Location: Shawnee National Forest, Johnson County, Illinois
Water Source: Happy Hollow Creek
Drop: 50 feet
Directions: Take exit 7 from I-24 and go west toward Goreville for 2.7 miles until you come to a T intersection. Take Rt. 37 to the left (south) for .5 miles to the entrance to the park on the right. Enter the park and go about .5 miles to a stop sign. Continue straight ahead toward the Deer Ridge Campground. Enter the campground and take the one-way road that makes a loop through the campground. A short distance ahead on the right is the trailhead to the falls. Continue around the loop until near the end of it where you can park near the telephone and shower building. Walk around to the trailhead. The trail is about 1 mile round trip.
Notes: I visited Ferne Clyffe Falls on April 17, 2003. The second photo in the bottom row above shows the sign at the trailhead showing the route to the falls. When I was there the trail was torn up from construction vehicles driving back to build a bridge over the creek near the falls. As I approached the construction site, the workers said to cross the creek and walk up to the falls from the other side of the creek. There were rocks in the creek that allowed easy crossing.
Ferne Clyffe Falls is a seasonal waterfall. There was a heavy rain in the area the night before I was there, so the water was flowing well.
There were wildflowers blooming near the falls. Above are photos of white trilium and Jack-in-the-pulpits.
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Page last updated 19 Apr 2003.
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