Giant City State Park
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
200 acres1.4 mi of trail
Red Cedar TrailRiver to River TrailHorse Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Makanda
Few parks or trails are on the map in Makanda
The biggest trail networks: Giant City State Park (1.4 mi), Fern Rocks Nature Preserve (0.6 mi). 9% of Makanda’s land is conserved, about 317 acres. 169 acres are parks and preserves, 275 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
9%
317 acres · of 5.3 sq mi of land
Trails
3.0 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
169 ac
275 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
15%
of residents within ½ mile
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Giant City State Park, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fern Rocks Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
39 acres0.6 mi of trail
Trillium Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Trillium trail parking and trailhead
Who protects it
317 conserved acres
9% of Makanda’s land. Who manages Makanda’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources208 ac
U.S. Forest Service109 ac
State conservation38 ac
State Conservation Area · 208 acNational Forest · 109 acConservation Easement · 38 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giant City State Park State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 208 | Open |
| Shawnee National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 109 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Makanda
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Picnic areas in Makanda
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
5 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.0 mi
River to River Trail1.0 mi
Red Cedar Trail0.7 mi
Trillium Trail0.6 mi
Horse Trail0.2 mi
Lower Eastern Star Trail0.1 mi
When to get out
The walking year in Makanda
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 47 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 69 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.5 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Makanda →
Next door
Makanda and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makanda | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Makanda Township | 15% | 1.0 | 467 | 11% | A− |
| Pomona Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Makanda
Where can I hike in Makanda?
The longest trail networks: Giant City State Park, 1.4 miles; Fern Rocks Nature Preserve, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Makanda’s trails?
Giant City State Park and Fern Rocks Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Makanda?
45,782 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Makanda or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 276 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Makanda neighbors.
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Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →