Starved Rock State Park is a great place for hiking and camping. It is a beautiful park located along the Illinois River.  Our favorite time of the year to visit has been the fall, you can get down in the canyons and really explore. Plus the changing colors of the leaves makes it more beautiful. I have heard in the spring, the water is flowing and you can see waterfalls and during winter some waterfalls freeze over. Every year varies depending on weather, always check the Starved Rock website for up-to-date information.

When visiting Starved Rock, there is another park very close, Matthiessen State Park. It is definitely worth the visit. Depending on the time of year, you can hike down into the canyons and explore the beautiful rock formations. Make sure to visit their webpage to get the most up-to-date information.

Staying at Starved Rock
There are many campsites that are wooded with privacy and definitely many that are big enough for our 40 foot 5th wheel. If camping isn't your thing, there are also options for cabins or lodge/hotel options as well. Visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website for camping reservations.

Hiking
If you enjoy hiking, this is a great place. There are lots of hiking trails and big canyons to explore. 
Starved Rock State Park trail map

Paradise Springs is natural spring that has a rich history. This trail is only about 1/2 mile. The reflection off of the pond is breathtaking. The water temperature remains at about 48 degrees year round. The water in the pond is crystal clear and you will see trout swimming. No dogs are allowed at this site. 

Nelson Dewey State Park is a small park with nice wooded campsites. There are not a lot of trails, so if hiking is your jam you may want to pick a different state park. The hikes we did complete gave us nice views of the Wisconsin River and Mississippi River. This campground also offers some secluded walk in campsites for tent camping. 

If you enjoy visiting state parks, you could definitely visit both Nelson Dewey and Wyalusing State Park on the same trip. Wyalusing is about 35 minutes north of Nelson Dewey along the Mississippi River. It is definitely worth the drive and a great option if you can't find camping at one or the other. Wyalusing offers camping and hiking trails as well. 

We recently decided we want to pursue visiting all the Wisconsin State Parks. I found a WI State Park map checklist on Etsy that is a great way to keep track.

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Wyalusing State Park is a beautiful park along the Mississippi River. They have camping as well has hiking trails. The campground has nice wooded sites, along with a few with some spectacular views of the river. None of the sites are actually on the water, but have an overlook.

Hiking
​We were able to hike a few trails; Sand Cave Trail, Old Immigrant Trail, and Bluff Trail. Dogs were allowed to use these trails. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed on the Sugar Maple Trail, so we had to skip that one. We saw some really gorgeous views and the kids loved exploring the bat cave.

Near by Parks
Near by parks include Nelson Dewey, which is 35 minutes south. Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa is a 30 minute drive across the river. Pikes Peak is a great location for camping and hiking as well. 

Camping
This past Labor Day weekend we decided to check off another state on the map! We were able to find a short notice campsite at a county park in Iowa called Heritage Pond Campground near Dubuque. The campground is right along the Heritage Bike Trail, which is very convenient. There is also a pond on the property for fishing. The sites are not very private and no trees. We definitely prefer campgrounds that have more secluded sites. Regardless, we were happy to find a spot with such short notice. We found many activities to do in the area, so we didn't spend a lot of time at the campsite anyway.
Biking
​Saturday we spent the day biking along the Heritage Bike Trail. It was very well maintained and we were really impressed at how nice of a ride it was. It is definitely a bike trail for all levels. Since the trail used to be an old railroad track, it was nearly flat the entire ride. Part of the trail was next to a river which was very peaceful and beautiful. We rode 20 miles with lots of breaks for snacks and pictures. We definitely lucked out with the weather, it was in the 70's and perfect riding weather.
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Horseshoe Bluff Nature Trail
This short little hike near Dubuque gives great views of the cliffs and river. Dogs are allowed on the trail as well. Its a little steep getting up to the overlook, but definitely worth the views.

Pikes Peak State Park
Sunday brought some morning storms which made it very humid during the day. We drove up to Pikes Peak State Park to explore. It was about an hour away. Pikes Peak offers great views of the Mississippi River. We hiked the Bridal Veil Falls Trail which connected up to a couple other trails, even though we combined a few trails it was still very short maybe 1.5 miles total. The falls were a little crowded so we just continued on the trail to avoid the crowds. It was just a small waterfall even though it rained the night before. We then hiked the Point Ann Trail. We had to drive to a different parking lot to connect with the trailhead. Point Ann was another short trail, but had a great view on the top of the Mississippi River. We were not very impressed with the amount of options for trails, but the wooded sections on the Bridal Veil Falls Trail was pretty and I was impressed with the nice boardwalk they had built. There is also a campground in Pikes Peak, if you were looking for a weekend trip.

Fishing
The boys tried their luck at fishing in the pond at our campground on Sunday night and Monday morning. They had no luck. They used worms, but the fish were not biting. The website says it is good fishing and some locals told us you can catch a lot of fish, but no luck here. I'm sure there are fish in the pond since we could see them jumping, but we must not have found the right bait.