Parts of Starved Rock Trails Closing and It's Partly Your Fault

Your social media habits are causing Starved Rock State Park to crumble at an alarming rate.

We're heading into one of the busiest parts of the year for visitors to Starved Rock State Park in Oglesby, Illinois and employees are begging people not to come. Can you believe that?

The reason Starved Rock staffers want you stay away, is because the big numbers of visitors are causing much of the sandstone to crumble away.

Pam Grivetti, president of the Starved Rock Foundation told WQAD.com, "more than 97,000 people visited the state park over Labor Day Weekend alone." Increased foot traffic has caused so much erosion, that portions of the park's 13 miles of trails are closed off.

"...the increase in visitors is mainly due to the rise in social media. She said people visit the park, share photos of themselves standing in unrestricted areas, and that then encourages others to come and do the same." - Pam grivetti

The foundation is working hard with lawmakers in Springfield to be able to start charging admission to secure enough money to make repairs. If Starved Rock were a national park, they would get money and help from the Department of Natural Resources.

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