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    Illini State Park

    3.3 (18 reviews)

    Illini State Park Photos

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    CP'S Ice cream.      Cookie Monster
    Frank R.

    Nice State park , kept clean and nice walking trails and campground areas also a nice little ice cream shop

    One of the bathrooms in the Great Falls Loop
    Ashley M.

    This is a great state parking for camping. We chose Illini State Park because all of the campsites at Starved Rock were booked for the weekend we wanted to go and there were some pretty negative reviews for Starved Rock. We reserved our campsite through ReserveAmerica and I was able to choose which campsites I wanted based on a map. The thing to know is that when you arrive at the grounds there really isn't an area to check in. You basically go and find your campsite and start setting up. There is a campground host that drives around and will check your reservation. The girls at the concession stand were very helpful so if you have any questions go ahead and ask them. The host was a little blunt when asking me if I was in the right place and if I had a reservation. Luckily I had the reservation email on my phone and was able to assure him that we were on the correct campsites. It took him a few minutes but he found our reservations. We saw him driving around a little bit through the day but he didn't seem to be around at night. We were a group of people in our late 20s so we did bring some alcohol into the park even though it is prohibited. We kept everything in cans and cleaned up after ourselves. We kept our volume down to a reasonable level and were respectful of other people and no one bothered us. There are two main loops of campsites that you can choose at Illini State Park. We stayed in the Great Falls Loop. All of the reviews I read said to stay on the sites that are right next to the river. As you can imagine they fill up pretty quickly so I was forced to choose a couple other sites. I chose site 24 and 26 and in my opinion these are the 2 best sites in the Great Falls loop. After walking around the park you can see that some sites are extremely small and are really best for people with RV's. They were able to park their RV and have a picnic table in the amount of space they were allotted. Other campsites are in more wooded areas but they are forced to set up their tents on gravel rather than grass. We had a very large area for 2 campsites that was sandwiched between 2 areas with trees and shrubbery. On one side of the shrubbery is the path leading through the ground and on the other side is a large field and concession stand. The only negative to this site is that they children's playground isn't very far away so you can hear them playing early in the morning. This wasn't a problem for us because we are early risers but might be for others. This is a fairly small campground with not too much to do. It is nice to camp here and then drive over to starved rock or one of the other parks in the area. Just a warning that almost everything at Starved Rock is closed this year due to a storm they had in June. We were able to find another park in the area to explore. You have to search for a good area to go fishing at the park. The sites near the lake are fine but barges come through pretty often and create really large wakes. We also made our way over towards the boat launch but with all the boats coming and going there were a lot of wakes there as well. There is a nice playground for the children and there is a ton of open space to bring your own games to play. While we were there we saw a large group of turkeys and some beavers by the boat launch. The reason I gave this park 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the bathrooms. While the bathrooms are small, there are quite a few if you are willing to walk and they were all very clean. I didn't even really see any bugs in them. The problem is that the water has a very heavy rotten egg smell which isn't terrible when just using the bathroom. The issue becomes when you want to take a shower. We only stayed here for a couple of days so it wasn't a big deal. I did take a shower but I would not put my head under the water. Also the showers are on a short timer (you have to push the button every minute or so) which makes it really difficult to wash long hair if you do want to stick your head in smelly water. The girls bathroom near our campsite only had to shower stalls but I was able to get in right away when I took a shower. Overall, this campground was very affordable ($25 for 2 nights) and we enjoyed ourselves immensely! The park is extremely dog friendly and everyone's dogs were very well behaved! We will be coming back in the future.

    Primitive site

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The bathrooms were filthy! Garbage laying around. No excuse for this. Otherwise not bad!

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    4 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

    We love launching our boat at Illini! The ramp and piers are easy to launch at. The parking is close. Restrooms are available.

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    10 years ago

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    13 years ago

    Great place! 20 years comming and all were good times. Marseilles is a rocking town and the people are real friendly.

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    9 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    12 years ago

    Stayed there last weekend. Host was very nice and camping and boating were great. Highly recommended.

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    Review Highlights - Illini State Park

    The host was a little blunt when asking me if I was in the right place and if I had a reservation.

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    Washington Park - Statues

    Washington Park

    4.5(6 reviews)
    7.1 mi

    Good sized park in the middle of downtown Ottawa that has a lot of history about it. If you didn't…read moreknow Lincoln was here, you know now. Washington Park is actually pretty big for being in the middle of town. Has lots of benches to relax on. There's also lots of cool statues. A few important events have occurred here. It's the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate, an important event in the history of politics. There's a mural along the wall of the building across the street. Check out the plaque at the northwest entrance to read more about this event. There's also a monument with statues of the two. Fun place for history buffs. It's been around a long time and was the site of several important events. This park also is nice just for hanging and walking.

