Apple River Canyon State Park — Attraction in Rush Township

Fantastic rock formations and river. Stayed 2 nights in late July 2017. A couple of things if you are planning on visiting:

After the mid-July storms, the entrance from the south is closed as of 7/31/17. Bridge was washed out. They are working to fix it. Park is still open, though; just enter through another inroad if necessary. River is rocky: footwear you can wear into water helps quite a bit. A must for kids. Also, go now if you'd like to see what 11 inches of rain in one day does to a river valley/bridge crossing. No longer flooded, but trees tossed like matchsticks, collapsed asphalt on bridge, etc. Really a site to see.

If you arrive to camp and nobody's in the main office (on a Saturday, etc.), check in at the Canyon Ridge campsites in the park with the site host in campsite #21. You can pay there; cash only. It seems about 1/2 the 50-odd campsites are reservable, and the other half are walkup. We were there on a busy weekend and walked up--still no problem getting a site.

Weekdays were great too. On a Sunday night into Monday we were the only ones there. A bit isolated but fun and quiet.

Dave. Dave is a DNR employee that works in the park. He's great. He grew up nearby and knows absolutely everything about the park. You'll see him driving around in a 4x4 golf cart. Talk to him and he'll point you to the best trails and views. He also had some safety tips about using that specific stretch of the river. Good stuff to know, since moving water can be tricky. Having a guy like him around is totally more than worth your tax dollars. Just great.

Closest grocery/gas is in Warren, IL, a few miles away. Tiny town. Grocery closes at noon on Sundays.

Closest firewood was the first house east of the park on East Canyon Road. Lovely people selling it. Approaching someone's house to buy firewood has potential to be creepy. Not at all with these nice folks. $5 a bundle. A little green but not too bad. Burned well once fire was hot.

Spotty to no cell service in the park. I have AT&T and had none. Was a nice break, but just be aware.

Have fun, and...

Loved this peaceful little place!

So many of the negative reviews give it one or two stars because there isn't enough to do here or the trails are too short, or the campground is too small etc. But I think that's the charm! You can camp here and not be on top of hundreds of other people like at most other state campgrounds you come across (here in Illinois or across the border in Wisconsin). It doesn't draw crowds because of its size, so you get to have the hiking trails and view points mostly, if not fully, to yourself.

I solo camped two nights and spent one day hiking the trails, taking pics, hanging out at the campfire, and reading down by the water. It was so very relaxing and quiet. I then used it as a base the next day and drove out to Mississippi Palisades. Glad I didn't camp there, it was crowded and passed lots of people on the trails! But a good distance for a drive from Apple River in the morning, with beautiful countryside in between.

Some other reviews mentioned that the trails were not marked and hard to find and to follow. Not true. Every trail has a big sign right at the entrance and very clear, paths. They can be a bit muddy and aren't covered in gravel or anything. But they are clear to follow and line right up with the maps they have at the office and that the camp host handed out.

All in all, 5...

I went to hike, but had a hard time locating the trails. Many of the trailheads are unmarked and most of the trails just sort of disappear at some point into the woods. I did find a sign that listed the trails at one point, but the map attached wasn't very accurate. Apparently I wasn't crazy most of the trails had parts washed out during the flooding this year and do just sort of end with you standing in the middle of the woods looking at the river.

If you are just going for the scenery, it's beautiful. There were some nice picnic shelters and some open areas to relax in. The parts of the trails that existed had lots of benches and picnic tables along them also. The campgrounds (which we accidentally stumbled into when a trail abruptly ended) seemed well maintained. Fishing seems to be one of the primary reasons to go (as well as hunting which I found out when I was already very deep...