Buffalo Rock State Park
Buffalo Rock State Park is a nature reserve in Illinois, at a modelled elevation of 163 m. Smiths Mound stands 228 m to the south-southeast, 22 miles off. The nearest named place is Buffalo Rock, a peak 0.1 miles away. Illinois River Road runs past it. 8 named summits stand within 25 miles.
What to expect
- Operated by
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources
How to reach it
- On the Illinois River Road, National
- 29.6 mi off the Historic Route 66, National
Overlooks nearby
- Council Overhang · 2 mi
- Illinois Canyon · 2 mi
- Ottawa Canyon · 2 mi
- Kaskaskia Canyon · 2 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Catlin Park: 2.0 mi
- Thornton Park: 3.3 mi
- Rigden Park: 4.0 mi
- Peck Park: 4.1 mi
- Allen Park: 4.2 mi
- Matthiessen State Park: 5.8 mi
- Matthiessen State Park: 6.1 mi
- Starved Rock Nature Preserve: 6.2 mi
- Dayton Bluffs Preserve: 7.3 mi
- Illini State Park: 9.7 mi
- Remembering the Radium Girls: 4.2 mi
- Civil War Memorial: 4.4 mi
- Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas: 4.4 mi
- Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall: 10.8 mi
- Pluto Monument: 13.1 mi
- Buffalo Rock: 0.1 mi
- Catfish Effigy: 0.2 mi
- Frog Effigy: 0.2 mi
- Water Strider Effigy: 0.2 mi
- Starved Rock: 3.6 mi
- Ottawa Canyon Waterfall: 1.9 mi
- Wildcat Canyon Waterfall: 3.3 mi
- Saint Louis Canyon Waterfall: 4.5 mi
- Lake Falls: 5.7 mi
- Cascade Falls: 5.9 mi
- La Salle County Historical Museum: 4.8 mi
- Streatorland Historical Museum: 14.7 mi
- Earlville History Museum: 18.2 mi
- Mendota Museum & Historical Society: 18.6 mi
- Fern Dell Museum: 22.8 mi
- Buffalo Rock: 0.5 mi
- Shadow Bluff: 4.9 mi
- Holderman Hill: 20.1 mi
- Volvo Island: 6.7 mi
- Birthplace of Wild Bill Hickok: 12.9 mi
- ATSF Depot: 14.9 mi
- Boy Scout of America: 3.0 mi
- Reuben G. Soderstrom: 14.7 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Buffalo Rock State Park. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smiths Mound | SSE 147° | 228 m | 21.9 mi |
| Piety Hill | W 262° | 189 m | 8.3 mi |
| Buffalo Rock | S 176° | 170 m | 0.1 mi |
| Starved Rock | W 265° | 167 m | 3.6 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:00 | 18:32 | 19:08 |
| June solstice | 05:23 | 19:51 | 20:33 |
| September equinox | 06:44 | 18:18 | 18:55 |
| December solstice | 07:19 | 15:46 | 16:30 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 23 | 27 | 38 | 50 | 61 | 70 | 74 | 72 | 65 | 53 | 40 | 29 |
| Precip in | 1.8 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Ottawa 4SW, under a mile away.
- Virginia bluebells36 obs
- eastern poison ivy34 obs
- Golden Oyster Mushroom34 obs
- Dryad's Saddle25 obs
- false rue anemone24 obs
- prairie trillium24 obs
- Common Watersnake22 obs
- common milkweed19 obs
Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element way/872747663
Day trips start here
- Cherry · 17 mi
Take the scenic way to Buffalo Rock State Park.
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