One of my bucket list items has always been seeing a frozen waterfall. Well, this year I decided to go for it! The Girl Camper group was having an annual brunch and hike at Starved Rock State Park near Utica, Illinois, so I decided to take a drive up for the weekend. Since this trip was kind of a spur of the moment, there weren’t any rooms left at the lodge, so I opted for a hotel in a nearby town.

Knowing that it was also Eagle Watching Weekend at the park, I woke up early and headed to lower canyons along Route 71. I had the trail to myself, so I took some time to explore. I first set up my tripod and snapped a couple of pictures inside Council Overhang. It’s just so massive! 

Next, I went to Ottawa Canyon. This is probably one of my favorites. I love the wall of the canyon and how the ice had started to form at the top.

Then I continued on to Kaskaskia Canyon. I think in my last post I said this canyon is moody, and I still think it is! Ha! 

I decided to leave the lower canyons and head to the parking lot for St. Louis Canyon off of Route 178. This is by far one of the most popular hikes, and it was starting to get busy. This was my first full ice fall! Top to bottom, it was frozen! You could even peek around the back! 

Hoping to dodge some of the crows, I headed to Matthiessen State Park, which is only a few minutes from Starved Rock. I first hiked the upper dells, and there were a few precarious spots along the trail! 

The creek was less frozen than at Starved Rock, so you had to find the right path. While hiking on the snow and ice, I highly recommend getting some YakTrax. They secure to the bottom of your shoes and provide additional grip. 

I met a really nice lady while hiking here and she showed me a hidden area that I had never been to before. (On the off chance that you see this post, THANK YOU!) There were two frozen waterfalls! 

I continued on to the end of the trail to see the big falls!

From here I decided to hike the lower dells as well.  This waterfall was also frozen! 

After Matthiessen, I headed into Utica and had lunch at Bruce & Ollie’s, which I highly recommend, and then stopped by the Visitors Center to check out all the neat souvenirs.

I then went back to the lodge and hung out for a bit and just relaxed. It’s such a pretty lodge and was built by the CCC.

After my short break, I headed down the stairs behind the lodge and up to the top of Starved Rock. I loved seeing the icy waters of the Illinois River.

From here, I decided to make a large loop starting with French Canyon. This canyon was very icy and a bit precarious to get into, but it is one of my favorites. I actually saw someone fall coming out of it, so that is where my YakTrax on my shoes came in really handy. I did sit on my butt and slide down the ice on my way out! 

I finished my day by stopping at Wildcat Canyon. The stairs to get to the bottom of this canyon are A LOT but totally worth it. This was by far the busiest canyon, but I was able to snap a few pictures and head back.

The next day, I met up with the Girl Camper group for a delicious brunch at the lodge and then headed home. 

All in all, this was such an amazing trip. While it was cold, it was so worth bundling up and hitting the trails. The beauty was different but absolutely breathtaking. I really enjoyed winter hiking and hope to do more next year!