A 17-year-old boy was seriously injured after a 50-foot fall at Starved Rock State Park Sunday afternoon, according to fire officials.
The boy, from Belvidere, Illinois, was with two friends when he climbed off the marked trail at Pontiac Canyon, plunging 50 feet to the ground, according to Utica Fire Chief Ben Brown.
Fire officials responded to the call at 12:40 p.m., Brown said. The boy was flown to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, and was listed in serious condition.
The Illinois Conservation Police, Ottawa River Rescue, and Life Flight also responded to the incident.
Starved Rock has signs posted at every trailhead reminding visitors that they're required to stay on the park's 12 miles of marked trail, the Illinois Conservation Police said in 2015 after three people fell in fewer than three months.
Shortly before the boy's fall, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources closed Starved Rock State Park just before 12 p.m. when the parking lots reached capacity.
The DNR tweeted around 3:30 p.m. that the park had reopened.
