Matthiessen State Park
Upper and Lower Dells, mineral-stained walls, a small lake, prairie, and bluff-top paths create a more intimate canyon experience than nearby Starved Rock.
Artwork inspired by Alfred Caldwell
A narrow stream cuts the mile-long Matthiessen canyon into Upper and Lower Dells, dropping at Cascade Falls and exposing colored sandstone, seep lines, mosses, liverworts, and engineered remnants from the property’s private-park era. The canyon floor changes after storms, so the visit is an encounter with active erosion rather than fixed scenery.
Use the Dells entrance for the classic canyon loop and the separate Vermilion River area for multi-use routes; they are not interchangeable trailheads. Interior paths can close suddenly when water rises, and summer weekends frequently fill the lot. Stay on marked routes—shortcuts accelerate erosion and can place hikers above unprotected drops.
- Hiking trails
- About 5 miles
- Main feature
- Upper + Lower Dells
- Open
- 7 a.m.–sunset
Quick guide
- Choose the right entrance
- The Dells area serves canyon hiking; the Vermilion River area holds separate multi-use routes.
- Watch the water
- Rain can animate falls but also make stairs, stream crossings, and the canyon interior unsafe or closed.
How to make Matthiessen State Park count
- Choose the right entrance
- The Dells area serves canyon hiking; the Vermilion River area holds separate multi-use routes.
- Watch the water
- Rain can animate falls but also make stairs, stream crossings, and the canyon interior unsafe or closed.
- Read the stains
- Minerals, seeps, moss, and wet sandstone reveal how water moves through the walls.
- Protect the edge
- Stay on designated paths near fragile vegetation and abrupt, sometimes unguarded drops.
Good to know
Open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset. Dells access can close after flooding or storm damage, and parking gates may close when lots reach capacity. Free lots serve the Dells and Vermilion River areas but often close when full on busy weekends. There is no safe roadside overflow.
Notice these
- Cascade Falls
- Lower Dells
- Mineral-stained sandstone