Illinois

Oh I am going to Jackson, going get ma fill.

Illinois Climbers Association:

http://iclimb-ica.org/pages/index.html

To all you climbers stuck in Charleston, IL, don't feel bad. I grew up in the countryside, and go down any creek for long enough you'll find something to climb. The map I posted above has a spot of mine with a 20-30ft sandstone cliff. Rock quality is so so, if I still lived there I'd get a pic of the face. The Embarrass River has some faces too, but you gotta wade upstream for a few hours. Happy climbing!

Took me long enough to get some Illinos photos posted up here. These are all 80-83 vintage Kankakee River State Park. It would be a very popular bouldering location today with many roof moves just off the deck and most walls less than 30 ft in height. many routes are 5.8 and 5.9 A shame the DNR would not budge on requests allowing us to continue climbing there as of June 1983.

Why did the DNR stop allowing climbing?

They removed access stairs and forbid climbing because drunk kids with coolers of beer, in the park at night illegally, have trashed it up and fallen down or off the cliffs too. THAT in their mind was related to the use of cliffs for anything vertical. Senseless. But climbing had not yet become a widely known indoor sport back then; no X Games, no MTV or action sports media, so nothing for them to relate to except guys who fall off cliffs with coolers full of beer.
We wrote letters, made calls, had a meeting, explained our simple use, clean climbing, no pitons, toprope mostly, etc..and they still said NO. This was long before the Access Fund got started to the degree it is today. Chalk was not an issue, as it was the same substance and color as the dusty calcium carbonate limestone rocks. Fishermen leave bait containers and trash, and hike down the same rugged cliff trail that we do,but they get to stay. (they pay for stuff, we didn't; so go figure) Trespass and you would get your gear taken away plus a fine.
Since then, with the lack of climbing traffic on the cliffs, there is a major increase of plants on the blocky rocks. Many holds are gone from dirt and invasive plant roots prying them off the walls. Hard to believe we were safer than nature turns out to be.