Agencies
Services
- Steamboat 'Coming', April 2, 2023
- 1 p.m. is a medley of songs and stories by Mark Twain, other riverboat pilots, and roustabouts who made the river their home by living history storyteller Brian "Fox" Ellis.
- Capture the Moment, May 7, 2023
- 1 p.m. smartphone photography class with Matthew Klein.
- Goat Yoga! June 4, 2023
- 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. fun with a certified yoga instructor and friendly "kid" goats from Blue Sky Farm.
- Registration is required
- Dave DiNaso's Traveling World of Reptiles, August 6, 2023
- 1 p.m. live animal program featuring reptiles and amphibians from around the world.
- 1 p.m. live animal program featuring reptiles and amphibians from around the world.
- Navigating America's Great Loop, September 3, 2023
- 1 p.m. a 6,000 nautical mile adventure sailing rivers, gulfs, coastlines, and the Great Lakes with Jim Krancic.
- Native American History at Starved Rock, October 8, 2023
- 1 p.m. Native American history at Starved Rock as told by "White Winnebago," Gerald Savage, a member of the HoChunk Nation.
- The Men of Fort St. Louis, November 5, 2023
- 1 p.m. program presentation by volunteer park historian and author Mark Walczynski on his research into the men who lived and worked at Fort St. Louis at Starved Rock from 1683-1691.
- First Peoples of the Illinois River Valley, December 3, 2023
- 1 p.m. presentation by Brooke Morgan from the Illinois State Museum on the archaeological knowledge of the earliest indigenous inhabitants of the Illinois Valley.
- 1 p.m. presentation by Brooke Morgan from the Illinois State Museum on the archaeological knowledge of the earliest indigenous inhabitants of the Illinois Valley.
- Starved Rock Saplings Storytime
- Second Saturday of each month.
- Please register by emailing lisa.sons@illinois.gov.
- Flower Power! 4/15/23 at 9:30 a.m.
- Underground -What's Going on Down There? 5/13/23 at 9:30 a.m.
- Pond Life-Life Under the Surface, 6/13/23 at 9:30 a.m.
- P is for Prairie-Food chains in the tallgrass, 7/8/23 at 9:30 a.m.
- Animal Adaptations -How do they do that? 8/12/23 at 9:30 a.m.
- Oh Deer-White-Tailed tell their Tales, 9/9/23 at 9:30 a.m.
- Going Batty with Illinois' Bats! 10/21/23 at 9:30 a.m.
- Squirrely for Squirrels, 11/11/23 at 9:30 a.m.
- Nature's Noel-Let's Make Bird Feeders, 12/9/23 at 9:30 a.m.
- Junior Ranger Day, July 29, 2023
- 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Family event with outdoor activity stations based on our popular Junior Ranger program and careers in the outdoors!
- 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Art in the Park Workshop
- Second Sunday of April, July, September, and December at 1 p.m.
- Registration is required
- Fox in the Praire, acrylic on canvas, 4/16/23 at 1 p.m.
- Registration will open on 3/16/23 at 8 a.m.
- Registration will open on 3/16/23 at 8 a.m.
- Happy Little Sunflowers, acrylic on canvas, 7/9/23 at 1 p.m.
- Registration will open on 6/9/23 at 8 a.m.
- Registration will open on 6/9/23 at 8 a.m.
- Fall Leaves, watercolor on paper, 9/10/23 at 1 p.m.
- Registration will open on 8/10/23 at 8 a.m.
- Registration will open on 8/10/23 at 8 a.m.
- Winter Wonderland, watercolor on paper/Christmas card style, 12/10/23 at 1 p.m.
- Registration will open on 11/10/23 at 8 a.m.
- Registration will open on 11/10/23 at 8 a.m.
- Registration is required
- Second Sunday of April, July, September, and December at 1 p.m.
Starved Rock Art Show
- Starved Rock Visitor Center Auditorium
- First weekend of February through the second weekend of March.
- Open to the public for viewing.
- Entries due to the Starved Rock Visitor Center by the last weekend of January (closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
- Entry Form must be read carefully and completed for each art piece before submitting pieces for the show.
- Pieces cannot be mailed in or returned to the artist by mail.
- Those pieces that do not follow the guidelines set forth in the entry form will not be shown.
Annual Starved Rock Photography Show
- Starved Rock Visitor Center Auditorium
- First weekend of December through the second weekend of January.
- Open to the public for viewing.
- Entries due to the Starved Rock Visitor Center by the Sunday before Thanksgiving (closed on Election Day and Veterans Day)
- Entry Form must be read carefully and completed for each photograph before submitting photos for the show.
- Pieces cannot be mailed in or returned to the photographer by mail.
- Photographs that do not follow the guidelines set forth in the entry form will not be shown.
- Starved Rock Photo Show Entry Form 2023.pdf
- National Trails Day, June 3, 2023
- 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Falltober Fest, October 21, 2023.
- Starved Rock Saplings Children's Program on Bats at 9:30 a.m.
- Guided hikes at 10 and 1 p.m.
- Registration is required
- Registration opens on September 21s at 8 a.m.
- Registration is required
- Incredible Bats, Live Animals from Around the World Program, at 11 a.m.
- Seating will be limited to first come, first served.
- Seating will be limited to first come, first served.
- Native American Ghost Stories, Storytelling with Brian "Fox" Ellis at 2 p.m.
- Starved Rock Saplings Children's Program on Bats at 9:30 a.m.
- Ghosts of Starved Rock's Past, October 28, 2023.
- Guided hikes every 15 minutes from 6:30-7:15 p.m.
- Registration is required
- Registration opens on September 28 at 8 a.m.
- Guided hikes every 15 minutes from 6:30-7:15 p.m.
- Owl Prowl, Ornithologist Presentation on Owl Species of Illinois, and Owl Calling Night Hike, March 4, 2023
- Registration will open on 2/4/23 at 8 a.m.
- Registration is required
- Registration will open on 2/4/23 at 8 a.m.
- Summer Night Hike, June 17, 2023
- Registration will open on 5/18/23 at 8 a.m.
- Registration is required
- Registration will open on 5/18/23 at 8 a.m.
- Life as a Bat Biologist, Bats of Illinois Program then a Bat Calling Night Hike, September 23, 2023
- Registration will open on 8/23/23 at 8 a.m.
- Registration is required
- Registration will open on 8/23/23 at 8 a.m.
Park Programs and Events
All state park events can be found on the IDNR homepage under Upcoming Events. All IDNR programs, events, and guided hikes are FREE.
Starved Rock State Park events, programs, and hikes listed on this website are operated through the state park staff (IDNR) on-site and begin at the Starved Rock State Park Visitor Center unless otherwise stated.
Starved Rock Sunday Programs
Sunday afternoon programs are made possible by funding through the park's not-for-profit friends group the Starved Rock Foundation and through donations from visitors and the local community. Sunday programs are free, but donations are welcome to help the Foundation pay for program presenters. Programs are first-come, first-seated, and our auditorium can handle up to 80 visitors at a time.
Children's Programs
Art/Photo Shows and Workshops
Special Events
Hikes and Tours
Please note that each event or program requiring registration online does not open online until exactly 1 month before that program or event's date!!
