A City of Giants

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

States visited: Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas

Miles traveled: 425

My next big destination was Hot Springs, Arkansas, but a tourist magazine at my hotel in Illinois mentioned Giant City State Park, so I made that a destination along the way.  It was the highlight of my entire trip.  WOW!
I started the day with breakfast at my hotel.  

I let the GPS lead me, and I made it to Giant City State Park at about 10:30 am.

State parks have no admission cost in Illinois!

 

I first stopped at the visitor center, got a map of the park, and got great advice.  I was told to start at the Giant City Nature Trail.  The sign says it's a 1-mile trail and recommends one hour.  Even with lots of stops for photos and in the extreme heat, it took me 48 minutes.
 

I saw this cool creature along the trail.  In my family, we call him Tyler.

  

This trail reminded me so much of the Niagara Glen, one of my favorite places in the whole world!  I was so happy during my walk!
 
About 20 minutes along the train, I came to the "Giant City," giant walls of rock.  It reminded me so much of the Queen's Staircase in Nassau, Bahamas!   Some of the trail was pretty narrow and rugged.
 
There were natural overhangs along the trail, too.   It was about lunch time, so I stopped at the Giant City Lodge, a CCC-built historic lodge inside the park.
 
I had the patty melt with corn.  Yum!   After lunch, I hit the Devil's Standtable Nature Trail, a very short one (only 1/4 of a mile; took me 14 minutes).
 
More beautiful forest and rock scenery!
 
Here I am with the (I think) Devil's Standtable, a sort of flowerpot-like structure.  It is probably easier to pick out in the winter.  My third trail in the park was the Indian Creek Shelter Nature Trail.  It felt the most deserted.  (It took 24 minutes.)
 
The highlights of the trail were these two beautiful butterflies I got to see and photograph!
 
They believe Native Americans used the overhangs ("bluffs") along the trail for shelter.  My final trail of the day was the Stone Fort Nature Trail.  It is short (1/3 mile) and "rugged" (the most rugged trail I hiked in the park).  It only took me 23 minutes, even though I felt lost coming back from the "fort."
 
The hike starts along a (mostly) dry creek bed.  It felt very Niagara Whirlpool Trail-like.  Here I am with the "Stone Fort."  They aren't sure what purpose it served.
 
After the stone fort, the trail was more rugged as I tried to find my way back.  It actually felt like an adventure!  The trail went along the top of some steep drop-offs!
 
The trail was high above the grassy lawn below near the parking lot.  I got this gorgeous photo of a dragonfly along the way!
 
After leaving Giant City State Park, I drove 7 hours and ended up just past Little Rock, Arkansas, at the Country Inn & Suites in Bryant, Arkansas.  After checking in, I went and had dinner at the nearby Waffle House.  I had the hash browns with cheese, onions, and steak.  Delicious!