    Large park in what I imagine is downtown Ottawa. It's clear that it was once the center of the…read moretown; there are multiple churches across the street and the surrounding blocks; the Masonic Temple is also directly across the street. LaSalle County Courthouse is within a couple blocks, and kiddy-corner from the park is the Illinois appellate court. Across the street the other way is a home of a significant person in Ottawa's past. This park also appears to serve as a memorial to veterans of various wars. There are memorials on each side of the park. In the middle of the park is fountain featuring a statue of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas (boo). Ottawa was the site of the first of the Lincoln Douglas debates (which is something you won't be able to forget whilst you're in this town). Something that is quirky and quaint is that this town seems to be fairly fond of time capsules! There are two of them buried in the park (at least--I only really explored one half of the park). One is set to be opened in 2037, I believe, and another one to be opened in 2058. I'm curious what is in them, of course, though luckily I'll probably forget they exist in a matter of days.

    Photos
    Washington Park - Mural

    Mural

    Washington Park - Park

    Park

    Washington Park

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    The Cliffs Insane Terrain Inc

    The Cliffs Insane Terrain Inc

    4.0(26 reviews)
    3.1 mi

    I personally would not make a reservation with this place for ziplining. All the reviews are spot…read moreon, $300 down the drain. This place will never get another dollar for me ever again. Their trails aren't great either. Can't go 3' without getting stuck. They need to give it up and let this place die. Place has no clue about customer service and maintenance.

    Really great off road park in IL situated on 300 acres. We've been here more than a few times and…read morealways have a blast. If you're lookin to get dirty, this is the place! Whether you have an atv, dirt bike or 4x4, there are trails a plenty for you to get your kicks off or get stuck in. Lots of mud, steep hills, dense trees, creeks, boulders. Really beautiful sights. Some trails are more challenging than others, but they are all challenging. Make sure you have mud tires, cause you will get stuck and what a difference those tires make. A winch would be helpful. Be prepared. Rain boots are a good idea too. There are 4 trails and we usually stay on trails 1 & 3. As other reviews have mentioned, you'll run into parts that are not clearly marked. You may see a sign then a mile out nothing. It's easy to get lost so make a mental note of your turns cause they happen fast. Recently came on a Saturday and trails were super sticky, some drier than others but you'll definately run into muddy groves. Some parts of the creek had lower water levels than others, and boy was that fun to go through and doable with our 4Runner. Most of the trails are wide enough for 4x4's and not just 4 wheelers or bikes. Some parks aren't like this. So basically you can go through just about any trail. Everyone riding is super friendly and courteous and willing to help out should you need it. Surprisingly, we didn't get stuck in mud this time but by trees instead. Trying to get through, we were practically kissing a tree on the passenger side. This was the same time we saw storms coming in and knew we had to head back. This is were it got tricky as we lost sight of signs turn after turn. As luck would have it, it started hailing, lightening and pouring rain. We had to wait it out and called the office for help getting out, so as not to damage our vehicle any more than we did. After about an hour and a half Brad came and saved the day..super cool guy. Just know you can always call the office for help. They will charge you though, and it varies. Anywhere from $40+ depending on your situation. Cash only, fyi. If you're looking for more of a beginners park, I'd head to River Road Valley in McHenry. Much smaller and they have a wash station. Biggest downside of The Cliffs is no wash station. Closest car wash is only a few miles away; Irish Suds and the owner is on premises (for real) looking for people like us because he wants no mud in his stalls. So beware. If you're lucky, he might let you use the diy stalls depending on how much mud you got. But that's really your only nearby option for a wash. They have various events and even zip lining! Atv's are available to rent and Brad even does tours for a fee so you can get a feel for the park, he'll give you lots of pointers too. Check out their website. Never a dull moment here..and yes, you can really F up your vehicle if you don't know what you're doing and/or don't have the right set-up. One of the best off-road parks we found in IL. We always come back.

    Photos
    The Cliffs Insane Terrain Inc - ATV Riding in the Rocky Creek

    ATV Riding in the Rocky Creek

    The Cliffs Insane Terrain Inc - Three Jeeps Enjoying the Trails.

    Three Jeeps Enjoying the Trails.

    The Cliffs Insane Terrain Inc

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    Illini State Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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