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Matthiessen State Park

4.4 (108 reviews)
Closed 7:00 am - 5:00 pm

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Less built up entrance.
MaryAnn B.

Great walk in the woods. We entered at the River entrance. Very wild, narrow trail, rough. Markings there bit either away or return. The Dells entrance a bit more accessible and welcoming.

Once in the canyon
Dave C.

Great for seeing and descending into a canyon with stairs and a rail where you can feel away from it all - in a canyon with lots of walkways, rock formations, and little overhangs. Many people show pictures of waterfalls. Going at the end of August - there are no waterfalls. I'll post what I saw in photos.

John M.

A nice state park located in Oglesby Illinois with many gravel trails and a beautiful canyon. Located just a few miles south of Starved Rock State Park. Expect to see beautiful rock formations in addition to wildlife and an abundance nof vegetation. Parking will be limited on weekends but they do have overflow lots. Bathroom facilities are available.

Heading done to the river
John M.

This is a very interesting park, just south of Starve Rock Park, along the Vermillion River. There are plenty of trails for hiking as well as a section for shooting (we did not venture into that part of the park). Additionally there are also trails for horseback riding and biking. Would have given the park five stars but for the poor trail signage.

Joshua D.

Review Visit: August 26th, 2015 Located just a stone's throw away from Starved Rock State Park, this state park is pretty. Pretty ravine, pretty relaxing, pretty views, pretty waterfall. Overshadowed by nearby Starved Rock State Park, don't let this one slip under the radar. It is a less popular destination for your average hiker, but should be be on every Illinoisian's list. Actually, you could stay at a local lodge and hike both Matthiessen and Starved Rock over a weekend. Matthiessen offers quite a few trails to walk and none are really a challenge. The trails are well-worn and laid out, so you can easily follow them. There are stairs that lead down to the 'ravine' area where you are staring up at ~50′ rock walls. Around the perimeter, there are horse-riding trails. I may or may not have gotten turned around and walked the horse trails for awhile until I was able to find the park entrance and hop back on the trails. If you have every seen anyone standing in front of a waterfall while hiking, and they are from Illinois, it is probably from here. I even got my photo in front of it. It's a bit of a challenge to get to it, but the payoff is a great photo op!

Lower dells!
Morgan A.

IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL. definitely gonna be coming back with my puppy, i met so many friendly people and animals, the trails are amazing, i absolutely was in awh. most go!!!! parking was easy

Michelle A.

Stopped here first after being in the car for 7 hours. I had seen a couple of YouTube videos of people hiking and the Glacier falls looked the best. There are a lot of steps! Walked to falls, and they are a small trickle due to lack of rain. I had hiking boots on and explored the caves. I did need to scoot up on butt to walk back into cave. There was garbage such as a diaper on the ground. Do better people!

Dan G.

When we booked a staycation to explore and hike in the area, we added this park to our plans as an afterthought. It turned out to be the best part of our trip. Simply gorgeous. You'll want good boots for hiking here. The trails wind all around and it was often muddy and slick. There's a completely random staircase with many stairs in the middle of the park. We got caught in a storm down there and had to wait it out under the rocks with the few other hikers we saw that day. Give me a dirty trail and few people over a crowded boardwalk viewpoint any day.

Heather B.

Our first time at the park, the parking lot is really small for the amount of people on the trails. There's a grass lot about 1/4 mile up and we walked down. The kids loved the stairs but climbing them back up is a real pain. We ended up going down to the water at the bottom and didn't realize the stairs to the right led to a smaller area that's not connected to the waterfalls. We tripped and thankfully a Boy Scout wa down there and had bandages. Really slippery. A lot of parents bringing babies, which I thought was personally a poor choice considering. Definitely wear shoes that you don't care if they get dirty. My Birkenstocks are not thanking me.

Devil's Paint Box
Steve A.

