The listed coordinates are for the trailhead down to 3.2 miles of trails in the Dells Area of
Matthiessen Illinois State Park.
On a hot summer day, a hike through Dells Area is enjoyable because it is usually a few degrees cooler below and under the shade.
In order to visit and fully explore the dells area, you must be in good enough physical shape to walk stairs -
A lot of stairs. If you pace yourself, you will be fine.
Once at the base of the first set of stairs, normally our family explores the Upper Dells area first. That means crossing the
bridge over Cascade Falls (
WM1ZX1) and turning right to go down more stairs.
Concrete pads act as
stepping stones for you to cross the creek, and sometimes there are actual stepping stones. This first segment of the trail leads you to a place called Cedar Point, which is identifed by a set of stairs leading up.
This is not the end of the trail. Go around the stairs and continue behind them. This will lead you to a place called the Giant's Bathtub.
The Giant's Bathtub is a fairly large basin pool from a relatively small stairstep waterfall. A set of real stairs leads you to the top of the waterfall. From there you can climb down a little for an excellent photo opportunity of you sitting right next to a waterfall with another waterfall over your shoulder and a reflecting pool right at your feet.
If you go upstream even more, you will wind up at Lake Falls (Waymark
WM23MY). Lake Falls is partially natural, partially man-made. The original owner, Frederick Matthiessen, had a portion dammed up in the late 1800's/early 20th Century, and today it is hard to tell what is natural and what is not with all the moss and lichen on the surfaces.
There is a set of stairs near Lake Falls that will take you up to Matthiessen Lake. There you will find equestrian trails, a few people fishing, and a pit toilet. Sorry, no running water, here.
After a brief stop, we then start back towards the main entrance. You can either take the Lake Falls stairs again, or take the gravel path towards the Cedar Point stairs and take those down.
Since you went down, you must go back up the stairs you took to get down to the Upper Dells trail in the first place. You should be back at the original crossover bridge. We go past (not over) the bridge to the find a different,
longer crossover bridge to get to the Lower Dells.
But to get to the Lower Dells, you must take a set of concrete stairs down. Once you get there you will find
Strawberry Rock where the groundwater seeping from the cliff walls are rich in iron giving the cliff walls and the stream a reddish-orange hue.
At the end of the trail you will find the previously mentioned Cascade Falls. Kids love to explore the caves and climb under the waterfall. (
OK, some grown-ups like to, too.)
To return back to the main entrance, climb back up the concrete stairs. You can either cross the bridge again and return the way you came in, or climb up a few more wooden stairs to get to a gravel path on this side of the gorge.
So, now after all this hiking and stair climbing, you need to take the first set of stairs
BACK UP!
Other notes for visiting:
- Bring plenty of water. It may feel cooler down in the dells area, but with all the stairs you will need some extra water. Plus, the stream water is high in mineral content, and not recommended for drinking.
- Wear clothing you think can get permanently stained. If you bump against on one of the colorful sandstone walls, the color may not wash out of your clothing.
- Wear good hiking shoes that can get wet. Not only do you need good footwear for the stairs, but also for the creek crossings. Many creek crossings are stepping stones and not bridges, so if your foot slips it will get wet.
- Leave a change of clothes in the car. After long afternoon of hiking, our family usually needs to change out of our hiking clothes, whether or not we have fallen in the water. The bathroom facilities by the main parking lot are large enough for you to clean up a little and change. Sorry, no showers.
- Is it hunting season? If your are visiting during the fall or winter, check the
IDNR website to see if the park is closed for hunting.