Starved Rock
If you’re ambitious, the parks are day-trip distance from Milwaukee (about a 2.5-hour drive each way), but one of Starved Rock’s perks is its onsite lodging. The Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and has been modernized and updated over the ensuing decades.
Guest rooms in the lodge feature knotty pine walls and handcrafted furniture that maintain the lodge’s cozy, historic feel. The Great Hall features a towering stone fireplace — the largest two-sided fireplace in Illinois, according to Casstevens. Private log cabins tucked into the woods are also available for rent. Three onsite dining options, a pool and Wi-Fi round out the roster of modern conveniences.
Whether you want to stretch your legs while driving through Illinois or you want to get away from everything for a few days, Starved Rock is a one-stop shop.
Hiking through history
The history of Starved Rock, as the name implies, is a tragic one. According to some accounts, in the 1760s, Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa was killed by a member of the Illinois Confederation. Battles ensued in retribution for his killing, and a group of Illinois sought refuge atop the 125-foot butte along the Illinois River. The Ottawa laid siege to the Illinois there. According to legend, some Illinois died of starvation and the rest were killed after they became too weak to fight.
Native Americans lived in the area dating back to 8,000 BC. Europeans arrived in the 17th century, and the French built a fort on Starved Rock in 1683.
Chicago entrepreneur Ferdinand Walthers built a hotel along the river in 1891. He sold the land to the state to become a park in 1911. In the 1930s, the CCC constructed the lodge on a bluff above the river and many of the trails that are still used by hikers today.
Thirteen miles of trails wind through the park, in and out of the canyons and cliffs via staircases and boardwalks. The stairs help protect the landscape from those millions of visitors and provide safer access to the canyons and cliffs.
The first stairs many visitors encounter are near the visitors center, leading to the top of Starved Rock. The trail circles the top of the butte and offers views of the river, including a lock and dam where eagles fish in the winter.
Even on an unseasonably chilly November Saturday, the trail leading up Starved Rock was busy. So too was nearby French Canyon, one of 18 canyons in the park.
The canyons were formed when melting glaciers released a deluge of water that carved large slots in the soft sandstone.
The geology at Starved Rock is reminiscent of Wisconsin natural spots like Mirror Lake, Parfrey’s Glen and Pewits Nest, but on a larger scale.
Fourteen of the canyons, including French, have waterfalls in the spring, early summer and after heavy rain. But too much water can flood the canyons and leave trails muddy or inaccessible.
The French Canyon waterfall wasn’t flowing in November, but ice was already forming in its place at the end of the canyon. Water seeping through the porous sandstone builds into large icefalls in the winter.
It’s beautiful, but dangerous. Ice and snow make the stairs into the canyons even more challenging — wear traction on your boots if you’re hiking in the winter.
French Canyon was nearly as busy as Starved Rock, since it’s possible to hike both in a loop that takes about an hour to complete.
Crowds thin the farther you hike toward either end of the park. Casstevens recommended La Salle and St. Louis canyons.
“A lot of people don’t want to walk that far, and it’s really not that far,” she said.
Hiking deeper into the park to Wildcat Canyon also afforded some quiet. From there, the trail loops past a couple overlooks and back to the lodge for about a 5-mile hike.
Casstevens also recommended weekday and morning visits to avoid the largest crowds.
“Early morning hikes are best,” she said. “Being the first person to put your feet in the snow, entering a trail, is a really cool feeling. I hike all the time, and I have a tradition of trying to be the first person on the trail, the first snowfall of the year.”
If you want to see all the park has to offer, the lodge offers guided Megahikes in the spring and fall. The 13.4-mile trek
If you go
Starved Rock’s trails are open from sunrise to sunset year-round, if conditions allow. The trails are not accessible, but there is a 1-mile paved path and observation deck around the lodge and some paved paths around the visitor center. Bike riding and rock climbing are prohibited. Ice climbing is allowed in select canyons.
Pets are permitted in the park as long as they’re on a leash.
Starved Rock has a campground with sites for tents and recreational vehicles. Campsites are reservable and cost $25 per night and $35 on a holiday. Alcohol is prohibited in the campground.
Like all Illinois state parks, Starved Rock and Matthiessen are free.
Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center has updated rooms in its original, 1930s-era East Wing and larger, more modern rooms in its newer West Wing. Walls are thin in the East Wing; use the provided ear plugs if you are a light sleeper. The lodge also rents cabins, some that are pet-friendly.
The Main Dining Room at the lodge serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a Sunday brunch. The Back Door Lounge and the outdoor Veranda serve food and drinks with a view of the river. The Starved Rock Cafe has breakfast, lunch, snacks and souvenirs.
In addition to guided hikes, the lodge offers a variety of activities including trolley tours, river cruises and live music. The lodge also plays host to weddings.
Starved Rock State Park is south of Utica, Illinois, about 165 miles southwest of Milwaukee. Matthiessen State Park is off Illinois 178, west of Starved Rock.
For more information on Starved Rock Lodge, call (815) 667-4211 or see starvedrocklodge.com. hits all the park’s canyons and includes a stop for lunch.
“We’ve done the course so that you’re going down stairs as often as you can and coming back on the lower grades,” Casstevens said.
More at Matthiessen
If you have energy leftover after hiking Starved Rock’s stairs, nearby Matthiessen State Park has more for you to tackle.
Matthiessen is as beautiful as Starved Rock, with 5 miles of trails looping through gorgeous canyons and woods.
The Dells Area is particularly scenic, with just over 3 miles of trails around a 1-mile canyon made up of upper and lower dells. Hikers can walk down stairs and along the canyon bottom of the lower dells to Cascade Falls, a 45-foot drop that separates the two.
The bluff-top trails are an easier hike than the treks through the canyon, which can be difficult to navigate when they’re wet. Even in fall, you’ll need to rock-hop through some areas of the canyon’s bottom.
But as with Starved Rock, the park is beautiful in any season, and soon both parks might offer even more land to explore. The state just closed on the purchase of nearly 3,000 acres adjacent to the parks.
Casstevens said the state will study the new land over the next year and decide how to develop it. The land includes Bailey Falls and a stretch of whitewater rapids on the Vermillion River southwest of Matthiessen, plus some wooded areas where new trails could be developed.
More land probably means more visitors at these popular parks, but the magnificent canyons, waterfalls, river views and historic lodge still make the area well worth a visit, no matter the crowds.