OGLESBY, Illinois- There's something for everyone to enjoy at Starved Rock State Park.
"I think to get a good picture of the lay of the land, you need to see [the park] from its hightest point and its lowest points," Starved Rock Lodge & Conference Center Marketing Director Kathy Casstevens told us Monday, May 21 on our Good Morning Quad Cities Road Trip, sponsored by Shabbona Creek RV. For full coverage of our trip, click here.
The park is just an hour and a half east of the Quad Cities. The lodge, inside of the park, has a pool and great hall for people to enjoy. The park has 18 canyons for people to enjoy too.
Casstevens showed us many things you can do both inside and outside of the lodge Monday, May 21 and Tuesday, May 22. One of the things to do outside of the lodge is take the Eagle 1 River Cruise.
"It's one of the most scenic and beautiful areas in the whole state here," cruise owner Randy Malcom said Monday.
The cruise travels along the Illinois River. Malcom took us west along the river Monday, filled with branches, birds, and often times Asian carp. Fortunately on our cruise Monday, no carp made it into the boat, and even though it was rainy, people on the river say, it's just nice to be outside.
"It gets you off of where there's lots and lots of people and just gives you a great opportunity to link up with the resources," LaSalle County resident Julie McDonald said.
She adds the cruise is a great way to explore the size of the park, see many of its more than 3,000 acres, and also learn about its unique history.
Legend has it two Indian tribes fought on the land back in the 1760's. One thought the other killed its tribal chief and in retaliation, chased that tribe to the top of the rock, and then starved them to death, hints the name Starved Rock.