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Nature reserve · Illinois

Giant City State Park

Giant City State Park from directly overhead

Giant City State Park is a nature reserve in Illinois, at a recorded elevation of 206 m. Bald Knob stands 314 m to the west-southwest, 9.3 miles off. The nearest named place is Giant City Visitor Center, a museum 0.4 miles away. Great River Road passes 15 miles off. 32 named summits stand within 25 miles.

The record

What the record says

Built
1927
Elevation
206 m
Visiting

What to expect

Operated by
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Official site

Getting there

How to reach it

Driving directionsPlan a drive around it
Coordinates37.60779, -89.19186
Around it

Named places within 25 miles

Parks
  • Jeremy "Boo" Rochman Memorial Park: 5.5 mi
  • Evergreen Park: 6.3 mi
  • Marberry Arboretum: 6.3 mi
  • Evergreen Park: 6.6 mi
  • Campus Lake Park: 7.2 mi
Peaks: 32
  • Tiptop Knob: 5.4 mi
  • Buck Knob: 8.0 mi
  • Iron Mountain: 9.1 mi
  • Bald Knob: 9.3 mi
  • Chimney Rock: 9.5 mi
Historic sites: 25
  • Inspiration Point: 2.7 mi
  • Jeremy "Boo" Rochman Memorial Park;3 Wizards: 5.6 mi
  • Alto Pass Area Veterans Memorial: 7.4 mi
  • SIU Entrance Monument: 7.4 mi
  • SIU Entrance Monument: 7.5 mi
Nature reserves: 18
Cliffs: 17
Artworks: 16
  • Druid Mask: 5.5 mi
  • Unicorn: 5.5 mi
  • Red Wizard: 5.5 mi
  • Griffon: 5.5 mi
  • Wizard: 5.5 mi
Attractions: 13
Picnic sites: 13
  • Saluki Cove: 7.1 mi
  • Cypress Retreat: 7.2 mi
  • Morava Point: 7.3 mi
  • Bluff View Picnic Area: 12.4 mi
  • Lookout Point Picnic Area: 13.2 mi
Museums: 9
  • Giant City Visitor Center: 0.4 mi
  • Cobden Museum: 6.1 mi
  • Sharp Museum: 7.6 mi
  • The Carbondale Depot Museum: 8.3 mi
  • African American Museum of Southern Illinois: 8.4 mi
Ghost towns: 6
Gardens: 5
Springs: 3
  • Seep: 0.9 mi
  • Cave Spring: 11.2 mi
  • Bottoms Spring: 16.5 mi
Rest areas: 2
Waterfalls: 2
Natural arches: 2
  • Slough Arch: 20.5 mi
  • Cedar Wonders Arch: 23.6 mi
Beaches: 1
On the horizon

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Giant City State Park. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Bald KnobWSW 246°314 m9.3 mi
Tiptop KnobSSW 206°269 m5.4 mi
Government RockW 261°250 m13.5 mi
Grassy KnobSW 232°242 m24.4 mi
Grassy KnobW 272°241 m13.0 mi
McGee HillWSW 252°240 m14.0 mi
Vick HillSSW 204°232 m22.2 mi
Coker KnobSW 228°228 m23.5 mi
Conditions

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:0118:3419:09
June solstice05:3619:4320:22
September equinox06:4518:2118:55
December solstice07:0916:0116:42

Local time (America/Chicago).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F354049596876797871604839
Precip in3.53.44.85.65.94.93.73.23.53.94.54.1

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Anna 4 N, 7 mi away.

Wildlife nearby
  • drooping trillium108 obs
  • Purple Phacelia105 obs
  • Celandine Poppy100 obs
  • prairie trillium97 obs
  • Christmas fern92 obs
  • wild hydrangea91 obs
  • spring blue-eyed Mary77 obs
  • Virginia spiderwort76 obs

Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.

Sources

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial site

OpenStreetMap element way/636140490

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