Climbing Near Maple Park, Illinois

In the suburbs? Desperate to climb some rock outside? It's not much, but this cave offers a little bit of fun. The ground stays fairly dry after rain, just make sure the fox river isn't flooded/high. There is a fair amount of choss, but it's easily identifiable and avoidable. The cave has a main room that is approximately 7 feet wide at the largest part and 10 feet long. There is a small crawl that loops from the left side to the back, and a tiny room just off the left of the crawl. Not really caving, but this is as good as it gets this close to Chicago. Park near the Red Oak nature center. If you are facing the building, start walking to your left. It's around a five minute walk from the nature center, just past the private property crossing. Bring a headlamp or some source of light. A lot of light is let in during the day, but it may be difficult to find holds without a light.

This small area is packed full of problems on both the East & West Side of the river. -The railroad bridge have spots to boulder, sport climb, and top rope - The Stearns road bridge has 8-12 Routes You can Park at the Jon J Duerr Forest Preserve and take the bicycle trail towards Elgin. You can Park at Seba Park and take the bicycle trail towards St.Charles. The quickest way would be to park on Hancock Ave, walk along Rt.31 until the bridge, go under the bridge and follow the train tracks. There is a closer parking spot on the East Side, but it's still under construction and closed to the public.

This small area is packed full of problems on both the East & West Side of the river. -The railroad bridge have spots to boulder, sport climb, and top rope - The Stearns road bridge has 8-12 Routes You can Park at the Jon J Duerr Forest Preserve and take the bicycle trail towards Elgin. You can Park at Seba Park and take the bicycle trail towards St.Charles. The quickest way would be to park on Hancock Ave, walk along Rt.31 until the bridge, go under the bridge and follow the train tracks. There is a closer parking spot on the East Side, but it's still under construction and closed to the public.