Provided you use iodine tablets and/or filters, although filters will also add some weight.
As someone insinuated above, I’m not understanding why a day hike requires any special planning, beyond bringing something to eat and drink, clothes that are appropriate for the weather (and possible turns of weather), and a companion or someone who knows where you’re going.
I keep looking at the mentions of headlamps, tape, and whatnot, and then I look at the map for that park and see there’s a total of only 12 miles of trails, none of which appear to be more than a mile or two from a parking lot… which is a very different hiking experience than something like this day hike.
I don’t want to say, “No, you shouldn’t bring a bunch of stuff that could potentially be useful,” but at the same time, I feel like this is being made into a bigger deal than it is.
Yeah, I was thinking the same. It’s Illinois, not the back country of the Rockies. Be prepared, dress in layers (and learn to drink water, for Pete’s sake - you’re an adult), but you’re not going to encounter grizzlies or rough trail conditions.
As far as gas goes, just Google map your route before you go. You can easily see where to stop.
Wouldn’t some lightweight purifier for water be needed to drink from an Illinois stream?
If I were dropped into the middle of nowhere (which is basically what happens if you get lost or your vehicle breaks down in a remote area), I would want three things: water, a “space blanket,” and a compass.
Others may disagree with me, but these make it possible for you to survive for days. In fact, the compass is probably superfluous, since the best strategy is to hunker down and stay where you are if others will be looking for you, but it is so lightweight that you aren’t really giving anything up by taking one along. You can survive for a fairly long time if you can stay hydrated. And hypothermia can occur in relatively mild weather/rain.
Everything else is helpful, but much less essential.
No interstates for you w/ a scooter, but a minute on google maps show it’s roughly 60 miles & there’s gas station(s) by I-80 in Dayton & the town of Ottowa so plenty of places to tank up in roughly the middle.
I didn’t look at a topo map, but expect elevations given how many canyons there are there. 12 miles in 5 hrs can be a pushing it pace. Suggest you park in the middle somewhere. Go to one end & then come back to parking lot; if you still feel good, then continue on. Also, depending upon what time you start, you may not need more than a pair of cargo pants. I hate the @#$% 30° temp swings during a day at this time of year, but if you start at say, 11am, it’s warm enough that you wont need to shed many, if any, layers. You could just do a ½ liter water bottle & a power bar in each pocket & go hands free. Keep extra @ your scooter to replenish for the second half.
There is a park, inside the city limits of Philadelphia, w/o cell or police radio coverage because of the way the creek runs thru a canyon. Plan on your phone NOT working & then be pleasantly surprised if it does.
As for that light, it’s waaay overkill. Using it on medium should be more than enough for hiking. I do nighttime trail running/racing & don’t use anything that bright. Also, if it doesn’t have a lockout switch to prevent it from being turned on, think about storing it without the battery. Wouldn’t be the first time someone pulled out a light that was accidentally turned on in their pack/pocket. That’s why I like something like a Petzl w/ replaceable AAAs that I keep a spare set with me or can get more anywhere.
Modern filters like the MSR Trailshot or Lifestraw and other in-bottle filters take up very little room and weigh almost nothing. If you were doing on a multiday backcountry trip with a group of people you might want to bring something with a higher flow rate like the MSR Guardian or Katadyn Vario, but for the kind of day hike the o.p. is looking at, a couple of liters of water carried in bottles or a hydration bladder would be more than sufficient. Don’t drink straight from any stream; guiardia and various other parasites, a variety of bacteria and viruses, and various other contaminants have been found everywhere across North America. Even meltwater from alpine lakes is not guaranteed to be suitable for consumption without treatment.
I’m not familiar with that trail (or hiking in Illinois in general) but it is quite easy for someone without experience to get lost by taking a wrong turn or going off trail, and get turned around even in such a relatively small area. I get stories from friends who work SAR talking about people getting lost on well-marked trails in foothills above the San Gabriel Valley only a mile or two away from housing developments because they don’t realize that cell phones require line-of-sight to a tower, and go off trail in a ravine and get stuck when they realize they can’t climb down and don’t know how to get back up. Every couple of years someone actually dies out there due to injury, dehydration, or heat stroke, often literally within a few hundred yards of civilization. Shit, I helped one party of healthy adult hikers back down from Echo Mountain after they got lost, dehydrated, and one member of their party climbed down into a ravine and got stuck, and there is hardly any piece of that trail that doesn’t overlook Altadena and Pasadena. (They went down the wrong trail on return and ‘got lost’ because they had no map to reference.)
