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Photos: Ice Climbers Flock To Starved Rock State Park

Ice falls fully form for professional climbers at popular state park

By Scott Anderson

January 18, 2022 at 11:13 am CST

Cody Miller, of Rochelle, decends into Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. One of the well known climbing ice-falls is Wildcat Canyon. The icefall inside Wildcat is 90 foot tall. The canyon itself is 125 feet high at is the tallest canyon at Starved Rock State Park. Ice climbing is only allowed in La Salle, Ottawa and Wildcat Canyon. Every year hundreds of experienced climbers gather at Starved Rock State Park to spend several days scaling the enormous frozen ice-falls. Climbers are required to bring their own equipment and have prior experience with ice climbing. Climbers must sign in at the parks Maintenance Building across the road from the Visitors Center. All climbers must be off the trails before dark. Ice climbing is a serious endeavor and should be not undertaken without proper training and guidance from veteran climbers. (Scott Anderson)

Joel Taylor, of Monee, climbs up a 90 foot frozen waterfall at Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. Ice climbing is only allowed when ice columns are suitable for climbing. Climbers will be the ice-falls this weekend in Wildcat, La Salle and Ottawa Canyons in the park.

Cody Miller, of Rochelle, uses an ice tool pick to dig into the frozen ice-fall at Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica.

Cody Miller, of Rochelle, uses an ice tool pick to dig into the frozen ice-fall at Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. (Scott Anderson)

An ice climber climbs up a frozen ice-fall at Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. Ice climbers use special shoes called crampons to dig into the ice and allow them to propel up and down the ice-fall. (Scott Anderson)

Joel Taylor, of Monee, climbs up a 90 foot ice-fall at Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. (Scott Anderson)

Dave Everson, of Homer Glen, climbs a 90 foot ice-fall at Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. (Scott Anderson)

Dave Everson, of Homer Glen, descends into Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. (Scott Anderson)

Ice climber Bruce Turner, of Chicago, holds the rope belay of ice-fall climber Dave Everson, of Homer Glen as Everson climbs up a 90 foot ice-fall at Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. (Scott Anderson)

Ice pics and a helmet rest on top of a log at the bottom of Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. Some of the tools ice climbers use are a helmet, rope, ice picks, and special shoes called crampons to grip the ice when they climb. (Scott Anderson)

Ice-climbers use special shoes called crampons. This ice climber begins to climb the ice-fall at Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. (Scott Anderson)

Joel Taylor, of Monee, climbs up a 90 foot ice-fall at Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. (Scott Anderson)

Ice climber Cody Miller, of Rochelle, (center) ties his shoe called a crampon before ice climbing at the bottom of Wildcat Canyon at Starved Rock State Park on Friday Jan. 14, 2022 near Utica. Climbers will be at the park climbing the massive ice-falls this weekend. (Scott Anderson)

Scott Anderson

Over a decade of experience in photojournalism with over 15 years in the newspaper industry.