Matthiessen State Park

Hiking in Matthiessen State Park | February 2023

On the Monday following our hikes in Starved Rock State Park, we decided to branch out a little and visit another state park near us. Just a little ways Southwest of Starved Rock lies Matthiessen State Park, along the Vermillion River. A lot of the scenery here is honestly similar to Starved Rock, with sandstone cliffs and tall waterfalls, but we didn’t mind, it was someplace new to hike on an afternoon when we had a little extra time.

The Monday that we had to hike here also happened to be President’s Day, so the park was packed with families hiking just like Starved Rock had been each time we visited. It was overwhelming at first, but we managed to find the trails less traveled across the park.

We started by crossing the bridge over Cascade Falls and going South on the Bluff Trail. Most people were walking on the East side of the water, so we were already on our own on this side. The trail also started much less muddy than most trails we had hiked recently which was very much appreciated. However, we decided it was worth facing crowds and muddy trails in order to go down into the canyon and see Cascade Falls. We walked over another bridge and down the stairs. The “trail” was indeed muddy, as was all the land surrounding from people trying to walk around the mud. There were also several water crossings, and we finally gave up at the last one because it was too much to subject Charlotte (and myself) to. Oh well, we could still see the falls, just not up close. The people wearing rain boots had the right idea! We think this area could benefit from a boardwalk to the falls and a viewing deck, just to preserve the land better. That would probably be too much to ask from a free state park though.

It was clear that at some point in time, an effort was made to make SOME sort of sturdy walking path though, because when we took the trail to the top of the falls we found some concrete stepping stones across the creek, but the further we went, the sketchier the rocks got until we decided to turn around.

We made our way back up the stairs and back towards the beginning of our loop. Here we crossed over Cascade Falls again, and this time went North on the Bluff trail. This trail eventually led us down into the canyon once more where we followed the stream again. It included a couple more water crossings, but the waterfall we saw here was my favorite in the whole park. After admiring the falls, we walked up the stairs beside it and continued up the canyon, eventually crossing back to the East side of the water, then followed the Bluff trail back to the parking lot. This entire loop was 2 miles long and was a fun way to experience the park. If you’re interested, check out the AllTrails listing here.

After our hike, we had some more time on our hands so we decided to drive a ways further South to enter a new-to-us county. This added a half hour to our drive back. We made it back to our hotel in time for Curtis to get ready to go back to work