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    Matthiessen State Park

    Matthiessen State Park is a pet-friendly natural space in Oglesby, IL. You can bring Fido with you to enjoy the pretty canyons, flowing streams, stunning prairies and luscious forest. There are 5 miles of trails in the park with a variety of different routes that vary in difficulty. The picnic areas in the park are one of the main attractions, some of them built on the remains of a 17th century French fort. Dogs must be on a leash for the duration of their stay and owners are reminded to clean up after their pets. Visit Website

    Or call (815) 667-4868 or email DNR.StarvedRock@illinois.gov for more information.

    Reviews

    BringFido Guest Rating
    TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

    Matthiessen State Park has received a rating of 4.0 out of 5 bones by 3 canine critics on BringFido and 4.5 out of 5 by 507 guests on TripAdvisor.

    • Eli
      Apr 21, 2024
      Great Spot for dog friendly hike

      Lovely trails through a scenic gorge. Probably one of the most scenic hiking areas in Illinois. Our pup had fun exploring with us. There is a lot of poison ivy on some trail edges so be sure to keep your dog on trail. Trails into the gorge have stairs and your feet may get wet hoping across the stream.

    • Meredith
      Oct 16, 2023
      Wide Trails/No trash cans

      The trails are wide and mainly gravel. We went after a very rainy day and also rained while we were on the trail. Not muddy at all. Would be nice to maybe have spots with trash cans if your puppy uses the bathroom. Not even trash cans at the shelter we started at.

    • Meghan
      Apr 4, 2021
      Hiking on levels

      This is a beautiful park! Very dog friendly (leashed). The only drawback is that there are a ton of stairs. There are ways to get around the stairs, but it's not clearly labeled on their maps. We have an older dog that sits well in a dog backpack carrier. Otherwise we would have had to carry him for some parts of the hike. All in all a great place to spend the day!

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    Matthiessen State Park