Ferne Clyffe State Park
Encyclopedia
Ferne Clyffe State Park is an Illinois state park on 2430 acres (983 ha) in Johnson County, Illinois
, United States
. The nearest town is Goreville, Illinois
, and the nearest connection to a limted-access highway is at Exit 7 on the Illinois portion of Interstate 24
. The land for the park was purchased by the state in 1949 from Emma Rebman, and the park is currently operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
(IDNR). The original entrance to the park, located on the outskirts of Goreville, was found to be a potentially hazardous driving route, and was replaced by a new entrance located on Illinois Route 37
in the early 1980s. Although traffic upon it has been practically non-existent since 1982, Ferne Clyffe is also accessible to US Bicycle Route 76.
s fed by runoff from the upper bluffs in the area.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The nearest town is Goreville, Illinois
Goreville, Illinois
Goreville is a village in Johnson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 938 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Goreville is located at ....
, and the nearest connection to a limted-access highway is at Exit 7 on the Illinois portion of Interstate 24
Interstate 24
Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
. The land for the park was purchased by the state in 1949 from Emma Rebman, and the park is currently operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cabinet-level department of the state government of Illinois. It is headquartered in the state capital of Springfield...
(IDNR). The original entrance to the park, located on the outskirts of Goreville, was found to be a potentially hazardous driving route, and was replaced by a new entrance located on Illinois Route 37
Illinois Route 37
Illinois Route 37, or Illinois 37, is a north–south route in southern Illinois. It is in length. Originally connecting Effingham to Cairo, it was a heavily-traveled highway before Interstate 57 was opened. That Interstate, which lies very close to most of Illinois 37 , supplanted it as a...
in the early 1980s. Although traffic upon it has been practically non-existent since 1982, Ferne Clyffe is also accessible to US Bicycle Route 76.
Natural Features
Ferne Clyffe's acreage holds a number of notable geographic features, including limestone bluffs, naturally forested woodlands, cliff caves, and several small seasonal waterfallWaterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s fed by runoff from the upper bluffs in the area.