WINNEBAGO COUNTY, Ill. (WTVO) — It’s a Forest City gem, a state park of more than 3,000 acres many have come to love. Rock Cut State Park draws in visitors from all over the region to Winnebago County and the greater Rockford area.
Ernest McIntosh visits Rock Cut State Park for the fishing.
“Fishing brings you a lot of peace, serenity,” said McIntosh. “When you catch a lot of fish it makes it worth while.”
He visits the park as often as he can saying he finds the people he encounters at the park, whether it’s visitors of staff, to be pleasant as can be.
“I love Rock Cut State Park,” he said.
Corey Skoumal gave us a tour of the park to see what it has to offer. He’s Rock Cut’s site assistant superintendent.
“I think it’s very special for a lot of people,” said Skoumal. “The park’s been around for quite a couple decades. A lot of people have been coming out here since they were kids back in the 60s and 70s.”
Skoumal said Rock Cut opened as a state park in the 1960s. It’s served as a go-to spot for adventures ever since.
“We’ve got a lot of activities that park visitors can participate in,” Skoumal said. “We have over 40 miles of trails – both paved and dirt. We have a large campground with over 270 campground sites. We have two lakes, which I’ve been told are one of the best fishing lakes in northern Illinois. There’s kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, paddle boating. We got brand new roads throughout the park right now except for the campgrounds, so there’s a lot of roads for bikers. Rock Cut has a very large equestrian area. We got miles and miles of horse trails.”
McIntosh said with so much for people to do, he hopes folks from beyond the Rockford area make a trip to see what the park has to offer.
“I would consider it a gem. It’s one of the nicest parks and lakes around,” McIntosh said. ” Definitely if you had the time it’s well worth it.”