On our hike through Starved Rock State Park, we ventured down the icy steps toward French Canyon, a blind canyon with a cascading waterfall at the terminal end of the trial.
The narrow passages are sometimes difficult to walk over in wet weather, but rather treacherous when iced over. Of all the places to visit at Starved Rock, this is the only one with signs warning of the dangerous icy conditions. Other canyons have steep drops and ledges which you'd think would be more dangerous, but this canyon can fool people because of it's innocent looking approach. So many people attempt to walk up the trail and either fall or give up. It's trails such as this that demand the use of ice cleats, and wearing them, one can simply walk up the icy approach with no concern.
The waterfall in French Canyon does not freefall, it travels over the rock face and, in cold weather, the ice covers the entire surface, creating a beautiful ice staircase up the canyon wall. Of course at 45 feet high, it's too tall and too dangerous to use as a staircase, but because of this geography here, this waterfall almost always guarantees a beautiful formation of ice.
A few years back, a couple of trees fell into the creek, and ultimately into the canyon; these logs remain at the foot of the falls. The logs now act as a centerpiece on the canyon floor, adding some natural interest to the waterfall.
On this visit to Starved Rock, French Canyon's frozen waterfall was the most impressive of all the canyons we visited. Perhaps this will change once the current snow melts and refreezes while falling down the other rockfaces.
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