Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock
2643 IL Route 178, North Utica, IL 61373-9707
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Avg. $114 /night, 9/15 - 9/16
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3.5
#1 of 1 hotels in North UticaLocation
4.1
Cleanliness
3.6
Service
3.5
Value
3.2
Grand Bear Resort sits in the beautiful setting of Starved Rock State Park. Located just 90 minutes from Chicago & the Quad Cities and an hour from Bloomington & Rockford. The resort includes a 24,000 sq. ft. Indoor Waterpark, Grand Bear Falls. Accommodations include custom lodge rooms, two-bedroom Vacation Villas, and three-bedroom Log Cabin. Cabins and Villas feature full kitchens. Guests can enjoy a view of nature at our Bear Island Outdoor bar and our 18-hole Canyon Creek Miniature Golf. All lodge rooms include a microwave, mini-fridge, and wi-fi access. Other resort amenities include the Cave Arcade, the Honey Pot Sweet Shop and the Moose Crossing Convenience Store. Our Grand Bear Conference Center includes over 11,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including 6000 sq. ft. of Grand Ballroom space to accommodate weddings, family reunions and corporate events.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Indoor pool
Restaurant
Game room
Mini golf
Indoor play area for children
Kids' outdoor play equipment
Public wifi
Lazy river
Heated pool
Breakfast available
Breakfast buffet
Vending machine
Water park
Conference facilities
Banquet room
Meeting rooms
Convenience store
Gift shop
Non-smoking hotel
ATM on site
24-hour front desk
Self-serve laundry
Room features
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Microwave
Refrigerator
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Location
2643 IL Route 178, North Utica, IL 61373-9707
Getting there
Greater Peoria Airport
57.4 mi•
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78 Restaurants
within 5 miles
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Detailed Reviews
Needs better up keep and cleanliness. Water park area was very nice. Locker rooms, not so much. Rooms are a bit outdated. Maid service never came so we had to call for service. She was out of clean wash cloths and new clean ones never arrived. Breakfast buffet was expensive and staff had difficulty keeping the food filled and area clean. Arcade has a lot of games to choose from and play. Suggestion would be to update rooms, improve upkeep and cleanliness, and offer complimentary breakfast
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We traveled with our 3 toddlers, 4,almost 3, and 1. The room was right down the hall from the arcade and pool which was great!
The room: we chose the family room with balcony, it was alittle more crammed then anticipated and the balcony was smaller than we thought. The ceiling looked like it had puke on it and there was food all around the edge of the base of the bed. We didn’t notices when we first got there as we changed and headed to the pool. The headboards of the bed were pretty gross as well. The bathroom was very clean along with the couch. The beds were the worst. Overall I would give the room a 4/10. We didn’t say anything as we were already unpacked and traveling with toddlers is alot.
The gym was very clean! We were lucky to have it right across from our room which was a huge plus!! 10/10
The arcade was great!! Most arcades are expensive, most games were under $1 so our little could play more for less. They didn’t care about the prizes as much as playing the games. I was impressed with the selection of prizes! I would rate the arcade 10/10.
The water park: I looooved how this was geared towards the littles. Our girls had so much fun they didn’t want to leave. Our youngest had a great time as well. We loved how family friendly it was! The infant pool was warmer and I was very impressed with that. The main pool area wasn’t too cold which is hard to find. We have traveled to a few other water parks and the water is too cold for the young ones that they tent to spend very little time in there. The down sides of the water park: our girls wanted to try the big water slide, however only single tubes were allowed down, our girls are too young to go buy themselves but wanted mom/dad to join, they were pretty bummed about that. There was also ants everywhere, soooo many ants, on the rocks around the pools, around the tables, on the tables. We feared of bringing them back to our room. Overall I would rate the water park 8/10.
Jacks: we do not recommend this place! We ordered the steak, pizza, & Alfredo. The steak was terrible, the center was extremely pink & cold. For $22, we expected better, the waitress never came back to ask how everything was, another waitress had to bring us our silverware to eat with. The pizza was pretty good. The chicken Alfredo wasn’t work the $20 either. The chicken tasted old, the noodles were clumped together as of it had been sitting for an extended period of time. We also ordered onion rings as an appetizer, they tasted like rubber, and came with no sauce; again the waitress didn’t come back so we weren’t given the opportunity to ask for some. I would give jacks a 1/10.
Over all we had a blast! The cleanliness could use some improvement, we hope to travel back in the future.
The room: we chose the family room with balcony, it was alittle more crammed then anticipated and the balcony was smaller than we thought. The ceiling looked like it had puke on it and there was food all around the edge of the base of the bed. We didn’t notices when we first got there as we changed and headed to the pool. The headboards of the bed were pretty gross as well. The bathroom was very clean along with the couch. The beds were the worst. Overall I would give the room a 4/10. We didn’t say anything as we were already unpacked and traveling with toddlers is alot.
The gym was very clean! We were lucky to have it right across from our room which was a huge plus!! 10/10
The arcade was great!! Most arcades are expensive, most games were under $1 so our little could play more for less. They didn’t care about the prizes as much as playing the games. I was impressed with the selection of prizes! I would rate the arcade 10/10.
