Chicago

Starved Rock State Park has highest-ever attendance in 2014

By Craig Newman

Wintering bald eagles, like this one spotted in January of 2006, can be found soaring over Starved Rock State Park now. | Sun-Times files

UTICA — New data show Starved Rock State Park had its highest-ever attendance in 2014.

The (LaSalle) News-Tribune reports the northern Illinois state park had 2.3 million visitors last year. That breaks the previous high by more than 100,000 visitors.

It was an unlikely year for the park to mark the milestone. A storm had closed trails for a month.

Nearby, Matthiessen State Park recorded its best attendance year since 2003. The park finished 2014 with nearly 380,000 visitors. That’s a 53 percent increase over 2013.

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