Matthiessen State Park
Matthiessen State Park is a nature reserve in Illinois, at a modelled elevation of 195 m. Smiths Mound stands 228 m to the southeast, 23 miles off. The nearest named place is Matthiessen Dells Nature Preserve, a park 0.6 miles away. Illinois River Road passes 1.7 miles off. 9 named summits stand within 25 miles.
What to expect
- Operated by
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources
How to reach it
- 1.7 mi off the Illinois River Road, National
- 32.3 mi off the Historic Route 66, National
Overlooks nearby
- Saint Louis Canyon · 3 mi
- Kickapoo Canyon · 3 mi
- Sac Canyon · 3 mi
- Aurora Canyon · 3 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Matthiessen Dells Nature Preserve: 0.6 mi
- Lehigh Mormorial Park: 1.1 mi
- Margery C Carlson Nature Preserve: 1.9 mi
- County Yard Park: 2.0 mi
- Memorial Park: 2.2 mi
- Matthiessen State Park: 0.8 mi
- Starved Rock Nature Preserve: 2.4 mi
- Buffalo Rock State Park: 6.1 mi
- Dayton Bluffs Preserve: 13.4 mi
- Rod and Gun Club: 14.4 mi
- Starved Rock: 3.1 mi
- Piety Hill: 3.2 mi
- Catfish Effigy: 6.0 mi
- Buffalo Rock: 6.1 mi
- Frog Effigy: 6.2 mi
- Remembering the Radium Girls: 10.3 mi
- Civil War Memorial: 10.5 mi
- Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas: 10.5 mi
- Pluto Monument: 13.7 mi
- cherry Mine Disaster: 14.0 mi
- Cascade Falls: 0.8 mi
- Lake Falls: 1.0 mi
- Saint Louis Canyon Waterfall: 2.5 mi
- Wildcat Canyon Waterfall: 3.0 mi
- Ottawa Canyon Waterfall: 4.3 mi
- La Salle County Historical Museum: 3.9 mi
- Streatorland Historical Museum: 14.9 mi
- Mendota Museum & Historical Society: 18.8 mi
- Earlville History Museum: 21.7 mi
- Bureau County Historical Museum: 23.6 mi
- Volvo Island: 12.7 mi
- Birthplace of Wild Bill Hickok: 12.9 mi
- ATSF Depot: 15.3 mi
- Buffalo Rock: 5.7 mi
- Shadow Bluff: 10.9 mi
- Boy Scout of America: 9.1 mi
- Reuben G. Soderstrom: 14.9 mi
- Lake Wildwood Beach 1: 20.1 mi
- Lake WIldwood Beach 2: 20.1 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Matthiessen State Park. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smiths Mound | SE 132° | 228 m | 23.3 mi |
| Piety Hill | WNW 299° | 189 m | 3.2 mi |
| Owls Head | W 272° | 181 m | 23.5 mi |
| Buffalo Rock | ENE 64° | 170 m | 6.1 mi |
| Starved Rock | NE 36° | 167 m | 3.1 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:00 | 18:32 | 19:08 |
| June solstice | 05:24 | 19:52 | 20:33 |
| September equinox | 06:44 | 18:19 | 18:55 |
| December solstice | 07:19 | 15:46 | 16:31 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 22 | 26 | 37 | 49 | 61 | 70 | 73 | 72 | 65 | 53 | 39 | 28 |
| Precip in | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 2.1 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Peru, 6 mi away.
- eastern poison ivy73 obs
- sharp-lobed hepatica73 obs
- Snakewort60 obs
- American Bullfrog47 obs
- blue phlox39 obs
- largeflower bellwort39 obs
- Ebony Jewelwing34 obs
- wild hydrangea33 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/686520300
Day trips start here
- Cherry · 14 mi
Take the scenic way to Matthiessen State Park.
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