Lake Falls and Giant's Bathtub (Matthiessen)

Lake Falls is a 50-foot waterfall in the Dells on an unnamed tributary of Vermillion River in LaSalle County.  Giant's Bathtub is a 10-foot waterfall downstream. The waterfalls are located in Matthiessen State Park.

Hike Length: 0.7 miles
Estimated Time: 1 to 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Matthiessen State Park
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (2)
Crowds: High
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are very slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 41.29610,-89.02591
Waterfall GPS: 41.29903,-89.02506 (Lake Falls), 41.29801,-89.02474 (Giant's Bathtub)

Directions:

From Ottawa, head west on IL-70 for about 10 miles and turn left on IL-178 south. In 1 mile, turn right on N 25th Street at the sign for the Dells Area of Matthiessen State Park. It's about a mile to the main parking area at the end of the road.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking area, pick up the trail past the restrooms heading down to the canyon and cross the bridge. Across, turn right on Bluff Trail and go about a quarter-mile to the interior trail right before the lake. The trail descends down into the canyon downstream of the waterfall.

Continue on the trail into the canyon and Giant's Bathtub is downstream of the bigger waterfall. The canyon trail continues back to Bluff Trail near the bridge so you don't have to backtrack.

Blog Entries:

25-May-2019: Midewin Prairie

External Links:

Illinois State Parks website: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/parks/pages/matthiessen.aspx