Matthiessen State Park

Matthiessen State Park is a beautiful and often quieter alternative to its famous neighbor Starved Rock, a scenic landscape of sandstone dells, canyons, streams and waterfalls tucked into a wooded gorge in north-central Illinois near Utica. Carved by a small stream flowing between two lakes toward the Vermilion River, the park’s central feature is a long, narrow canyon known as the Dells, lined with cool sandstone walls, bridges and seasonal cascades.

Trails wind along the canyon rim and down into the gorge, passing waterfalls like Cascade Falls and Lake Falls, fern-draped rock walls and the cool, shaded streambed. Once a private park created by the industrialist Frederick William Matthiessen, who built the trails and bridges, it offers a more intimate and tranquil canyon experience than the crowds of nearby Starved Rock. With its dells, waterfalls, bridges and woodland beauty, Matthiessen State Park is a treasured and scenic destination in the canyon country of north-central Illinois.

Matthiessen State Park offers scenic hiking along its canyon rim and down into the Dells gorge, past waterfalls like Cascade Falls and Lake Falls, sandstone walls and bridges, with trails ranging from easy rim paths to rugged streambed routes. Beyond hiking, the park offers horseback riding, mountain biking, picnicking and (in the upland area) model-airplane flying. Quieter than neighboring Starved Rock, Matthiessen offers a more intimate canyon-and-waterfall experience, making it a beloved and scenic destination for hikers in north-central Illinois.

Spring brings the fullest, most beautiful waterfalls as snowmelt and rain flow through the dells, along with wildflowers, while fall brings color to the wooded canyon. Winter can freeze the falls into ice. Summer offers cool, shaded relief in the gorge. The waterfalls are best after rain and in spring; fall color and the cool summer canyon are also highlights. Being quieter than Starved Rock, Matthiessen offers a more tranquil experience in most seasons, with spring falls and fall color the prime times to visit.

Matthiessen State Park was originally a private park created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Frederick William Matthiessen, a wealthy LaSalle industrialist and philanthropist, who developed the trails, bridges and stairways through the scenic dells for public enjoyment. After his death the land became an Illinois state park, named in his honor. The park’s historic bridges and trails reflect that early vision, and Matthiessen has been treasured ever since as a beautiful and quieter companion to neighboring Starved Rock in the canyon country of Illinois.

Matthiessen’s dells and canyons are carved into St. Peter sandstone, the same soft, ancient rock that forms nearby Starved Rock, exposed and sculpted by the stream that flows through the gorge and by the meltwater of melting glaciers. The soft sandstone eroded into the long, narrow Dells canyon, the seasonal waterfalls where the stream and side channels plunge over ledges, and the cool, fern-draped rock walls. The stream’s erosion of the soft sandstone created the park’s intimate canyon-and-waterfall landscape in north-central Illinois.

The canyon, stream, lakes and forests of Matthiessen State Park host white-tailed deer, foxes, and a rich community of birds, with the cool, moist gorge sheltering amphibians and the woodlands and lakes supporting songbirds, woodpeckers and waterfowl, while the stream supports aquatic life. The varied habitat of canyon, stream, lake and forest supports diverse wildlife. The park is a pleasant place for wildlife watching and birding in north-central Illinois, its quieter canyons offering peaceful encounters with the area’s nature.

Matthiessen State Park protects cool, moist sandstone canyons that, like those at nearby Starved Rock, shelter ferns, mosses and relict plants more typical of northern climates, surviving in the shaded, humid dells, set within the surrounding forest, streams and lakes. The canyon’s cool microclimate, the seasonal waterfalls and the varied habitats support diverse and uncommon plant and animal life. Protecting the fragile canyon habitats, the stream’s water quality and the forest sustains both the ecology and the scenic beauty of this Illinois canyon park.

Matthiessen State Park, with its scenic dells, waterfalls and historic bridges, holds a cherished place as a beautiful and quieter companion to famous Starved Rock, born of the philanthropic vision of industrialist Frederick William Matthiessen, who created the park for public enjoyment. Long treasured by hikers seeking the beauty of the canyon country with fewer crowds, Matthiessen embodies both the natural charm of Illinois’s sandstone gorges and a legacy of early conservation and public-spirited generosity in north-central Illinois.

Matthiessen State Park is in north-central Illinois near Utica and Oglesby, just south of Starved Rock State Park, off State Route 178 and State Route 71, about 95 miles southwest of Chicago. The park is free to enter. It offers parking, canyon rim and gorge trailheads, bridges and stairways through the Dells, horseback and mountain-bike trails, and picnic areas. The gorge trails are rugged in places. Check the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for trail conditions and access before visiting.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources protects the dells, canyons, streams, lakes, waterfalls and forests of Matthiessen State Park. Visitors help by staying on the designated trails and stairways (off-trail travel erodes the fragile sandstone and tramples rare plants), keeping back from cliff edges and the tops of waterfalls, packing out everything, protecting the stream’s water quality, respecting wildlife, and treating the historic bridges with care. Protecting the fragile canyon habitats and the gorge sustains both the ecology and the scenic beauty of this beloved Illinois park.

Matthiessen’s canyon has steep cliffs and slippery sandstone, especially when wet or icy — stay on the designated trails, stairways and bridges, keep back from cliff edges and the tops of waterfalls, and supervise children closely, as falls into the gorge can be serious. The streambed routes can be wet and slick; wear sturdy footwear, expect to get your feet wet, and take care, especially in winter ice. Do not climb on the cliffs or the falls, and heed all warnings and barriers in the gorge.

The park is free to enter; stay on designated trails, stairways and bridges and back from cliff edges and waterfall tops. Climbing on the cliffs and going off-trail are prohibited to protect the fragile sandstone and for safety. Respect trail-use designations for horseback and mountain-bike trails. Pets must be leashed. Drones generally require authorization. Collecting is prohibited. Pack out all trash. Check the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for current rules and conditions before visiting.

Neighboring Starved Rock State Park, Illinois’s most famous, lies just to the north, with the towns of Utica and Oglesby, the Illinois and Vermilion rivers, the I&M Canal and Buffalo Rock State Park nearby. Chicago is about 95 miles northeast. Matthiessen and Starved Rock together anchor the scenic canyon country of north-central Illinois, and Matthiessen offers a quieter, beautiful complement to its famous neighbor on an outdoor getaway of dells, canyons and waterfalls.

Visit Matthiessen for a quieter, beautiful canyon experience near busy Starved Rock — hike the rim trail and descend into the Dells gorge to see Cascade Falls and Lake Falls, best after spring rain or snowmelt. Wear sturdy footwear (your feet may get wet in the streambed), stay on the trails and bridges and back from the cliff edges, and take care on the slippery sandstone, especially in winter. Pair Matthiessen with neighboring Starved Rock for a full day in Illinois’s canyon country.