From: toddl@ecs.comm.mot.com (Todd Leigh)
Subject: Re: Climbing near or in Illinois
Organization: trunking_fixed
Distribution: il
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 14:24:19 GMT
Summary: A little more info
Keywords: climbing in the flatlands

Hi.

Here's a quick rundown on climbing areas here in or near the great Midwest 
prarie state of Illinois, scoured mostly flat by glaciers in the second-to-
last ice age, whose highest point is a man-made feature (Charles mound).

1. Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin
This climbing area is north of Madison, Wisconsin near the town of Baraboo.
Follow I-90 north to the Portage exit, go west to US12, north to the park.
Climbs in the park are mostly top-ropable on hard, slick quartzite.  Yes,
this was probably the first place chalk was used, not just because of the
humidity, but because of the slickness of the rock.  Mostly face climbing
with difficulties ranging from easy to hard (5.13).  There is a guidebook.
Check out Erewhon Mountain Outfitter in Chicago or Madison to purchase it
or for more information.  The park is crowded on weekends, and wasps can be
pretty bad come August, but it's still a neat place to climb, and probably
the most popular with Chicago area climbers.  If you want to climb a
popular route, get there early!

2. Mississippi Palisades State Park, Illinois
This park is on the Mississippi River south of Galena near the town of Savannah.
Take US64 west to Savannah until it ends at highway 84, go north to the park.
Climbs here are mostly top-ropable on loose limestone.  Climbing in the 
developed areas is not bad because years of climbers have cleaned the garbage
off, leaving neat pocketed and jugged rock.  Most of the climbing is south
of the south park entrance.  There are even some possible two-pitch leads
in the park.  Difficulties range from easy to hard (5.13).  There is a
guidebook.  Again, check out Erehwon Mountain Outfitter.  This place isn't
nearly as popular or crowded as Devil's Lake, and you can usually camp in
the park.  Some of the bluffs are closed to climbing, check with the rangers
or the regulars.

Keep in mind that most of the routes in the above two areas were put up 
when the top of the scale was 5.10, so they may seem sandbagged to you, 
depending on where you are used to climbing.

3. Jackson Falls, southern Illinois
Jackson Falls is a sport climbing area that I've only glanced at the
guidebook for, near SIU in Carbondale.  Seemed like mostly harder routes.
Maybe someone from around there can give you more info.

4. Other southern Illinois areas, Garden of the Gods, Shawnee National Forest.
I'm sure there is more climbing down there near Carbondale, never been there
though.

5. Starved Rock State Park, Illinois
There is no rock climbing allowed in this park.  The rock after which the
park is named is sandstone, and it was being destroyed (although not to my
knowledge by rock climbers) by people climbing around on it, so THEY closed
it off.  If it ever gets cold enough again, there is rumored to be good
ice climbing in this park though (Mt. Pinatubo, do your stuff!)

Hope this helps.

Todd.

-- 
Todd Leigh                Motorola Inc.      Opinions expressed here are
toddl@ecs.comm.mot.com    Schaumburg, IL     not those of "THE MANAGEMENT"
Facts all come with point of view. Facts don't do what I want them to.
                                           - Talking Heads