Happy Fourth of July weekend! We wanted to celebrate both the achievement of having exactly 100 state parks to go, and the holiday, by finally discussing the most popular park in Illinois: Starved Rock State Park. We have been to this park many times, both for the project and just for fun, and we agree with the many, many visitors that it is well worth coming to.
Starved Rock SP was the second state park in Illinois, designated in 1911. The name is derived from a Native American legend. The story goes, that after Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe was killed, the Ottawa and the Illinois had several battles in order to avenge his death. During one such battle, a band of people from the Illinois were under attack by members of the Ottawa and the Potawatomi, and took refuge at the top of a 125’ sandstone butte. Instead of leaving so they could escape back down, the Ottawa held their ground at the bottom of the butte, until the Illinois at the top died of starvation.
At 2,630 acres, Starved Rock is home to 18 canyons and 13 miles of trails. Most of the trails will lead down into the canyons, where you can be surrounded by towering sandstone walls. Many of these paths will lead to very impressive waterfalls. French Canyon is the most easily accessible of those, at a mere .4 miles away from the Visitor Center, but many of them are within 1.5 miles. Alternatively, there are trails just as closeby that will take you to the top of the canyons, overlooking the Illinois River. The Starved Rock Overlook is the butte from the legend, and is also the shortest hike option from the main parking lot. Lover’s Leap Overlook and Eagle Cliff Overlook are a tad further, but still less than 1.5 miles away.
In addition to the very busy visitor center, there is also a lodge that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s. It is still in use as a hotel, with both standard rooms and cabins available. When entering the Starved Rock SP from the main entrance, you will either park in the main lot by the visitor center, or by the lodge. The main lot is probably preferable, as all the trails are measured in distance from there. Another potential problem is that the lodge is on an overlook itself, and to get to the most popular trails you will need to go down a very long staircase, and then back up after you’ve already hiked.
All the stairs in this park are worth talking about. It shows how developed this park is, and how friendly it is to people who are not necessarily avid hikers. However, even though stairs are easier to go up than a sheer cliff face, they are not friendly toward people with mobility issues. This is a direct result of the topography of the park though. It does not matter if you go into a canyon or onto an overlook, there will be some amount of stairs.
The biggest drawback to Starved Rock though, is not the amount of stairs, but the amount of people. As beautiful as the park is, the crowds of people that will flock here on a nice summer day might ruin your experience. On a holiday weekend, the problem will be even worse. We have seen parking lots reach capacity and lines to see the waterfalls. On our most recent visit, we had to leave Chicago at 6:30am, in order to arrive early enough to see French Canyon before it got too crowded there.
If you want to visit the main area, the best way to do it is to get there early, or to go during the week. If those are not options, there are a couple alternatives we would recommend instead. The first would be to visit during the off season for a guided hike. We have done their Eagle Hike in January for the last two years, and we found it to be a very fun way to get to these parks during the winter. We normally would not hike in the winter at all, because of how clumsy we can be, but going in a group with a guide, and also getting to see eagles in the wild is very cool. Different guided hikes are offered throughout the year, and will highlight different aspects of the park.
Another alternative, and the one we usually go with, is to park by one of the canyons at the other end of the park, several miles away from the visitor center. The Ottawa Canyon and the Kaskaskia Canyon is about a two mile hike in total, and both end in waterfalls. It also takes you past the Council Overhang, which is a large alcove that Native Americans would use to conduct council meetings, as the way it is shaped has good natural acoustics. It is also only a 3 minute walk from the nearest parking lot, and will be the most immediate pay-off for anywhere in the park. Any of these further canyons will have far fewer people, and may even be easier with far fewer ups and downs.
We also wanted to highlight August Hill Winery, which is not only a staple for us every time we come down, but is also the winery that started our habit of getting something to drink after hiking. We adore August Hill, and have had nothing but lovely experiences there. The weekend we came down in 2019 for our “let’s do this cheap” girls trip, our Airbnb host was able to offer us free wine tastings, which we took advantage of and thoroughly enjoyed. Their tasting room in Utica offers both wine flights and traditional tastings, while their Wine on the Hill offers flights that you can take outside to listen to live music. You can also do tastings where the wine is aged inside the hill. On our most recent visit, we took a blanket, and drank wine slushies while listening to the music. Stephanie is partial to their Mardi Gras wine, while my personal favorite is Sweet Catawba. Please come visit this winery if you are in the area, you will not be disappointed.
While we love what Starved Rock has to offer, we have to acknowledge that it does take more planning than most other parks. The number of people who visit the lodge and the visitor center on any given weekend can be downright unpleasant, and waiting in line to get into some of the canyons doesn’t allow you to feel like you have escaped into nature. The canyons and waterfalls are beautiful, and it is shocking how close they are to Chicago. But arrive very early in the morning, go during the week, or go to one of the canyons that is far away from the visitor center, otherwise, you might feel like you are at a downtown Chicago attraction-which would be disappointing after driving over an hour to get there. The other parks in the area are also beautiful and worth going to, but may still be somewhat crowded, especially if Starved Rock has reached parking capacity. So get out early or take a day off during the week, because it is well worth the visit!
Fresh Air Friendship 