fort defiance park

....that it is run down. I stopped here on my way back from Cape Girardeau. I just wanted to get a glimpse of where the Ohio and Mississippi merge. The day I stopped, it appeared to be "closed" (for lack of a better word), but the gate was open so I drove on in and had a look around. The view was beautiful, and inspiring if you take in the history of it all. The park has so much potential, but is really in poor shape. Still, I would recommend a stop if it's not too far out of your way just to take in the view. With proper care, this could be a really special park.

The reason for my giving the sight an average rating is because of Lewis and Clark. Other wise , I would have given it a poor rating. I love Lewis and Clark. Back in October, a friend of mine and I drove along the Ohio river. I wanted to see where Lewis and Clark camped for several days on their expedition. We drove for several days to get there from my home in North Carolina.I had looked it up on the internet days before to make sure it wasn't closed and there was nothing saying it was closed so we drove on only to arrive and find a sign saying closed. Boy , to say my behavior was like Clark W. Griswold when he and his family drove cross county to get to Wally World and found it closed for repairs, is saying the very least ! I was ticked ! From what I could see on the bridge crossing over the river , it was a beautiful place . Would have been nice to have been able to get out and walk around where the two rivers meet. Well maybe I will get to see it this summer . I am planning this one more time. Cairo , Illinois looked like a war had taken place there. We headed back down the river and stopped off at Fort Massac. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful !!! We who love history had better get out and see these places before ALL THE PARKS ARE CLOSED. Seems our taxes can't go for historical sights . No , we are too busy rewarding people for bad behavior.

My wife and I, both in our 60's, drove from western North Carolina to get a glimpse of the Mississippi River and the surrounding areas on October 18, 2014. This was our first time, and probably only time, to see this historic river and the lands beside it. We were disappointed that the park was closed, and no notices concerning the park's closure was posted in any of the internet guides that I looked at. From what I could see from the locked,park gate, there was absolutely no work being done to the park at all, only a sign that it was closed for maintenance. This was to be one of the highlights of our trip.We had been at the Jefferson Cross site in Wickcliffe, Kentucky, only about 30 minutes before, and this was a completely different experience. A beautiful park, carefully maintained, with beautiful views and historical information markers. The only shortcoming I noticed for the Cross park is that there are no restroom facilities there

Regardless of Cairo and the condition of the park, there is something soulful about this site. Two mighty rivers, the Ohio and the Mississippi conjoin at this spot, marking the coastline of the Midwest. Staring out onto the confluence that ties the Midwest to the East, it is momentarily difficult to tell which river is which. You feel a bit everywhere at once. Contented fishermen sit along the sandbars. The sun hangs low. As if the place couldn't get any better, while I was there, I uncovered an Excalibur-like driftwood walking stick with a curved handle that fit like a glove to my hand. I think everyone should come here if they have the opportunity.

Just visited this morning 8/7/14 and witnessed lots of mowing by DNR and beginning to clean up landscape! A friendly DNR man said they just gained ownership/control a week ago after many months of negotiations w/City of Cairo. We were able to both climb the observation platform and walk the narrow path to the southernmost point of IL and could have touched confluence of Ohio & Mississippi Rivers. Expect better days ahead with the rest of the site! Felt safe w/DNR workers present.Also we arrived here after driving by way of Wickliffe KY. It is just east over US 60 bridge and down/south on US 51. There is another nice view of the rivers there at Jefferson Memorial Cross.

This is a beautiful area, and it is really neat to see the confluence of the two mighty rivers. This area also has a rich history. Unfortunately, the city of Cairo doesn't have the money to maintain the park properly and the people who visit it apparently don't care if they litter all over it. I still stop here when I am in the area though

Went to Fort Defiance State Park and the condition was horrible. Weeds everywhere, the campground is overgrown and destroyed, no play equipment. The road is in terrible shape and there are no picnic tables or restrooms at the park. Alcohol bottles and broken glass were everywhere. I guess it is to far from Chicago to matter to the state of Illinois.

Decided to check this place out. Didnt realize but I passed the turn off. I thought my GPS was wrong. Ended up turning around. Was no "nice" entrance or entrance with anything on main road that says there was a park. Totally disgusted that I used my gas to drove this far find nothing.

A previous review called this place a national disaster and they were right on. For this place to be the place where the 2 most important rivers converge and being a Civil War site, you'd think you'd see a lotof signs, well manicures park, etc. this place is overgrown in 8 feet tall weeds. Where the playground and campsite is overgrown in weeds. The very southern tip is about the only spot somewhat clean. Part of the parking lot had burned trash and logs. A lot of clandestine activities with drugs and sex would be a great place here the way it is now. It was a state park but now run by the city which is run down and I'm sure the city doesn't have funds to run it nor cares if you drive through the city you'd understand why. Truly disappointing. Hopefully someone will take this place up as a cause and clean it up.

