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| Date: |
01/08/02 (820 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Natural beauty.
Disadvantages: None
If I told you that I had been to see the canyons during our recent trip to the US you would probably guess that we were somewhere out west. You would be a little surprised when I told you that we were in Chicago! Illinois is surely a farming state you would exclaim, famed for the rich flatland that provides some of the best farming in the country.
Of course you would be correct but let me tell you about one of the states best-kept secrets. Within two hours drive of the city of Chicago you can experience the majesty of canyons on a par with anything that the west can offer. Where am I? Starved Rock State Park. The park lies just southwest of the city on Interstate 80 around 110 miles out. You can easily drive there within a couple of hours.
And the canyons? Well 425 million years ago this area of the state was covered by a huge shallow inland sea. The area around the park was made up of sandstone, which eventually came to the surface. As the glaciers melted torrents of water flooded across the lane creating the Illinois River Valley and eroding the sandstone in what is now the park. It left behind some fascinating rock formations and those canyons that I have been talking about.
There are 18 canyons inside the state park and while they are not as deep as the Grand Canyon (they are only 10 to 100 feet deep) they are every bit as impressive in aspect. But why Staved Rock? The local Native Americans tell of Pontiac, the great chief of the Ottawa tribe who was slain by an Illiniwek while attending a tribal council in southern Illinois. War broke out between the two tribes as a result. According to the legend, during one of the battles a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation, giving rise to the name “Starved Rock”. Th
e area became a state park in 1911.
During early spring, waterfalls are found at the heads of all 18 canyons. We visited in June and there were still a few trickles of water as the summer had not really started and the weather had been wet for the time of year. There are also a number of overhangs formed by the water undercutting the sandstone. From the top of these overhangs you get spectacular views of the park and the Illinois River.
The area around the park is wooded with black oak, red cedar, white oak, white pine and white cedar on display. In the deeper soil away from the bluffs the trees are mainly red oaks and hickories. There is a variety of wild life in the area with deer, racoons and flying squirrels among its number. Birds are well represented with nuthatches, chickadees, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, scarlet tangers and cedar waxwings on view for those of a twitcher persuasion.
Exploring the canyons and majestic bluffs is easy as there are 13 miles of marked trail in the park. These are open all year round and clearly marked on a free map available from the visitor centre. It is also possible to do a little fishing in the park as boats are allowed on the Illinois River. There are catfish, bullhead, white bass, sauger, walleye, carp and crappie to be caught.
Horseback riding and equestrian camping are also popular with an equestrian campsite along Illinois Route 178. You can rent horses and take to the trail or join a guided trail through the park. A large campground is located in the south of the park. This is the only place that camping is allowed and biking and rock climbing are also prohibited within the park.
There are a number of special events throughout the year and these include Winter Wilderness Weekend in January, the Cross-Country Ski Weekend in February, the Annual Wildflower Pilgrimage in May, the Montreal Canoe Weekend in June and the Fall Colours weekend in October. There
are also guided hikes most weekends.
The visitor centre has the usual facilities with information on the history of the park. There is a small café and shop as well as toilets and washrooms. A few minutes walk away from the centre is the Lodge. This is a huge building, which was built in part by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s from stone and log.
The Lodge has been refurbished with a new hotel wing added. The hotel has 72 rooms and 22 cabin rooms which are located in the park, within an easy walk of the main building. The cabins look really nice and we imagined that you could live out all those Grizzly Adams fantasies by spending a weekend in one. We had a drink in the Great Room, which is furnished with decorative rugs and art and is centred on a massive fireplace. It really has an old-world feel to it and takes you back to the pre-war optimism that was rife in America.
Further information on Starved Rock and other Illinois state parks is available on http://dnr.state.il.us
Thank you for reading.
© MurphEE 2002
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