191. Visit Starved Rock State Park

 When planning girls weekend, I really wanted to go to Starved Rock State Park in Central Illinois. I know it is something the hubby won't enjoy and it was on the original bucket list. Since Stacy wanted to go to Rockford, it was an easy trek to Oglesby to cross of Starved Rock.

Starved Rock State Park is located near Oglesby, IL which isn't too far off I39. It is open year round and can get busy during certain times of the year. The trails are open 7 am to Sunset and the visitor center is open 9-4 daily with the exception of federal holidays. There is no admission fee to visit Starved Rock or any of the Illinois State Parks.

Advice I got from Facebook was to get there early as the parking lot fills up quick. There is on main lot by visitor center and a couple other smaller out lots. We got there by 10 and had no issue finding a parking spot. 

Our first stop was the visitor center. I ended up getting another passport which can be used at State or National Parks. We also figured out what trails we wanted to hike. With a 6 year old in tow, we had to keep it fairly simple. They do not have paper maps. You can take a picture of the map or scan a QR code to get the map. I just used the one from the website.

Our first hike took us to Starved Rock Overlook. There were hills and stairs. Foolishly I thought the hubby could have handled this trail the other year when we were coming back from St. Louis. He does not do well with stairs. The views were pretty spectacular. We did not see the eagles nest but did learn about some buffalo at another near by state park. This trail is about .6 round trip. Despite the stairs it is a fairly easy trail.

From there, I wanted I to see water falls and we decided to head to French Canyon. I actually really liked this trail. It was a more hiking than walking. There were a few stairs and you had to let people pass coming from the other direction before you could go. Unfortunately due to the dry summer we had, there was no water falls. You could easily tell where it would be though. It was fun scrambling along the rocky trail. 

We tried to head to another waterfall but after climbing 100+ steps and walking past the (very nice) lodge, we found the waterfall area but like French Canyon it was also dry. 

From there we decided we had enough hiking and we need more on the agenda. So we headed back to the car. Going down was a lot easier than up all those stairs. The trail we took back to the car was very diverse. At one point we crossed a grassy field and hoped we were on the path. We were and ended in the parking lot.

We both enjoyed Starved Rock but there isn't much else to do in the area. We could see a day trip but unless we wanted to hike a lot of the same trails, it is not worth it for the weekend. I am glad we were close enough to go chasing waterfalls and did not plan an entire weekend in the La Salle area. It is still worth checking out if you are in the area even if the waterfalls are dry. 

4995. Go to the Paine Woodland in Oshkosh

 Stacy asked if I wanted to see the Nature of Light Exhibit at the Paine. Of course I did. We made plans, COVID rescheduled those plans. Before meeting up to see the exhibit, we met for dinner. Then we had over an hour to kill before our admission time. 

As we walked over to the giant rock that I discovered last year, we found something even better... a hidden woodland. It turns out it is the Paine Woodland and is part of the Paine Property even if it is across the street.

The Paine Woodland is a small wooded area that features plants that are native to Woodland Wisconsin.

There is short path through this woodland which opens to a grassy area that has a tree with a branch perfect for sitting on. Okay so it was not as easy to sit on as it looked like.

There is also a nice grassy hill that is great for rolling down. It's been years since I rolled down a hill. It's still fun and dizzying. I did it once and let the kids to do it over and over.

The Paine Woodland is nice sanctuary in the middle of Oshkosh and if you are visiting the Paine take a stroll through the Woodlands across the street.

5064. Go to Ellison Bluff Natural Area in Ellison Bay

 Since I don't have a state park pass, I was looking into various county parks in Door County since I saw posts about them while surfing Pinterest. One of the ones that caught my eye was Ellison Bluff Natural Area. It said to have great views of the bay side and wasn't overly crowded.

After driving around some trees in the middle of the road, we came to the park. 

Parking was park wherever you find a spot big enough for your car. There was a tiny parking lot and then random parking on grass and sides of the road, literally where ever you could fit your car.

Because Stacy's daughter was napping, her son and I checked out the park. The views were stunning.

There is a little catwalk that you can walk out over the bluff. It is only wide enough for a person and probably would fit about 5 or so people on it. 

We did not get a chance to explore the trails since the little one was sleeping. Maybe next time. 

I will definitely be back here. It is small but it looks like there is plenty of opportunity to explore and there is minimal people. And unlike, Door Bluff Headlands County Park the trails don't seem like they want to trip me from the get go. It is not as rugged.