starved rock adventures

Loved the hike, loved watching the Eagles and the Lodge makes the BEST OMLETTES! The park has several parks in the area so plan to come back if you like hiking or cross skiing.

Lessons learned: 1- go with more than two people, 2- go on a lake or gain agreement about your boating skill levels to ascertain when/where you may drop anchor or beach, 3- be sure to understand any refund issues and payment policy for damages you may incur or time lost do to down time. Since we only had two people, we were told we could not leave the boat at any time (we had planned to do so). since the Illinois is a navigable river, it was mildly busy but mostly with large barges. However, we were told not to leave the channel and drop anchor (as we had planned to do), rather that we should only beach at Bullis Island which was a 1-2 hour ride from the marina. We were discouraged from docking at the public docks in Ottawa - we did this anyway, and got a 48-hour permit from the City to do so ahead of the trip. However, as previously noted, we could not leave boat since there were only two of us. This would not be as much of an issue if your party can take turns staying with the boat. On the 2nd day, the engine would not start, and the repair took one half day. We were not offered any rebate for this lost time, we in fact did not go out with the boat that day since we were docking nightly at the Marina (see above restrictions) and since the staff requires return of the boat to Marina by 4:15pm, there was not enough time to do anything other than burn the gas at 2 mpg. The boat also had a leak from the ceiling that we reported and which was not repaired while we used it. There was another group next to us while we were there. A father who rented another 50 footer for the week, the first 4 days with his buddies, then his wife and two daughters arriving the following weekend. The guys beached their's on Bullis island and had issues and actually tore a hole in the bottom of their boat. He negotiated an exchange for the 60 footer (much nicer, if you choose to rent here, pick the 60 footer) and was pleased with the outcome. If you really want to try a house boat and have other choices of places to try it, I suggest you do so at another place. We learned a lot about what we need to know, but at a cost of $1600.00 (which included our gas and the mandatory smaller boat rental), it was an expensive lesson.

rented a 53 foot house boat for 4 days. Thought it would be a terrific adventure for my family.upon arrival at the marina found the staff there rude and dismissive.when we did make it to the boatthe staff seemed to be put out by the fact that they actually had to work.we loaded all of our supplies for the for the adventure my children credibly excited at the prospect.well my family began to settle into the boatwe received what would amount to bea 45 minute dissertation by the owner of the company.we told off all the responsibilities that he has the shoulder on a day to day basis. And how he has been in business for 20 years so quite obviously he knows what he's talking about.and it only got worse from there.I can only assume that the brazen attitude the owner displays is what the largest issue within the company.they say that poorly run businesses are generally started at the top in the poor attitude displayed buy all of the employees definitely shows.I would have to agree with several other people's reviews that these boats at best should be decommissioned if not scrapped altogether.we had several issues with the generators on the boat the propane which was supposed to keep all of our refrigerated goods cold.the overall condition of these boats is in my view poor at best it seems as though maintenance is an afterthought.in the overall company view you can take it or leave it.what would make the experience slightly better would be if they learned what a pressure washer was, updating the interior of the boat if they plan on keeping them. And instead of trying to get the boat back out on the water as quickly as possible making the cleanliness of the boat a real priority.in all fairness I was probably more put off by the overall lack of caring clearly displayed towards the boats and us as a customer.I paid a substantial amount of money 4 days of fun.I will say however that my family because of the fact that we were able to put aside all the different issues with the boat that we did still have a good time on the river. It's somewhat sad because locationis really quite nice and having that time alone with my family definitely fun.but the experience could have been so much better with just a little bit of effort from the people who actually rent these boats.they seem to be very content with having you visit once and not wanting to return.it's too bad they take such a short veiw of how to do business.one of the other better things of our vacation but the fact that we got to meet some very nice people who had rented the other boats within the fleet.so everyone involved was able to take what could have potentially been a lousy situation and we made it fun to be there.I will say this for Starved Rock adventurestheir indifference towards customer servicemade everyone involved come together to help each other.it's really too bad but if they would update their fleet they would probably do a lot better as a business and if they ran it in a professional manner where I felt like I would like to return then they would probably make a substantial amount more on return businessbut thankfully we did learn where not to rent a houseboat from

