Starved Rock State Park attracts more than 2 million visitors a year, but only a small percentage tackle the park’s most adventurous trek:

The Mega Hike.

“I did that once myself,” said Kyle Petersen, co-founder of Starved Rock Hikers, a community of local experts and hiking enthusiasts who promote the park. “That was the only time I’ve actually gone from one end of the park to the other.”

The Mega Hike is about a 13-mile, self-guided round-trip tour across the park’s trail system. Highlights along the way include canyons, waterfalls, Starved Rock Lodge, the Starved Rock Visitors Center, bluffs overlooking the Illinois River and trails through woodland.

“Personally, my favorite canyon is La Salle Canyon. I think it’s one of the most beautiful hikes into a canyon, and it’s one of my favorite waterfalls,” Petersen said. “It’s a nice halfway point of the hike, too.”

The Starved Rock Hikers share a recommended route at https://bit.ly/MegaHike. Petersen, who helped develop the route, said his hike lasted about seven hours.

“Someone could probably get it done in five hours if they were quick,” he said. “If you did a lot of stopping and sightseeing, it could be upwards of eight, nine hours. It depends on your age, your fitness level and also how much you want to stop.”

Petersen said spring and fall are excellent seasons for the Mega Hike because temperatures are less extreme. He also recommends that hikers bring more water than they think they will need, especially on days with high temperatures.

“Bring a good amount of snacks to have along the way, and maybe think about bringing a lunch,” he added.

The Starved Rock Hikers share 33 hikes on their website of varying distances and with ratings of easy, moderate or difficult. The Mega Hike is rated difficult due to distance and elevation changes. The route includes multiple staircases descending into canyons and ascending to the top of bluffs.

When hiking from one end of the park to the other, hikers either have to arrange transportation or double back on foot to the trailhead where they parked. Petersen scheduled a friend to pick him up at the end of his hike and return him to his vehicle. Other hikers who travel in pairs or groups have parked a vehicle at one end of the park, then traveled together to the other end to have a vehicle at both the starting and ending trailheads.

A one-way hike is about 6.5 miles; a round-trip excursion is about 13 miles.

“What’s nice about this hike is there are options. Let’s say you’re getting a little bit tired and you’re halfway through, and you want to start speeding up the process,” Petersen said. “You don’t have to go all the way into La Salle Canyon, don’t have to go all the way up to Starved Rock or go in the Visitors Center. [Our route] gives you recommendations for things to see on the way, but if you want to go quicker, you can pick and choose.”

Hike with a guide

For those who don’t want to attempt a self-guided hike across the park, Starved Rock Lodge hosts a select number of guided Mega Hikes each year. The final guided Mega Hike for 2025 is Sunday, Sept. 7. The Starved Rock Trolley will depart from the Lodge that morning to take hikers to the east end of the park, where they will begin an approximately 7.5-hour tour that concludes at the Lodge. Pre-registration is required. The $45 fee includes trolley transportation, tour guides, a boxed lunch and a shirt. Limited spots are available. For information or to register, visit www.starvedrocklodge.com/events/category/guided-hikes/special-hikes.

More resources

Discover more hikes and useful information at the Starved Rock Hikers website, www.starvedrockhikers.com. The website includes overviews of Starved Rock, Matthiessen and Buffalo Rock state parks as well as recommended hikes, a downloadable map of Starved Rock, park rules, parking information, the Trail Talk blog with timely tips and updates, an online souvenir shop and more.