Illinois' Starved Rock State Park Among U.S.'s Most Instagrammed

ILLINOIS — A popular downstate Illinois destination for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts is also a popular spot for social media devotees whose travels routinely wind up on platforms such as Instagram.

Starved Rock State Park ranks as the seventh-most Inatagramable state park in the U.S., landing behind locales such as Niagara Falls, Devil’s Lake in Wisconsin, and other spots around the U.S. where travelers tend to snap photos that land on their social media profiles.

The travel site TravelLens found that Starved Rock, which is located in LaSalle County, landed on 102,801 Instagram posts that included the hashtag #starvedrock. Niagara Falls led the way with more than 3.5 million Instagram posts, according to the list, and ranked as the only travel destination that even topped 300,000 social media posts.

Valley of Fire in Nevada finished second with 285,304 posts followed by Hocking Hills in Ohio, Deception Pass in Washington, and Devil’s Lake in Wisconsin, which rounded out the Top 5. Starved Rock finished just ahead of Redwood National Park in California, Custer State Park in South Dakota, and Devil’s Den in Arkansas.

Starved Rock is home to various canyons, hiking trails, and overlooks. Visitors can indulge in fishing, boating, camping, and more at Starved Rock, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website.

“Starved Rock State Park is a world apart from anything else in Illinois!,” the park's website boasts. “Amazing, seasonal waterfalls are active in the spring and after heavy rains. We have 13 miles of trails to explore and the Illinois River offers fishing, boating, extraordinary views, and great places to relax.”