Miles of well marked trails wind through these beautiful canyons in Northern Illinois.
Of course, the park ranger at Starved Rock could have been slightly more specific when he directed us to “take the steps” to get to the trail.
They were everywhere.
Descending into the twisting canyons hidden beneath the forest.
It was busy on the mid October weekend we arrived. Except for the most popular views, though, it was surprisingly easy to spread out from the crowds and enjoy the peace of the woods and the splash of the water.
It was scheduled as their fall colors tour weekend, so a lot of the visitors had probably registered for that.
The trees were less than fully cooperative with the schedule. They were primarily still green, but there were some beautiful swatches of early color;
Clearer, almost, in their watery reflections.
It’s silent by mid-week, the crowds have gone. We wander a final horizontal tail, sentry duty to the endless carving splash of the streams below.
Rambling ... 