Jase on one of the new wooden trails going toward Wildcat canyon

At this point, I'd like to make a comment about these 'wooden' trails recently installed at Starved Rock State Park.

Numerous locations throughout Starved Rock State Park, including the top of Starved Rock itself, have had these 'wooden' trails and overlook 'decks' recently installed. The most recent (and still under construction) is Eagle Cliff. The park guides say the main reason for these being erosion control. These trails through dense woods with pristine scenery were undescribable in the past. With these wooden trails installed, there are so many overtones of the commercialized, Disney theme park type atmosphere. The old original trails right over mother earth itself lent an atmosphere of pure nature. The original trails can still be seen underneath the new wooden ones. One as familiar with the park as I am can still see the remains of old trails heading off into the woods elsewhere or going around the edge of the canyons. As a child, I still remember some of the main trails that practically climbed up the side of the canyon walls. That was a wonderful nature experience to negotiate those trails and enjoy the ultimate hike. The top of Starved Rock itself was, well, just a rock as Eagle Cliff still is but won't be for very long. There was a little stone wall about a foot and a half high surrounding the flagstaff in the middle of 'The Rock'. Now, one can barely see 'The Rock' itself. It is all grown up in trees and shrubs and the boardwalk covers the rest of it. The stone wall is barely visible through the weeds. Climbing to the top of the rock was a truely enjoyable experience too. Soon, Eagle Cliff will be the same. As it was last summer, Eagle cliff was a place where one could enjoy a natural, unobstructed view of the river and surrounding woods or just sit on the natural rock. By this summer, Eagle Cliff will be barely recognizable. The natural beauty of Eagle Cliff will be covered over with a wooden deck. How sad it is to see this happen.

Wild turkeys can be seen throughout the park	Many beautiful wildflowers can be seen on the trail

The dam as seen from the trail to Eagle Cliff	The dam from Lover's Leap

A snowcovered trail through the woods	A snowman built on one of the remote trails by Pontiac canyon

An old stone bridge crossing the creek out of Wildcat canyon	The sign now blocking an old trail going up to Eagle Cliff

If anybody knows what kind this is, please email me	You can even get reasonably close to the deer that roam the park

A trail in St. Louis Canyon	One of the river trails near Sandstone Point