Waterfalls in Illinois

Overview of waterfalls in Illinois

Matthiessen's canyon runs about a mile from Deer Park Lake to the Vermilion River. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) says it drops 45 feet at Cascade Falls. IDNR's closures page, updated October 2, 2026, lists the bridge over Lake Falls as closed until further notice.

Burden Falls descends about 100 feet in total, per Wikipedia and Wilderness.net, but its biggest single drop is about 20 feet. Its flow is seasonal. The Forest Service lists no restrooms or drinking water at the site.

Waterfall Glen's Rocky Glen falls are tiers the Civilian Conservation Corps built in the 1930s, according to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. A free 180-car lot on Bluff Road is the closest parking.

Plan these as separate trips. Waterfall Glen and Matthiessen are in northern Illinois, while Burden Falls is in the Shawnee National Forest at the state's southern tip.

Fees and parking at waterfalls in Illinois

None of the three Illinois waterfalls on this site charges an entry fee that we found, and parking is free at Waterfall Glen and Matthiessen.

We read IDNR's camping FAQ on October 25, 2026. It says IDNR 'does not charge an Entrance Fee to any state owned or operated land.' The exceptions are Wildlife Prairie Park and sites with beaches. At Matthiessen, groups of 20 or more need a $25 Activity Permit from the Starved Rock Visitor Center.

For Burden Falls, we found no fee notice, but we could not read the Forest Service's Burden Falls page directly. The Forest Service lists that 'no permits are required to enter or camp in designated wilderness.'

Waterfalls near Chicago

Two of the three Illinois falls on this site are the nearest to Chicago: Waterfall Glen in DuPage County and Matthiessen in LaSalle County. Neither lists an entry fee.

• Waterfall Glen Falls, Darien: small stepped tiers in a DuPage County forest preserve. The free 180-car waterfall lot on Bluff Road is the closest parking. The Rocky Glen Trail spur is about 0.2 mile, per the district's map key.
• Matthiessen State Park Falls, near Oglesby: IDNR says the canyon drops 45 feet at Cascade Falls, and the main trail there starts at the Dells picnic area. Enjoy Illinois puts the park 'about 95 miles west of Chicago.'

Starved Rock State Park, a separate IDNR park, is a few miles from Matthiessen on IL-178, per IDNR.

Waterfalls in southern Illinois

Burden Falls is the one southern Illinois waterfall on this site, in the Burden Falls Wilderness of the Shawnee National Forest in Pope County. It was open as of October 26, 2026, with no alert posted.

• Burden Falls: about 100 feet of total descent, per Wikipedia and Wilderness.net, with a biggest single drop of about 20 feet.
• Access: Upper Burden Falls sits beside a roadside pull-off on gravel Burden Falls Road. There is no official trail to the lower falls, only user trails, per Trail Run Project.
• Flow: seasonal. A 1965 Forest Service photo caption says the stream 'is generally dry'.

The Burden Creek low-water crossing may be impassable at high water, according to Trails Offroad.

Rules: forest preserve, state park and wilderness

Matthiessen bans swimming and wading, Waterfall Glen and Matthiessen require leashed dogs, and Burden Falls follows federal wilderness rules.

Waterfall Glen (Forest Preserve District of DuPage County): dogs must be on a leash shorter than 10 feet. The preserve is open from 1 hour after sunrise to 1 hour after sunset. We could not confirm the district's rule on wading in Sawmill Creek, so check posted signs, and do not climb the falls.

Matthiessen (IDNR): IDNR says 'All pets must be on a leash.' It prohibits swimming in the canyon creeks, pools and waterfalls, and in the Vermilion River. Its trail map bans wading too. Rock climbing, rappelling, scrambling on rocks and leaving the marked trails are banned. Hours are 7am to sunset, and fines 'begin at $195.'

Burden Falls (Shawnee National Forest): the Forest Service lists wilderness rules that bar mechanical and motorized equipment, including bicycles. We found no Forest Service dog or swimming rule and no posted hours for this wilderness. Keep dogs leashed and stay off the ledges.

Read our waterfall safety guide before any canyon or ledge walk.

Waterfall hikes in Illinois

Upper Burden Falls sits beside a roadside pull-off, and the Rocky Glen spur at Waterfall Glen is about 0.2 mile, so neither needs a long hike.

Waterfall Glen: the Rocky Glen Trail is a short limestone spur to the falls. It joins the Main Trail, a 9.5-mile crushed-limestone loop around Argonne National Laboratory. The district's trail map key puts the spur at about 0.2 mile.

Matthiessen: IDNR says the main trail to Cascade Falls starts at the Dells picnic area. IDNR's trail map puts the Dells Area trails at 3.2 miles in total and the Vermilion River Area at 1.9 miles, linked by a 1-mile horse trail. IDNR opens its horse trails from May 1 to the second weekend of November.

Bluff tops are easy, but the interior dells 'may be difficult to negotiate, particularly during spring and early summer,' IDNR warns. The map gives no distance to either falls.

Burden Falls: Upper Burden Falls sits next to a roadside pull-off, per a photo description on Wikimedia Commons. There is no official trail to the lower falls, only user trails, per Trail Run Project. Wilderness.net lists a 3.5-mile Burden Falls Trail that runs above the falls.

Illinois waterfall closures and conditions (as of Oct 2026)

As of late October 2026, Waterfall Glen and Burden Falls were open, and Matthiessen was partly open, with the Lake Falls bridge closed.

Matthiessen, partly open (checked October 25, 2026): IDNR's Current Closures page was updated October 2, 2026. It says the bridge over Lake Falls is 'closed until further notice' and a trail detour is posted. Cascade Falls is not listed as closed. The Dells lot restroom is closed for repairs, with porta-potties in its place.

IDNR closes Matthiessen to everyone except hunters on set dates each winter. For 2026-27, those dates are November 20 to 22, December 3 to 6 and December 11 to 13, 2026. On December 31, 2026 to January 3, 2027, and on January 15 to 17, 2027, the trails stay open. The Nature Preserve is closed except to hunters on those dates.

Burden Falls, open (checked October 29, 2026): the Shawnee National Forest alerts page listed no Burden Falls alert. It does list Forest Order 09-08-25-03, 'Shawnee Wilderness and Watersheds' (September 29, 2025), which restricts use in wilderness and watershed areas. The forest's trail conditions line is (618) 658-1312. The Burden Creek low-water crossing on gravel Burden Falls Road may be impassable at high water, according to Trails Offroad.

Waterfall Glen, open (checked October 28, 2026): no alerts were posted on the Forest Preserve District page. The flush restrooms at the waterfall lot close in fall and winter until temperatures stay above freezing, and portable toilets are nearby in winter.

Illinois waterfalls FAQ