State Park

Starved Rock State Park

Utica · 2678 E 875th Rd Utica IL 61373

Location Details

🎬

Type

State Park

📐

Setting

Interior + Exterior

🚐

Parking

Yes

⚡

Power

Yes

📋

Permit

Required

Visual Character

“18 stunning canyons carved by glacial meltwater floods, featuring 100-foot sandstone walls, frozen waterfalls in winter, lush fern grottos, and the Illinois River bluffs. One of the most visited state parks in the Midwest with exceptional year-round visual drama.”

About this location

STARVED ROCK STATE PARK RANKS AMONG THE MIDWEST'S MOST CINEMATICALLY DRAMATIC NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS. EIGHTEEN STUNNING CANYONS — CARVED BY CATASTROPHIC GLACIAL FLOODS 16,000 YEARS AGO — FEATURE 100-FOOT SANDSTONE WALLS, EMERALD FERN GROTTOS, AND WATERFALLS THAT FREEZE INTO TOWERING ICE FORMATIONS IN WINTER. THE ILLINOIS RIVER BLUFFS ABOVE PROVIDE SWEEPING VALLEY VISTAS. THE CANYON LIGHTING CREATES NATURALLY DRAMATIC CHIAROSCURO EFFECTS WITH DIFFUSED CANOPY LIGHT IN SUMMER AND DRAMATIC WINTER ICE