Starved Rock state park

This is the most popular park in the state and extremely beautiful. It has around 13 miles of trails to explore with a number of canyons and waterfalls. It also offers fishing and boating on the Illinois River. It a great place to take your kids hiking, camping or just a good day trip. more

This is really a good place if you like to walk through the forest and watch the fall colors. There is a big mountain/stone beside which is a beautiful lake. For people who love fishing this is a nice recreation spot. Just want to walk around, its good for to walk around too. Area is too big around and too good. This was named as one of the Top 10 spots for fall colors. Never thought something in our own state would be in top 10, and I loved the place. Click here if you want to know more about the other Top 10 picks: http://honolulu.citysearch.com/feature/40448 Check out the nation's best locales for leaf peeping: Top 10 are: Lansborough, Mass. - Mount Greylock (Appalachian) Athens, Ga. - Athens to Georgia/N.C. State Border Asheville, N.C. - Blue Ridge Parkway Killington, Vt. - Killington Jaffrey, N.H. - Mount Monadnock Bridal Veil, Ore. - Multnomah Falls Ogden, Utah - Ogden Canyon/Monte Cristo Red Wing, Minn. - Red Wing Rhinebeck, N.Y.- Rhinebeck Utica, Ill. - Starved Rock State Park Click on the above link to be redirected to the appropriate links and know more about these spots. Working hours of Visitor center: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm more

Starved Rock State Park is a great place to go if you want to relax, have a get together, or just hike some trails. Starved Rock is rich in history and offers a wonderful view of the Illinois River. Though it can get crowded, there are many places to enjoy where you can go off on your own. I like to have picnic lunches at Starved Rock when the weather is nice. I don't often eat at the lodge, because it is pricey, but they have great services to offer. You should visit soon! more

The trails are well maintained. The views are breath-taking. Too bad that sometimes it is so crowded that you cannot enjoy any of it. I think the lodge and concession stand is over-priced. I think it is better to go to one of the many near-by smaller parks to enjoy some fresh air. They are free, they are clean, and the last two that I went to were empty. I suppose greatness has it's price. more