Trails in Starved Rock State Park to Explore - for Adventure [and] Elopements
Starved Rock’s must Hike Trails to Explore for your Adventure
You don’t have to drive all the way out west to explore some canyons. In fact, Illinois has some canyons of its own, which can be found in Oglesby, IL at Starved Rock State Park. Opened in 1912, the park has become a very popular location for hikers and outdoor enthusiast alike in Illinois. It’s also a beautiful place to take adventure photos and/or to elope (especially in the fall). Plus, all trails are dog friendly, though they must be leashed.
Don’t let the concept of it’s popularity encourage you from crossing it off your list of places to elope. Like many, many hiking trials, traffic is fairly low in the morning. When out exploring during autumn, I saw only a couple people before 9:30 am. I essentially had the trail (and parking lot) to myself. By the time I left the trail - around 10:30 am, the parking lot was filling up. This means that you could arrive to the trail about 7:30 am, and get plenty of time to explore and hike before many visitors show up. It’s true what they say, the early bird gets the the worm, or in this case, the trail to themselves.
My favorite canyons to hike to are Illinois Canyon, Ottawa Canyon, Kaskaskia Canyon and Council Overhang. The trails for these Canyons are right next to the parking lot and since the park is heavily trafficked, the trails are well-traversed and easily identifiable and easy to hike. In addition, the trails often open up to large areas between canyon walls that offer great space and different terrains from wall to wall. Since these trails your walking in the canyon - rather than on top of it - during rainy times once you reach the end, there’s a waterfall or two there. This means that water at the end of the canyons vary throughout the year depending on rainfall, so each time you walk into the canyon it’s a little different each time.
Here’s a list of my favorite canyons/hikes to explore.
Illinois Canyon
A spacious trail that offers many different views from well traversed trails and beautiful canyon walls. The trail is lightly trafficked in the early morning.
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: .9 miles
Illinois Canyon Pictured Below
The Three “Neighbors”
The Three “Neighbors” is a term I’m coined for the Kaskaskia Canyon, Council Overhang and Ottawa Canyon. I’m calling them the neighbors because they are essentially right next to each other (.1 miles from each other) and make the perfect loop hike.
The first of the neighbors is Kaskaskia Canyon. This trail was super fun for my dog and had beautiful greenery growing down the canyon walls. After a rainy period, Kaskaskia Canyon has a small waterfall at the end.
Distance: about .70 miles (one way)
Time: about 20 minutes to hike to the back of Kaskaskia Canyon
Difficulty: easy
Kaskaskia Canyon Pictured Below
Ottawa Canyon and Council Overhang
The second and third of the neighbors is Ottawa Canyon and Council Overhang. Ottawa Canyon is about .1 miles away from Kaskaskia Canyon and shows interesting outcroppings of rock and hills. Council Overhang an large arch/cave that is on the trail towards Ottawa Canyon. If you come after a period of rain, you will be graced with a waterfall at the end of Ottawa Canyon.
Distance to Ottawa Canyon: About 1 mile out and back from parking lot
Time: About 30 minutes to walk to the back of Ottawa Canyon
Difficulty: Easy
Council Overhang
Ottawa Canyon
When planning an adventure session or elopement, it’s best to estimate that 1 mile = 1 hour. That gives enough time for resting, relaxed photo taking, walking and enjoying the sites. That’s why, depending on session/elopement length, I recommend hiking either Illinois Canyon or the Three Neighbors. Both paths provide beautiful views from inside the canyons walls while also being unique unto themselves. Illinois Canyon has a pool of reflective water with some neat side trails. The Three Neighbors combine the ends of two canyons that (potentially) end in waterfalls that look very different from each other.
Want to see more from Starved Rock?
View the Starved Rock Adventure Session with Beata and Sean in which they explored the Three “Neighbors” 🙂