DESTINATIONS

CANAL TOWN DESTINATION: UTICA

The La Salle County Historical Society Museum sits adjacent to the canal in Utica. The building is a restored 1848 canal granary and warehouse that now houses historical artifacts and displays. Across the street is Obscurity Brewing Bier Garten, where visitors can relax in the open air with a selection of draft beers. Open air is a theme in downtown Utica – visitors can get lunch or dinner on the Mill Street Patio, where the village closes a block of Mill Street in the summer for outdoor dining from nearby restaurants such as Lodi Tap House, Canal Port Bar & Grill, Joy & Ed’s Bar and Grill and Skoog’s Pub and Grill. Also along Mill Street are August Hill Winery Tasting Room and Clarks Run Creek Wine & Gifts

For a cold treat or beverages, Bruce & Ollie’s Ice Cream & Coffee is a perfect stop downtown. For a light lunch and an array of sweets, visit Nonie’s Bakery & Cafe south of downtown. Roxie’s Sweet Confections offers a variety of candy, ice cream and baked goods. For a savory treat, step into Starved Rock House of Jerky. Nearby is an alternative meal option – Jamie’s OutPost is a biker bar known for its Americana food, weekly live entertainment and companion souvenir shop, Mix’s Trading Post

Stop at the Starved Rock Country Welcome Center & Illinois Made Gift Shoppe for information about the region and gifts from Illinois artisans. For more activities, head south of the canal to visit The Rock and Soul and experience their sluice box, where visitors learn how to wash, sift and find gemstones, fossils, arrowheads and shark teeth. Book an appointment at Starved Rock Entertainment for an indoor playland for children, escape rooms and Nerf toy battles.

THE I&M CANAL STATE TRAIL THROUGH STARVED ROCK COUNTRY

n The Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail is 61.5 miles from Rockdale to La Salle. At the time of the canal’s opening, it stretched 96 miles from Chicago to La Salle. In its heyday, the waterway was 60 feet wide and 6 feet deep.

n Sixty-five percent of the trail (about 40 miles) runs through Starved Rock Country, from La Salle in the west to Morris in the east.

n The trail is the retired towpath adjacent to the canal and originally was used by mules to pull canal boats.

n Lock 14 in La Salle is home to a replica canal boat that is pulled by a mule named Moe. Visitors can book hourlong tours on the boat and learn more about the canal’s history.

EXCURSION 5: UTICA TO LA SALLE

About 5 miles; about 1 hour 40 minutes at 3 mph pace; about 30 minutes by bicycle

This Stretch Of Trail

Park at the I&M Canal State Trail access lot at the southwest corner of Canal and Clark streets downtown. For those who want to bike the trail but didn’t bring their own, an I&M Canal Bike rental station is available at the lot. The path is wide with a packed gravel surface for the first leg and paved surface near La Salle. The adjacent canal bed is wide along these miles. Despite a few dry portions, there are lengthy stretches of water where hikers and cyclists are almost guaranteed to spot a painted turtle or two … or 10. Waterfowl are abundant as well, particularly where the trail cuts between the canal and Split Rock Lake. With tree cover limited to one side of the trail and open canal on the other, this section is a sunny route for part of the day.

Approximately halfway to La Salle near mile marker 93, hikers and cyclists pass the sandstone face of Split Rock, where canal builders blasted through the stone exposure to cut a path for the canal. On the opposite bank, a railroad tunnel can be seen running through the north bluff. Past mile marker 94, hikers will cross the Little Vermilion River aqueduct – the structure functions as a bridge that carries the watered canal bed over the river below.