This is one of the most significant sites in our history. It is in a poor, rundown condition which has been vandalized. The grass is overgrown. The camp grounds have been stripped of the copper wiring and the grass is overgrown. The whole park has an air of danger about it. The National Park Service should take it over and oversee the grounds.The point of where the ohio and the Mississippi Rivers converge is a beautiful site. I wish it were fixed up nicely. No rest rooms.

I travelled through Cairo on the way to Memphis on Monday March 31, 2014. Like the other reviewers say the City of Cairo is run down and full of abandoned buildings. Just pass through it. No place or reason to stop. The park was disappointing in the fact that there were no signs indicating the rivers and the signifigance of the point. It is run down. We were the only car there. Took some pics. The views were great. Being at the confluence of two of the largest rivers in the U.S. was impressive. Just wish the park was in better shape.We were on our way from St. Louis to Memphis so it wasn't too far out of the way. Again the view is great. But unless i'm travelling between those two cities again I wouldn't go too far out of my way to visit again. After driving through Cairo and the park being empty you do get a nervous feeling there.

I am a huge fan of roadside attractions, and have visited many. BUT.....Sadly, this "State park" is little more than a barren wasteland. I wandered around a bit at the southern tip of the property and I saw no memorial or reference to the original Fort Defiance, its history, or story. Metropolis has Fort Massac State Park...MUCH BETTER!. This park has unfortunately deteriorated into wilderness. This park is uniquely situated at the southern-most point of Illinois, overlooking the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. A really cool place to be and see, if it wasn't completely neglected!!!! It is a shame this "park" is just an overgrown wasteland. This place looked nowhere as clean as google earth shows. Skip it.An elevated concrete lookout platform is near the southern point of the park, however it is dirty and neglected. there is no trimming of the grass(weeds) or other undergrowth. In another portion of the property, I noted there were camping electrical hookups available once-upon-a-time, but that area was completely decomposing, overgrown, and unkept as well. I mourn the loss of a park where people used to come here to gather, camp, fish, and generally enjoy a "park". Skip the thought of even stopping in town. Cairo, Illinois, is a small, poor town; well past its prime. Many crumbling & abandoned buildings were observed along the main road into town. All the businesses that remain in town were noted to have burglar bars on all the windows and doors.... a sure sign of a bad "neighborhood". I noted the remains of the industrial portion of town, sadly decaying for the last 30 years. It reminds me of Gary Indiana. I'm not trying to be funny or offensive- I just get a bad feeling down in my bones as I drove thru town looking for something upbeat and cool to redeem this place. I found nothing.

Cairo IL is where many armies trained their rawest thugs into well-disciplined & effective soldiers. Go to Cairo and ask yourself why & the answer will leap out at you.It is standing at the very tip that conjures up memories and ideas of why this spot was so strategic to at least 100 years of US history.For the photographer, the confluence of the OH and the Mississippi, with the Missouri added in, is amazing in its differences in colors looking south. The park is neglected, feels somehow unsafe, is on the very poorest side of town, floods almost every time it rains, once had very serious racial issues early on, and thus seems to be exactly the way it was here then for all of American time since. AUTHENTIC!Go in the very earliest part of a weekday morning; guaranteed to be all yours. Grant, Sherman, Lewis(no Clark here!), and most of the Corps of Discovery will have recovered from the day before and greet you warmly..

We went to Ft Defiance because we enjoy visiting Civil War sites and the fact that it was the joining point of two rivers. Wanted my grand child to be able to put their feet in both rivers. This area is in poor shape. We could drive along the road and park. We were the only people there, but there was plenty of evidence that people go fishing in this area.The grass has grown up,particularly in the area where it looks like RVs and campsites were. There is a nice plaque describing the fact that Lewis and Clark camped there for 5 days, but if I hadn't walk to the front of the sculpture I would never had seen it. We did get down to the Mississppi, but there is a lot of flood debris in the way.On the way out we did stop and read the signs in the parking lot at what is suppose to be a rest stop/museum. Did not stop at museum.I would visit again for the scenic aspect of it, but would make sure there a couple of other people with me.

I enjoyed our walk to the very end of Illinois, closed, as it was, to vehicle traffic due to flooding. The floods had receded, though, and we could tell that it would make a great location for festivals or family reunions, and there would be ample camping if it were being maintained, which it doesn't appear to be. There's a couple of plaques annotating the site's history, and a neat raised platform in the shape of a paddleboat from which to see the confluence. I'm glad we stopped, we got to nerd out a little bit, but I totally understand what the other reviewers are saying about how unnerving the place seems to be.I wouldn't go out of my way to go there, or to go back, but since we had decided to drive through Cairo anyway, it made sense to stop.