cooking!

Our campsite wasn't the most level (back to front) but we had a great time. It looks like they just remodeled the interior roads and many campsites. We were there on a crowded weekend but it wasn't noisy. Some great hiking trails, and other things to do nearby (fishing, golfing, wine trail for example).

The camp hosts were happy to answer any questions about the park or area. As mentioned by another review, the fried chicken is fantastic at the lodge if you're feeling a bit lazy and don't want to cook. Makanda is a neat small town.

Giant City is a beautiful state park with a lot of activities from fishing, horseback riding and hiking to rock climbing. The campground is well shaded and has large campsites. Giant City Lodge has a great restaurant and my husband LOVED the all you can eat fried chicken on Sunday:) This campground is also in close proximity to the Southern Illinois Wine Trail where you can enjoy many wineries. Try Blue Sky. It's one of our favorites!