Has anyone ever been to Starved Rock State Park in Illinois? Any suggestions on times of day of times of the year to go?
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Jayhawk,
I have been there several times. It's about as "far out" as one can get if you live in the Chicago area. The best time of the year to go depends greatly on the type of photographs you wish to take.
I find the hours of sunrise to around 2pm are the best in terms of light. The park is broken up into 4 sections with 3 parking areas running along the Illinois River from Utica to Ottawa. Get there early before the families with screaming kids and you'll be fine.
January through end of February is spectacular for photographing the bald eagles which nest in the islands in the middle of the Illinois River. You need at minimum a 400mm lens to get close enough, but to watch these animals fish is simply amazing.
After the thaw happens, sometime in March or early April, the canyons start to come alive with more color than in winter. The streams which were once frozen have melted and the snowmelt creates cascading falls in many of the canyons.
The fall is also a great time to go as the colors in the canyons and along the river are spectacular. The orange and yellow tones in the sandstone along with the deep green pines and red and gold deciduous trees create a wonderful color palette.
There is also Mathiessen State Park just South of Starved Rock, which offers several impressive canyons and a "less traversed" feel than Starved Rock.
Hope this helps!
Tim
