As the clean-up continues after the long flood on the Illinois River, more things open at public sites.
Here is the update from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on the Starved Rock area sites, including Matthiessen State Park (file photo above).
STARVED ROCK STATE PARK UPDATE – July 31, 2015 Following flood cleanup, the main parking lot at the Starved Rock State Park Visitor Center is now OPEN. The picnic area and boat ramp at Starved Rock remain CLOSED due to flood damage. Park staff will begin the cleanup process for the boat ramp and west picnic area on Monday, August 3. ALL hiking trails at Starved Rock State Park are OPEN. The Starved Rock Visitor Center is OPEN with normal business hours of 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The Starved Rock Lodge is also OPEN with normal business hours. Matthiessen State Park multi-use trails, equestrian campground, equestrian parking area, and the lower trail into Cascade Falls are now OPEN. Park officials are urging picnickers to utilize other area state parks in the area such as Matthiessen State Park (2 miles south on Rt. 178), Buffalo Rock State Park (7 miles east on Dee Bennett Road), and Illini State Park (20 miles east on I-80).
