Starved Rock SP

Tuesday, May 31, 2022 Starved Rock State Park

Weather is looking good. Originally it was predicted to rain all day but yesterday they updated the forecast to just cloudy in the morning and thunderstorms in the afternoon with a high of 85 so we decided to go for it.

Good weather for hiking.

Starved Rock State Park

From the Starved Rock Web Site: "Starved Rock State Park located along the Illinois River in La Salle County is one of Illinois' most beautiful destinations. Starved Rock was designated as Illinois' second state park in 1911. The park's 18 canyons feature vertical walls of moss-covered St.Peter Sandstone formed by glacial meltwater that slice dramatically through tree-covered sandstone bluffs. More than 13 miles of trails allow access to rain fed waterfalls, sandstone overhangs, and spectacular overlooks. Lush vegetation such as white and red oak, maple, hickory, white pine, eastern red and northern white cedar support abundant wildlife."

Starved Rock, Bluff and River Trails

It was all one hike. The first trail was Starved Rock Trail a short steep trail with lots of steps to the top of Starved Rock. Coming down from Starved Rock we linked to the Bluff Trail (you guessed it on top of the bluff). Quite a few stairs on this trail to get to the top of the bluff. Along the trail we stopped at canyons French Canyon, Wildcat Canyon, Basswood Canyon, Sandstone Point Overlook and Lonetree Canyon.

From Sandstone Point the trail descends down a huge set of steps connecting to the River Trail (you guessed it along the river). Continuing away from the visitor center our final canyon was the best LaSalle Canyon. From there we turned around and hiked the river trail back to the visitor center.

5 miles in all and 22 sets of stairs, a great hike! The park is the most popular State Park in Illinois but, because we were there on a Tuesday, the trails were lightly trafficked. Nice!

The trails are very well maintained with good signage. Boots are recommended as parts of the trail can be muddy.