50 State Challenge - Illinois

Illinois was a tough one to write about. I am stilling hurting from when the Blackhawks beat the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals.  I'll put aside my envy of the Stanley Cup win and write something nice about Illinois. Even though Chicago is probably one of the top 5 cities in the world, I decided not to write about it. Instead I am going to write about a beautiful place called Starved Rock State Park.

Starved Rock 

Starved Rock State Park is located along the South bank of the Illinois River. Starved Rock is known for it's outcrops of St. Peter's Sandstone, which is found all over the park. The park gets its name from a Native American legend where it is said that two tribes (Illinois & Pottawatomies) fought a long hard battle. The Illinois tribe decided to ascend a 125 ft sandstone butte. The Pottawatomies discovered them and surrounded the rock. The Illinois were trapped on top of the rock and eventually died of thirst and starvation.

THINGS TO DO AND SEE AT STARVED ROCK

• Hiking - Has 13 miles of well marked hiking trails. A map of the trails can be found here and a list of the trails can be found here
• Water Activities - You can canoe or kayak down the Fox River. The Illinois River near Starved Rock is known as the "Sauger Capital" of the world. There is an annual fishing tournament for anglers to compete for the biggest sauger. 
• Camping - The campground has 133 campsites that come equipped with electricity, showers, and toilers. The campground is located about 1 mile from the Visitor Center. For more info about the campground click here
• Canyons & Waterfalls - You can see waterfalls in 14 out of the 18 canyons. 
• Bird Watching - Click here for a bird watch check list. Bald Eagles are a guaranteed sighting here.

P.O. Box 509, Utica, IL 61373

815-667-4726