I have been to a few boat rental places and none have been a negative experience other than this one. We arrived 30 min late to our "scheduled" appointment, which we were not told that we had to arrive early for or even on time. Then the crew took 30 min to get our rented boat ready to go - no one from their staff seemed to know what was going on. However the time was running from the minuet our "appointment time" began, which means we lost a total of one hour from what we paid for. Before we left the dock we were told to watch out for logs on the sides of the water, which we did. About 30 min into our boat trip, we felt a small bump, but the boat ran as normal for the remaining 2 and a half hours. When we got back to the dock, we were then informed that we had broke all 3 propellers, which raised our bill to $150 plus tax. By this time I was very upset, and went to speak with the owner. I could barely get a couple sentences in before he forced me out of his shop after calling me rude and clearly showing that the opinions and concerns of his customer were not a worry of his. I would STRONGLY recommend that you stay FAR away from this boat rental business. They are a money hungry business that do not try to please the customer in any way.

Naw, there were no shoot outs, but there had been high winds a few weeks ago and the downed trees blocked most of the trails. Also its so dry that there were no functioning water falls. The forest is pretty and I imagine the fall colors are magnificent but right now it is nothing special. We went in the evening and morning. No wild life other that small birds and squirrels. The visitor center is nice with some history and native animal info Three word for ya; bugs, gnats, mosquitoes.

Starved Rock was wonderful. We took the Paddle Boat ride, and got to see the rock from a different perspective. The next day, we took the trolley and were able to hike in 3 different areas. It is beautiful there .Everyone needs to go. It's only 90 minutes from Chicago, but it feels like worlds away.

Starved Rock has a lot of Native American history. Fall colors are absolutely beautiful. Hiking abounds. Good cross country ski trails I'm told. Very nice lodge and accommodations.

Starved Rock SP has things to do all year round. Many beautifull trails to hike, "riverboat" tours in the summer. Great resturant and Sunday brunch. Hotel rooms with a pool right there. Great giant fireplaces in the winter, and a great bar.

First off let me say that I don't ever write reviews because usually I give people the benefit of the doubt most of the time, but this time I had to. Back story: Myself and 14 others were celebrating our friends bachelor party by renting 2 house boats on the Illinois waterway. The best man did a hell of a job of planning and communicating with everyone about availability, cost, and capacity. Everyone shows up with the anticipation of a good time and a quality experience. It was far from that. Lets start with Captain Bob:This sloppy excuse for a human being and business owner, couldn't have been more unprofessional. From using foul language and treating a group of 30 year olds like children, to smoking on our boat, having a homeless appreance and stench, and just being down right creepy, he is a con artist and thief. Now I understand that a business owner has to have rules, contracts, and limitations, but Bob's were underhanded and unfair. The contract for the boats stated that damages to the boats would be charged to the customer upon return and checkout. What it doesn't state is that from years of poor maintenance and cheep parts and hardware it is now Bobs turn to pass his irresponsibility onto the customer. The Boats:The boats initially were perfect for what we were going to use them for. They all were clean (enough) for all intended purposes. (There is no way to keep spiders and other bugs off a boat, it's nature) But you would expect that if the boat has some amenities (such as refrigerator, A/C, generator power) that it would work and you would be shown ways to properly operate them. Not Bob. He tells you in a very condescending voice to just shut it off and turn it back on. The first night on the boat it was 91 degrees out with no generator power or A/C and no way to fix it. Ends up, the generator was out of oil (a simple maintenance procedure that should have been completed before our arrival). The problem wasn't fixed until the next day when a maintenance guy came out, opened the generator cabinet and added the oil from a can of oil, that was sitting in the cabinet for this exact situation. What a joke. The boats are also powered by plastic props. Yes, plastic props. We were instructed to check the props before we left (which we did) for three blades. All props were in good working order when we left. When questioned about the plastic props and the ease of breaking them, Bob's reply was "That way when you kids (we are 30) break them, I only charge you $50 a blade". My reply of "If one blade breaks don't you have to replace the whole prop?" His reply of "If you don't like my rules don't rent my boats" was a real 2nd grade response. Finally, the best surprise was the fact that Captain Bob forced us to rent shuttle crafts. These shuttle crafts were 15 horsepower Jonboats that each houseboat, unbenounced to anyone and nowhere in the contract, had to rent for $35 dollars a day. We took the boats about 8-10 miles down the river, tied up on shore and had a blast for two days. Upon returning the boats, we cleaned, sweep, washed, and disguarded all trash and inventoried everything. Including the props. All blades were accounted for, but still was charged $150 dollars for some reason.Bottom Line: Starved Rock State Park and the Illinois waterway were great and a beautiful place to visit, but Bob and Starved Rock Adventures are con artists, thiefs, and unprofessional. My only advice is if you are forced to deal with this disgusting excuse for a business owner, take pictures and document everything. Otherwise, be prepared to be charged for breaking things that were either not broken or didn't work to begin with. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. Hope this helps someone.

