Encampment

Alright, I'm de-smokified and re-slept enough to recount a little -- still bummed that none of my pix came through. Meh.

Starved Rock State Park is an interesting little place near Utica, Illinois -- it's got actual canyons (R) and sandstone towers at a juncture of the Illinois River, but the approach to it is screened by thick woods (which are themselves bracketed by cornfields). Blink and you'll miss it.

Plum Island, across the river, is a sanctuary for bald eagles -- I saw one flying across the water. There are areas like French Canyon (frightening in that there's precious little railing along the trail -- you walk without paying attention and you're right over the side, falling a few hundred feet onto sandstone). Lover's Leap had a great view, as did Eagle Cliff, which gave a good view of a dam across the Illinois River.

Starved Rock itself was heavily overgrown, and was pretty crowded, but some of the other trails weren't so bad, since they involved lots of stairs and climbing, and that drove off most of the tourists.

The campsite itself was very convivial, with lots of friendly people about, enjoying fun and frolic, an even mix of RVs and tents, at least initially, before campers and winnebagos came to dominate the area. Lots of Canadians -- at one point, they sang "Oh Canada" which wafted on the breeze. Saw some cars with Ontario plates, so I guess they were from Toronto or environs. The Canadians were in a large group, and when they left, it was a little quieter at the camp.

I'd say Starved Rock would be ideal in either Spring or Fall -- Spring if you want to see actual waterfalls; there were a ton of great sites at the canyons just begging for waterfalls, but in Summer, just not enough water to do them justice (the trees and brush were all green, but the water level in the canyons and ravines wasn't quite sufficient). Fall would give you great views and colored leaves.