Garden of the Gods, Southern Illinois - Who Knew?

Who knew that Southern Illinois has a seemingly hidden gem. Garden of the Gods is an amazing place.  I would love to go back in the fall when leaves are changing.  And in the winter when there's less foliage obstructing the view of the rocks.

Take a look...

This is a portion of the trail.  I think the total distance is over 5 miles but we only went just a little ways because we got there just before sunset.

See the person standing on the bottom?  That shows how huge these rock formations are!

I love the warm hues the sun creates just before it sets...

Mount Rushmore???!!!

I love this picture of Emily holding our dog...

And this one of Hubs with Katie...

Unbelievable view of the sunset...

Climbing on these rocks made me so nervous.  The day before we were there, someone died from a 75-100 foot fall.  My parents were with us and this is my dad with the girls...

I love this picture too...

Always a goof-off!

He was making me so nervous.  That drop was so far down.  One slip of the foot and he would have been a gonner...

This formation looks like a turtle...

My parents on top of that huge formation...

This is a place we will definitely return to.  If we had more time, we would have gone much further on the trail.  But, at least we have something to look forward to next time. :)