Nestled along the Illinois River is beautiful Starved Rock. Living in the area allows me to take the time to hike the trails and visit the resort. I've stayed at the Lodge in the winter and hiked the snowy trails, you get some excellent views of the Eagles soaring along the river fishing for their dinner. Another great time to visit is in the fall when the leaves are changing colors, it is truly breathtaking. They have several presentations throughout the year to take advantage of the fall colors, or the eagles. Take a look at their website, you won't be disappointed if you travel here for a getaway.

Starved Rock State Park is a wonderful park to visit. We live in the area and bring everyone who visits us to the park for at least one hike. The trails are varied and appeal to different levels of hikers. Strollers are not really feasible for this park, but with a little planning you can easily bring children of all ages along for a hike. The canyons and waterfalls are beautiful and most trails are very well maintained. There are trail maps posted in various places and maps are available at the visitor's center as well as online. Definitely bring along bug spray if you intend to hike in the canyons. The Visitor's Center and Starved Rock Lodge are conveniently located for a quick snack or lunch. The park is also quite close to the towns of Utica and Ottawa if other dining options are desired.

The Starved Rock State Park (just 8 miles west of Ottawa, IL) is still one of the outstanding parks in the Midwest! Our grandchildren from California visited it with us three weeks ago and climbed up the famous 'Starved Rock' part of the park. The waterfalls, trails, lodge and great food in the lodge make for a well rounded visit. It is one of the destination sites whenever we get family or friends in to visit.

I've lived here for a long time an always enjoying going to what we call the Rock. Great for family must be able to walk because this a place is for hiking. The food at the lodge is great and for everyone. If you chose not to eat there the town is very close with pretty of places to eat. A must see if you are ever in the Ottawa Il area. To enjoy it the most it will be a all day affair. Have fun wear walking shoes!!

Lived by and with in the park boundary s for over 20 years. Never get tired of being in the park. Beautiful, loads of hiking trails, lots of wildlife.Have visited with family and othersHave been here so many times, can't put a date to it! Lots of programs on the weekends.

Rented the 12 person pontoon and a 2 person tube, and had plenty of room for 10 people, tube, dog, coolers, and storage for anything to be kept dry. The staff was friendly, emphasized safety, and was flexible with our unusual requests (like pimping up the boat with a pirate flag and black decorations for my sister's 40th). The pontoon had a large canopy that provided shade for those that couldn't be in the sun. They even allow dogs on the boat (not many boat rental places that I checked out do). The weather was questionnable the day we rented, however the manager showed us the doppler and ensured us it was going to be fine. We ended up having beautiful weather! The grill worked well and was large enough to cook about 15 medium kabobs at a time. There is an island that you can stop at to grill, swim, or walk around. Not being boat owners, we felt very comfortable and safe operating the pontoon and towing people in the tube. Was a super FUN & stress free day - definitely recommended, and the cost was reasonable for a rental of this type.