Better to be well-prepared and not end up needing the extra water or a med-kit that you carry than to be ill-prepared in an emergency. That minimalist hiker philosophy works really well until the first time you get into trouble and then you realize that if you’d just brought a small water filter or a flashlight you could have avoided getting into more serious trouble. On the other hand, if it is a flatland hike on groomed trails with people all around, I wouldn’t be concerned about bringing any more than a small bottle of water, a light windbreaker for rain and wind protection, and a smartphone or small camera for taking pictures.
Stranger
Starved Rock is like 1.5 hours from Chicago. Not at all near being in the boonies. Don’t know what kind of scooter, but enjoy the ride. :rolleyes:
Gas stations and anything else you might want all along the way. Was last there a month or 2 ago (eagle watching.) Not sure there is a 5 hr hike at the place. The park/facilities are far from isolated/primative. Anything you might want at the lodge or visitor’s center.
Park gets VERY crowded. By all means, do NOT go on a holiday weekend. In fact, best if you can avoid ANY weekend spring thru fall.
Idiots die there every year, going off trail, trying to climb friable rock. They boardwalked the most popular trails several years back, making them (IMO) pretty boring.)
I strongly recommend Matthiesen right next door.
All you need for EVERYTHING Starved Rock can throw at you is good shoes, appropriate clothing for the weather, a refillable water bottle, and whatever food you want. And, yeah, sunscreen, bug repellant, etc - but you should probly have that sort of stuff even if you were planning on walking to and spending a couple of hours at your neighborhood park.
I once read an interview with Les Stroud of Survivorman. He was asked what, after all those weeks he’d spent in the backcountry practicing survival techniques, he’d never go into the wilderness without. His answer? A Bic lighter and a GPS locator beacon. So yes, it’s a good idea to procure one and carry it.
I’m a BSA Scoutmaster. I take the “Be Prepared” motto very seriously. I teach the boys that this means be prepared to spend a night or two on the trail if needed, be prepared for injuries, and prepared to find the trail should you get turned around in the woods.
molten, pay particular attention to the lists that Telemark and Spiderman provided. The ten essentials are, well, essential. They cover the basics and can cover most of your needs on the trail. Having said that, a few further thoughts:
As others said, bring along a simple first aid kit. Some Band-Aids, antibiotic ointment, blister pads, and a couple of alcohol pads are about all you need. Don’t forget a pair of tweezers!
Echoing every other poster here and suggesting you ditch the soda and bring water. As noted upthread you can bring along packets of Crystal Light or other flavor additives if you don’t like the taste of plain water. Also consider a water filer or purification tablets to use in an emergency. Figure your water needs and bring along at least half as much again. Running out of water can be life-threatening. There’s a device called a Lifestraw which is essentially a straw-mounted water filter. Small, lightweight, and good for emergencies. Consider tossing one in your pack.
I’m not sure what a “package opening knife” is (it sounds like a box cutter but I’m sure that’s not what you mean), but I’d suggest either a good Leatherman-style tool (good ones are pretty cheap) or a basic but well made (and sharp) swiss army knife. There are few instances where you’ll need a knife and find yourself pining for an inferior tool. Bring the good stuff.
Finally, and a lot of people disagree with me on this, but bring an emergency shelter and an emergency mylar blanket. Here in Oregon last year a group of hikers (a big group, like 150) were trapped in the Columbia Gorge when a wildfire broke out and burned the trail—the only escape route. It was September and most (or maybe all) were on a day hike so were totally unprepared to spend the night outdoors. They ended up spending the night in their shorts and t-shirts sleeping on wet blankets before bushwacking out. It was a miserable and dangerous experience.
Again, this ISN’T the Columbia Gorge in Oregon. Unless you are the first one on the trail at dawn, or the last one out after dusk, at anytime from spring thru fall, a hiker at Starved Rock will be hardpressed to get out of sight/earshot of fellow hikers for any continuous 15 minute period. Bring a fully charged cellphone (yes, you will have bars throughout the park) and you are covered.
Sounds like a miserable hiking experience to me. Might as well just hike the Lakefront Trail.
Stranger
Well, you do the best w/ what is available. 
Like I said, I recommend the adjacent Matthiesen Park, which tho right next door, is FAR less developed/trafficked. Without a little effort, it is hard to get ANYWHERE within a couple of hours from a city as large as Chicago that provides anything resembling isolation. But Starved Rock DOES have some beautiful scenery. And hikes can provide far more change of elevation than available along the lakefront or elsewhere in Chitown.
