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Hiking and Trails

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Hikers Guide	Hikers Photo Gallery	Trails

Starved Rock Walker's Club
Departs from Lodge every Thursday at 9:00 a.m.

Free Guided Hikes
Led by Volunteers of the Starved Rock Foundation

Each year, free guided hikes are offered on three select weekends:
Winter Wilderness Weekend
Wildflower Pilgrimage
Fall Colors Weekend

Hikes depart from the Starved Rock Visitor Center
Saturday & Sunday
at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Hike into History

Starved Rock stands on the south bank of the Illinois River, opposite the village of Utica, about nine miles west of Ottawa, six miles east of LaSalle and 94 miles from Chicago. Deep canyons lie to the east and west of Starved Rock, along the Illinois River. Buffalo Rock, whose history is linked in part with that of Starved Rock, is located on the north bank of the Illinois River, about four miles east of Starved Rock.

This area has been home to humans from as early as 8000 B.C. Hopewellian, Woodland and Mississippian Native American cultures thrived here. The most recent and probably the most numerous group of Native Americans to live here was the Illiniwek, from the 1500s to the 1700s. Approximately 5,000 to 7,000 Kaskaskias, a subtribe of the Illiniwek, had a village extending along the bank of the Illinois River across from the current park.

In 1673, French explorers Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette passed through here on their way up the Illinois River from the Mississippi. Known as "Pere," the French word for "Father," Marquette returned two years later to found the Mission of the Immaculate Conception (Illinois' first Christian mission at the Kaskaskia Indian village).

When the French claimed the region (and the entire Mississippi Valley), they built Fort St. Louis on top of Starved Rock in the winter of 1682-83 because of its commanding strategic position above the last rapids on the Illinois River. Pressured from small war parties of Iroquois in the French and Indian wars, the French abandoned the fort by the early 1700s and retreated to what is now Peoria, where they established Fort Pimitoui. Fort St. Louis became a haven for traders and trappers, but by 1720 all remains of the fort had disappeared.

Starved Rock State Park derives its name from a Native American legend of injustice and retribution. In the 1760s, Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa tribe upriver from here, was slain by an Illiniwek while attending a tribal council in southern Illinois. According to the legend, during one of the battles that subsequently occurred to avenge his killing, 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."

Be sure to check out the Visitor Center to view a life-sized diorama of early Starved Rock area explorers and native peoples. Stop in the bookstore and don't miss the FREE, award-winning 9-minute film in the Visitor Center's theater. For information on nature programs and scheduled events at the Visitor Center and at the Lodge click HERE.

The Illinois State Parks Commission was initially headquartered in Starved Rock State Park after the park was purchased in 1911.

Starved Rock became a state park in 1911. Daniel Hitt owned the land that was purchased from the U.S. Government on June 23, 1835 (for $85) as back pay from the Army. In 1890, he sold Starved Rock and 100 acres to Ferdinand Walther for $15,000, with an option to buy 265 more acres at $45 per acre.

Mr. Walther tried to develop the land as the "Gibraltar of the West" by building a large-frame hotel, which was located at the base of the south bluff below Starved Rock. An artesian-fed swimming pool was located just south of Devil's Nose. A dance pavilion was also built by the concession area. The hotel was not as successful as Walther had hoped. The State of Illinois purchased 280 acres of land, including Starved Rock, from Walther for $146,000 on June 10, 1911.

In 1911 most tourists traveled to the park from the Chicago area on the railway that ran on the other side of the Illinois River. The passengers would then take a ferryboat across the river to this side of the park. In 1918, the park purchased a miniature locomotive from Lincoln Park in Chicago. The miniature railroad circled the pool, which was surrounded by a concrete wall with an Island in the center. Traveling and local bands played at the dance pavilion. Frank Hart, a Seneca Indian, lived in a tent along the east side of the pool during the summer. A campground was located where the lodge area is now located.

Our present-day park has seen a lot of changes over the years. Numerous additions have increased the park to 2,700 acres. In 1981, the Illinois Young Adult Conservation Corps constructed the platforms and walkways that are atop the Rock. The walkway is made from treated yellow pine and cost $21,500 to build. It has a life expectancy of 40 years.

Between 1911 and 1981, the top of Starved Rock has been worn down from 18 inches to as much as four feet due to the traffic of visitors. Besides preserving the top of the Rock, it is hoped that the deck will make most visitors feel more secure at its height

Guests can hike 13 miles of trails, see 18 canyons (many with waterfalls), camp, fish the Illinois River, canoe down the river, horseback ride at Cedar Creek Ranch (located 10 miles to the West of the Park on Route 71--Cedar Creek is also home to an authentic Civil War Cemetery), rent bikes on the Utica towpath, cross country ski during winter months on trails at Matthiessen State Park, and enjoy other special events throughout the year.

In 2007, Starved Rock State Park was chosen one of the "Seven Wonders of Illinois" through an on-line voting contest sponsored by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism and ABC-7 TV in Chicago.

In 2011, Starved Rock State Park celebrates its 100th Anniversary of becoming the first recreational park in the state of Illinois. Last year, over 2 million people visited Starved Rock State Park from all over the world.

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Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources