Rocky Glen, Peoria IL

I recently got around to hiking Rocky Glen Park here in Peoria, and I can’t believe I hadn’t done it sooner. I'd never really heard of it until a friend from high school who was back in town for the weekend mentioned it and said I should try it out, so of course I did. 

Getting there was a little weird, it's tucked away off Kickapoo Creek Road with a tiny parking area and not a whole lot of signage. If I hadn’t looked it up ahead of time, I probably would’ve thought I was in the wrong spot. But once I found the trailhead and started heading in, it got cool fast.

The trail isn’t long, but it is steep, there’s one main descent down into the ravine that had me worried I was going to re-injure my knee. It’s slippery when it’s even slightly wet, so fair warning: wear decent shoes unless you want to take the chance of slipping in the mud and ruining whatever clothes you chose to wear that day.

At the bottom, the trail opens up into this kind of bowl of cliffs and overhangs. The graffiti on the sandstone walls is a little jarring at first -- especially when you compare it to a place like Starved Rock. It's definitely not a pristine, untouched nature spot, but there’s also something weirdly poetic about it. 

There’s also an old coal mine entrance tucked back into the rock face. It's gated off pretty securely -- I should know since I've tried multiple times to get in but haven't been successful. Super cool from a historical standpoint, but also kind of creepy in the best way. 

Next time, I might pack lunch and hang out at the bottom for a bit. It’s surprisingly peaceful once you get down there and the wind moves through the trees above the cliffs. 

While it's definitely doesn't offer long trails, it makes up for it because of how close it is to campus and the cool views. I'd definitely recommend!