“Guests kept asking whether they could bring their dog out on the water, and Kayak Starved Rock were turning enough of those requests away that it stopped making sense,” said Janee Matteson of Kayak Starved Rock Campground. “The company decided to build a tour around it instead of handling it case by case.”

Starved Rock State Park covers 2,630 acres along the Illinois River and reports roughly three million visitors a year, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, placing it among the most-trafficked state parks in the Midwest. The park is known for its sandstone canyons, seasonal waterfalls, and a network of marked trails.

Kayak Starved Rock Campground operates next to the park with access from Interstate 80, roughly 95 miles southwest of Chicago. The campground recently changed its guided tour policy to allow dogs to ride along with their owners. Guides cover safety and basic paddling technique before groups launch, and standard kayak rentals remain available for visitors who prefer to paddle independently.

Matteson said the change was driven by guest feedback rather than a planned marketing initiative. Pet owners were among the more frequent guest segments asking whether their animals could come along, and the operators decided to formalize an option rather than treat each request individually.

Travel with pets has been a documented growth segment for several years. Industry surveys from the American Pet Products Association have consistently found that a majority of U.S. households own a pet, and travel publications have reported a steady increase in the number of campgrounds, hotels, and outfitters adopting explicitly pet-inclusive policies. The shift has been particularly visible at outdoor recreation operations near major public lands.

The campground positions itself on the proximity of its tent sites to the launch area, allowing guests to move directly between camping and paddling without driving. It also coordinates multi-day group bookings for organized outings such as scout trips and corporate retreats, pairing time on the water with access to Starved Rock State Park’s trail system, which includes 18 named canyons.

The campground says it was previously named in a list of Top 10 Urban Campgrounds. The dog-inclusive tours are running during the current operating season.

CONTACT: Kayak Starved Rock Campground Website: https://kayakstarvedrock.com

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Company Name: KAYAK STARVED ROCK CAMPGROUND
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Website: https://kayakstarvedrock.com