When I was there in the winter, it was quite nice. But many of the walks are along streams, and were overly icy for my tastes.
Ran the lakefront daily for a decade or so up until a few years back. If you went out to Northerly Island (Meigs) or S past McCormick, you’d be as isolated as you can get that close to a big city. All the crowds are at the Museum Campus, Navy Pier, and northwards.
Second best option (IMO) for hiking/nature in the Chicago area is the Indiana Dunes. Again, avoid the weekends/holidays. For 5 years or so I hiked them with my dog every weekday evening, every season. Could go 2 hours along the lakefront without seeing as many as 10 people. And climbing the trails among the dunes will kick just about anyone’s butt. Of course - as far as supplies, if weather allowed I did it barefoot and shirtless, w/ nothing other than a waterproof bag w/ my keys, cellphone, water bottle! 
This ain’t the wilderness.
Altho most of your post here, Stranger, is excellent, the part about “Both soda and tea are diuretics (will cause you to become dehydrated). You need to take water in order to remain hydrated.” is a common urban legend. Yes, true, they are not as hydrating as plain water, but you can stay hydrated drinking coffee, soda and yes, even beer.
I’ve never been, but it sounds like a nice walk in the woods, albeit with more people than I generally prefer. But it’s still a walk in the woods, and that counts for something.
It’s not so bad. Dinsdale said that there are bars throughout the park. But take it easy, there’s a long scooter ride at the end of the day.
Look, you should always pack a small survival kit. That way, if you decide some day to take a slightly less civilized day hike/trail, you are used to carrying it.
You kit should contain:
Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman tool or similar.
A whistle. A small mirror. A LED flashlite and maybe a headlite also.
Firemaking: one of those magnesium flints if you like, but some lifeboat matches in a waterproof case is better. Or both.
Mini first aid kit: 6 bandaids, two alcohol prep pads, one pack of triple antibiotic, maybe some moleskin, a pack each of aspirin , ibuprofen, and benadryl. The aspirin could come in handy if you find someone going thru a heart attack, the benadryl is for a allergy or bee sting.
A large cotton bandana.
This is a classic day hike kit. It all fits in your pocket. I put the mino- 1st aid kit in a small zip bag.
Yes, if going deeper, one of those small emergency blankets, some paracord, etc is all very nice.
Going off the Ten Essentials, for a hike like this I always suggest one extra layer (light wool sweater, or windbreaker, and perhaps a extra pair of socks) more water than you think you will need, and a extra snack besides what you plan to eat. You wont need shelter or a repair kit and tools, other than the knife tool I mentioned above.
While you can get suffiicent hydration from coffee, tea, or soda under normal leisure conditions, if you are exerting yourself outside the hydration requirements increase, and the effects of diruetics is compounded as not only do the diuretic substances pull out water but also elecrolytes from your bloodstream which are needed to ensure proper nervous function and prevent cramping as well as facilitating glycogen replenishment. When hiking on a strenuous trail, you should drink only water, or diluted sports drinks (Gator-Aid in the concentration you get from the bottle has far too much sugar and excess electrolytes for constant cunsumption) because your body is constantly processing and using water to produce perspiration and to carry way urea at a rate that you do not experience sitting in front of the television or taking a casual walk around the neighborhood.
For the trail the o.p. is walking on this probably isn’t a concern, but for any hike with a significant challenge drinking water without diurectic compounds is very important to maintaining good hydration. This is not a “common urban legand” it is physiological fact known to anyone educated in sports physiology.
Ah, I didn’t mean to shit on the o.p. I just personally hate crowded hiking trails which are inevitably filled with people playing music on the cell phones, mothers plowing their off-road strollers into you if you don’t get out of the way, and all manner of obnoxious bros trying to out-bro one another. But then, I just hate people, pretty much all people, all of the time, so don’t take my opinions on dealing with the public as anything other than the ravings of a manically misanthropic person who would just like to be left alone with a book and a glass of whiskey.
Stranger
The only thing I hate about crowded trails are the very rare ones that both are long enough to have a good chance of needing to relieve yourself before the end but crowded enough that you can’t find a time to just do so on the side of the trail.
My cites prove otherwise.
What do you do with the compass if you don’t have a map of the area you’ve just been dropped into? Just choose a random direction and keep walking that way?
(That’s a serious question.)