One of my goals this month was to get out of town and go on a hike somewhere away from the city. I did a lot of research (because, who are we kidding, it’s me) to find the perfect spot … and Devil’s Lake State Park really was perfect!
Devil’s Lake State Park – Getting There
Devil’s Lake State Park is a 3-hour drive from Chicago, so this trip is either a long day trip or a nice overnight. We only had the day, so we left at 8 a.m., grabbed lunch to take with us on the hike, and were home around 8 p.m.
That said, it was an easy drive and once you’re off the highway, you get to see the beauty of the Midwest – which just means lots of corn fields.
We entered the park on the North side of the lake, and let me tell you what a happy accident that was! Both the North and the South sides have parking lots with picnic tables and “beaches,” but if you enter on the South side you have to climb up some really steep rock areas at the start of your hike. Whereas on the North side, the start was a steady uphill climb but on a dirt trail.
Devil’s Lake State Park – The Trails
There are so many trails and offshoots throughout the park, but I’ll share what we did …
Devil’s Doorway in Devil’s Lake State Park
As I mentioned, we started at the North shore and took the East Bluff Woods Trail up to the spot where some cool rock formations are. We actually went to Devil’s Lake State Park specifically because we heard Balanced Rock was really cool, but we found it to be totally meh compared to Devil’s Doorway.
Balanced Rock at Devil’s Lake State Park
The East Bluff Woods Trail is exactly as it sounds – through the woods. From there, we hit Devil’s Doorway and then back and down to Balanced Rock. The woods trail is 1.3 miles but then the rock formations are all pretty close together.
We did have to hike down the rock scramble at Balanced Rock – what you see above is the “trail.” It goes on like this for almost half a mile, so we were very thankful we weren’t coming up it.
Once we got to the South shore, we sat at a picnic table for lunch. The facilities there are so nice with trash bins, cold water, and rest rooms. After lunch, we walked over to the West Bluff Trail to get back to the car. That trail was 1.4 miles and a much tougher incline than the east.
Devil’s Lake State Park – Some Notes and Details
The hike portion took about 3.5 hours to do the routes we did. One thing we really wished we brought was bug spray as the mosquitoes were out in full force. I was also very happy to have a dry shirt in the car!
One of the best parts as a hiker was how well-marked the trails were. Each trail had a picture to follow as trails split and when in question, arrows pointed the way. Throughout the park there are trail maps posted so you can figure out where you are.
Next on my list is Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Park. Has anyone been there? Tips on what to expect?
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