Big state park but not as big as other nearby parks even. It has a lot to see here, especially in the canyon is where you'll find the prettiest rock formations. Matthiessen State Park is just one of the state parks in and around Oglesby. Good for a few hours. This is near the more popular Starved Rock, so make this part of an extended trip. A lot of natural wonders can be found. It has lots of rock formations, which were carved out in the ice age and are unique for around here. There's also a few waterfalls. Good option for those with not as much time to walk around. This isn't as big as Starved Rock, but still packs in a lot. For sure see the main attractions. Strawberry Rock is a large rock along the trail. It's shaped like a strawberry, of course. There's a few waterfalls. Devil's Paint Box is a little opening in the rocks with a small waterfall trickling in. The larger waterfalls are further along the trail. Cascade Falls is pretty nice. This is at the end of the first part of the inner trail. Also check out Giant's Bathtub. This is a rock formation with water cascading down it. Lake Falls is up near the dam. These are the waterfalls coming off the big lake. Give yourself about a couple hours. It doesn't take a real long time to see it. This is a good side trip from Starved Rock, where you can then go see more nature and stuff.

Nina H.

COVID has ruined lots of travel plans for folks these days and it has limited us to staying within our state borders. I planned to visit a park in autumn to watch the leaves change color. We went the second week in October and the trees displayed patchy foliage. If we waited towards the end of the month, the color change would've shown at peak display. Regardless, we had an amazing time. We spent 3 hours primarily in the Dells portion of the park. The entire Dells trail is roughly 3 miles. We took our time enjoying the scenery, taking pictures and in the end got a decent workout. We started off walking through the tree lined path of the Lower dells. If you have a good camera, the Upper Dells has picture worthy canyons and waterfalls. The Upper Dells, depending on the weather, may have waterfalls. We went during a dry week so the waterfalls had weak streams. It's best to come a day or two after a heavy rain. The only downside with that is walking through a muddy trail. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes like hiking boots because both Upper and Lower Dells have moderate to steep inclines. There's lots of stairs so make sure you're up for it. Benches are present when you descend/ascend from the stair entrance however it would've been nice to see more lining the trail path. The Dells trail is for moderate skill level hikers. Due to all the inclines and stairs, this trail can definitely test your cardio, especially if you're elderly and/or not an active person. My husband and I brought a few snacks and a backpack full of fluids to keep us hydrated. Packing these items is a necessity on your hike in addition to having on hand wet wipes and toilet paper. Bathroom availability was another concern. The only restroom was at the main entrance so if you're deep within the trail and nature calls, you're pretty much SOL and will need to hold it. I've gone to both Starved Rock and Mathiessen and between the two; I would encourage going to Starved Rock first and then visit Mathiessen. Starved Rock is a larger park and tends to draw in big crowds. Mathiessen is small and private, however crowd size could change if word of mouth spreads. If you do plan to visit, come early in the morning before 10am and if you can swing it, come on a weekday to avoid crowds. Weekends can get busy no matter what time of the year you go. If you arrive after 10, you will find yourself waiting for a spot. A majority of visitors took COVID precautions, maintained a safe social distance and wore masks which was greatly appreciated. My husband found an empty plastic water bottle on the ground. Later he would remark to me he was impressed that it was the only water bottle or trash we encountered during our trip. Overall we had a wonderful time and it was a memorable day trip.

Fort
Steve N.

This natural wonder is hidden behind a farmers field from the main road . Parking can be tricky in the main lot . There are two additional lots that require walking on the road as there are no sidewalks getting to the trail head . Wear proper foot wear that you don't mind getting wet and muddy . The upper delle has natural stepping stones and man made flat steppers that have shifted and tilted . That's your first opportunity to fall in the water . The lower delle is where the waterfall is accessible . Stepping stones and a muddy log crossing leads to a beautiful high walled water oasis . Rocky ground and dirt bank trail . People claim there area for pleasant recreation . The water is about waist high and some of the walls can be explored . Just a notice that there are lots of wood stairs going down from main trail , coming back up was fun and requires a little extra exertion .

Entrance
sarah t.

Awesome state park. A lot easier to navigate than Starved Rock. Lots of stairs. Beautiful scenery.

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1 year ago

Excellent place to hike. Trails were well marked and maintained. Not as big or as busy as Starved Rock State Park.

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4 years ago

Absolutely beautiful and less crowded than starved rock. This is a must visit state park!

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Ask the Community - Matthiessen State Park

My husband has a hard time walking. Is there a way to see the falls without taking a hike?

The stairs are an impediment. Walking down 150 steps is not as bad as walking up. You'll be grateful for the benches on the way back up. Once you are down the stairs, you can see the waterfall from the bridge, which may be slippery and muddy after… Read more

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Our plan was to go to Starved Rock and at a whim, we decided to try this as we have never visited this place.

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Matthiessen State Park - parks - Updated July 2026

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