LaSalle County…it’s scenic, friendly, and brimming with all sorts of fun things to do. In fact, it’s a favorite getaway for families, fishermen, climbers, campers, cyclists, cross-country skiers and history buffs alike!
It boasts four state parks, fish and wildlife areas and offers endless opportunities for a perfect day trip or weekend getaway, even on a limited budget.
So what are you waiting for? Come and join us!
State Parks
Starved Rock State Park
GPS address: 2668 875th Road, Oglesby
Route 178, Utica
www.starvedrockstatepark.org
Matthiessen State Park
RT 178, Utica
View Website
Buffalo Rock State Park
1300 North 27th Road, Ottawa
View Website
Illini State Park
2660 E 2450 Road, Marseilles
View Website
State Trail
Rivaling the beauty of LaSalle County’s State Parks is a 96-mile state trail offering views for nature lovers, information for history buffs and action for sportsmen.
Illinois and Michigan Canal Towpath
Canal Corridor Association
754 First Street, LaSalle
(815) 220-1848
www.canalcor.org
Other parks of interest
Lake Kakusha
Route 251
Mendota
Shelter, trails, non-motor boat and pier fishing.
Snyder’s Grove
East 4th Road
Mendota
104-acre nature preserve with hiking trails, shelters, restrooms, picnic area, and playground.
Allen Park
Hitt Street
Ottawa
Picnic shelters, boat launch, playground, restrooms, an extensive walking trail and a wonderful collection of outdoor sculpture.
Catlin County Park
2560 E 1251 Road
Ottawa
A 333-acre park hosts 14 district trails plus numerous connector trails which course through the park’s habitat, past various streams and ponds. The horse trails are recognized as some of the best in the central area.
Hopalong Cassidy River Trail & Canoe Launch
West Main Street, Route 18
Streator
This 0.5 mile trail parallels the swift-flowing water of the Vermilion River. Visitors can follow this trail through urban forest of mulberry, hackberry, oak and maple. Blue jays, chickadees, and woodpeckers flit in and out of the riparian trees as butterflies and dragonflies frolic along the trail’s sunnier stretches.
Spring Lake Nature Area
1413 E 16th Road
Streator
This 37.2 acres of natural land is owned by the City of Streator. The contains two creeks, a sandstone formation, waterfall, and a trail system. A towering cottonwood tree is arguable one of the largest in the state, well over 200 years old.
Mitchell Grove Nature Preserve
East 5th Road
Utica
This 184-acre wooded site was donated to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. From a geologic standpoint, Mitchell’s Grove was right in the middle of heavy glacial action, especially during the last of the Pleistocene’s glaciation events. Small as it is, the site contains evidence of glacial gouging, glacial till deposition, and boulder from as far north as Canada.
Sandy Ford Conservation Area
Leonore Road, Streator
This 200-acre park is located on the east bank of the Vermilion River, possesses 2 creeks, a floodplain forest, dry bluff land forest, hill prairies and sandstone cliffs.
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