Fall Colors, Bluffs, Canyons & Waterfalls Matthiessen State Park 5, 6, 9.5 miles

Pre or Post Hike breakfast or lunch:
You can stop off at the Burgoo fest in Utica! The burgoo stew will be ready at 9:00am Sunday morning and I plan to get there well before 9 and try some! The lot was not even close to being filled up at 9:00am in 2024 so we should be ok with a later start time.
burgoo stew was gone by the time we finished the hike last year.
https://utica-il.gov/burgoo-festival

Hike Summary:
The end time shows 3:30 but this is assuming all 9 miles. I estimate a 25 minute mile with stops for picture taking.
This hike is cross posted with Trailblazers https://www.meetup.com/chicagoland-trailblazers-hiking-group/events/304019651 and my guest rsvp will include members of that group.

There are a few things I learned about this place after it rains and I learned after our last hike.
(1) It will be very slippery, muddy, and wet in a few areas. Not everywhere, just a few areas. Extra shoes and socks recommended for your trip home just in case.

(2) The waterfalls will be flowing very nicely after a good 1 to 2 inch rain and there are at least 4 or 5 gorgeous falls.

(3) The canyon areas are not all navigable after a rain but we were able to walk thru 2-3 inches of water or over rocks just fine on 10/14 in a few canyons.

(4) There are at least 3 to 4 canyon areas with multiple staircases. Each set of stairs has more than 100 steps down. Be prepared for hundreds and hundreds (800+) if you do the full hike. We found even more stairs during our hike here than I originally knew of.

(5) I needed hiking poles in areas. if you have doubts bring them.

If its been dry there may still be one or two small waterfalls with trickles of water. Still gorgeous. There will be no mud nor slippery trails either.

This is a Leisurely hike.
This is a place to enjoy and we'll explore the lower canyons and Dells leisurely and enjoy scenery. Therefore, allow 30 to 35 minutes per mile for hike time to account for stops here and there and enjoy the awesomeness of this place instead of rushing thru it.

Summary
Its just as nice as Devils Lake (but not as high) and I liked it much more than Starved Rock! This hike starts early because it will be impossible to get a parking spot later in the day.

Shorter Hike Options
I'll show you when we come to that point. You won't get lost because you'll come to the stairs via a well groomed main bluff trail.

Hike Difficulty
There are hundreds of wooden stairs on this hike. If you've been to Starved Rock about that many.
Many of the trails are easy, flat and wide with minor elevation changes. However, the canyon hike involves stepping over slippery surfaces and between boulders.
The current water level is low enough few inches deep so my feet didn't get wet.
Some trails are narrow packed dirt with uneven surfaces. Others have minor elevation changes especially the last 3 miles of the hike.
Trails can be very slippery when going downhill on leaves. I found hiking poles helpful in areas of this hike, especially the last 3.5.

Hike Description
The hike starts from the Dells Canyon parking lot. Go down a steep set of stairs and stop at the first ravine at the bottom of the steps. Cascade Falls is way down below and the smaller of them. Can get a better look at them on the Canyon portion of the hike.

Then visit the famous Matthiessen bridge which is the picture that defines Matthiessen.

They have names for lots of special features, "Giant's Bathtub" Cedar Point and so many more. I loved exploring the lower Dells inside a canyon near Cedar Point!

It was also fun to walk along a bluff with steep drop off on either side.

The hike also next to Lake Matthiessen
(which is about as bright green as I've ever seen). The entire hike is heavily forested and should be at peak color when we go.

We'll start hiking by 10:45. If your running late we are heading down the steps and toward the right on the trail. My cell is 847 757-1230 I can try to describe where we are.