The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: August second, exploring Illinois' Starved Rock.

The plains of north central Illinois are mostly rolling corn country. But anyone expecting familiar prairie flatness will be amazed to come across the expanse of gorgeous gorges carved by the Illinois River and its tributaries over the last eleven thousand years.

Starved Rock State Park, located near the junction of Interstates 80 and 39, encompasses nearly 3000 select acres. It's a topography more reminiscent of western canyonlands than middle America, though on a more modest scale. Torrents of glacial meltwater have whittled some 18 canyons out of the sandstone, leaving a landscape of sharp-edged overhangs, spring-fed waterfalls and knobby palisades. The water that flows these days supports a lush range of flora and fauna. The park's 15 miles of trails meander through marshes carpeted with marigold and trillium and fern-strewn forests of red oak and cedar.

Starved Rock's centerpiece and named attraction is a knobby mesa of sandstone nearly an acre across and towering 125 feet over the river. Here, according to a colorful but historically questionable legend, a band of Illiniwek Indians succumbed to starvation rather than surrender to their enemies.

These days, a million visitors each year climb to the top for a panoramic view of the river valley. Starved Rock also boasts other outdoor activities and amenities, including a grandly rustic, 1930's era lodge that's been updated with luxury accommodations.

Starved Rock is one of the insider destinations covered in this issue of the magazine National Geographic Traveler, a supporter of our program. You can register for a free sample copy on our homepage.

FMI For Starved Rock State Park in Utica, Ill: 815-667-472. For the lodge 800-868-7625 or www.starvedrocklodge.com

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