Illinois River
BUFFALO ROCK State L
ocated on the North banks of the Illinois River, Buffalo Rock State Park combines rustic prairie hiking with some of the best cliffside views in LaSalle County. Throughout this park’s storied past, it has been the home of an Indiginous American tribe, used as a camp for a religious sect, and even a tuberculosis sanatorium during the 1910’s. These days, it’s a hidden gem state park that brings together the disparate worlds of fine art and conservation.
The State Park is located approximately 3 miles west of Ottawa, Illinois, and has long been a favorite picnic area, as well as an ideal terrain for the beginner hikers.
Buffalo Rock features two trails that offer wildly different park experiences: The River Bluff Trail snakes you along the Illinois River (featuring plenty of great bird watching opportunities), while the Woodland Trail gives you an up-close look at trees, wildlife, and the Effigy Tumuli mounds. Made by visionary “earthworks” artist Michael Heizer, these five enormous animals resemble a snake, turtle, catfish, frog and water strider. These eathworks, which can really only be seen from aerial photography today, were inspired by Indiginious American burial grounds, several of which can be found in the Illinois River region.
1300 NORTH 27TH ROAD • OTTAWA • 815-433-2220
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3/27/20 4:28 PM