The water park: I looooved how this was geared towards the littles. Our girls had so much fun they didn’t want to leave. Our youngest had a great time as well. We loved how family friendly it was! The infant pool was warmer and I was very impressed with that. The main pool area wasn’t too cold which is hard to find. We have traveled to a few other water parks and the water is too cold for the young ones that they tent to spend very little time in there. The down sides of the water park: our girls wanted to try the big water slide, however only single tubes were allowed down, our girls are too young to go buy themselves but wanted mom/dad to join, they were pretty bummed about that. There was also ants everywhere, soooo many ants, on the rocks around the pools, around the tables, on the tables. We feared of bringing them back to our room. Overall I would rate the water park 8/10.
Jacks: we do not recommend this place! We ordered the steak, pizza, & Alfredo. The steak was terrible, the center was extremely pink & cold. For $22, we expected better, the waitress never came back to ask how everything was, another waitress had to bring us our silverware to eat with. The pizza was pretty good. The chicken Alfredo wasn’t work the $20 either. The chicken tasted old, the noodles were clumped together as of it had been sitting for an extended period of time. We also ordered onion rings as an appetizer, they tasted like rubber, and came with no sauce; again the waitress didn’t come back so we weren’t given the opportunity to ask for some. I would give jacks a 1/10.
Over all we had a blast! The cleanliness could use some improvement, we hope to travel back in the future.
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I think the resort was a great get away for a family and loved the location. The water park was clean and not too busy. The rooms were outdated and the internet was nonexistent. It was mostly clean, but the cleaning schedule of rooms was really inconvenient. They always wanted to clean around nap time(right after lunch) and that isn’t fun with a toddler.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We just recently visited this resort Dec. 27-29. Our stay was NOT pleasant. We stayed in a double queen room, but they looked like full beds. One of the beds was broken, so bad that we would roll off if we slept on that side. The shelf in the bathroom fell off the wall as soon as we tried to get a towel off the wall. The bathtub had black pubic hair in it and the shower curtain was red with mildew. The floor didn't even look like it had been cleaned. I complained at the front counter but all they did was send maintenance down. The maintenance guys were nice and fixed the shelf immediately, but of course they could do nothing about the bed, which we already knew. The neighbors must've been smoking because it was drifting into our room. Friday night we tried to eat at the resort restaurant. We waited at the counter for 10 minutes as the young workers just ran around the place, only for the hostess to come up to all of us waiting (three other families were waiting at the counter as well) to finally say that food is taking 45 mintues, and she asked did we want to wait that long? The place was only half full, it's like they didn't want us there. So we left and went to Utica to eat, which was much cheaper and the food was probably better anyway. This wasn't starting the trip out well at all. On Saturday we went to the waterpark. The water was so incredibly cold on Saturday we did not enjoy being in the water but we tried to tolerate it as best as we could since this trip cost a small fortune. There were mold-looking spore blobs growing on all of the rocks in the waterpark area, and to top it all off the kids developed coughs as soon as they spent the day in the there. My throat was burning and my husband said his eyes were burning so bad that he wanted to leave. So, we left. We got back to our room to find out we were locked out of the room. We had to go back to the counter to get new keys made because for some unknown reason they wouldn't work anymore. We went to the ice cream shop and ordered ice cream, the cookie dough tasted like dirt, but at least the blueberry pie tasted good. We were disappointed that every single craft or activity costed extra, after paying more than $200 a night we expected a lot more out of a resort. We are highly disappointed and would not recommend this place to anyone. This COULD be a great place, if everything was well maintained. To top it all off the workers at the counter said there will be new owners next year, and if we wanted to sit through a 90 minute presentation on Sunday we could come back and get a free stay. That's a joke. With two young kids, why in the world would we want to sit through that and who knows if it will be any better next year? Probably will be worse...
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Date of stay: December 2019
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip: Wish we could've seen if another room was better than what we had...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had a two day stay at this lodge and right when I got into the parking lot i hears two things. First is that the amusement park across the street was closed in 2016, and that someone pooped in the pool. When we got into are rooms we checked around the place and saw that the shower drain covering was covered in this sort of mold. The wallpaper looks like there from the 1980. The pool is the worst they only have the pool made for little children I mean yea there’s a wave pool and a very short lazy river and two slides but there’s toddlers there 24/7. If you came to this pool hoping to relax on the lazy river your wrong. There are children out of there tubes all the time and no staff or management care. Second the tubes suck. They rub against your skin and it leaves you red. And last the most terrible position for and lazy river track is that giant bucket every ten minutes that bucket will fill with water then will dunk it. That bucket Is right under the river. Last the two slides. First of all we need to talk about stairs they suck so bad you lose your energy on the 3rd time up. There is 4 flights. The white slide is slow but you don’t get hurt but you’ll have to walk up there with a tube. The green slide is fast but it hurts my whole back is red from it, the bumps hurt like crap on mid way down you feel on your back a sort of pain where you feel like you ripped some pimples off. That’s if you have pimpled i of course do. And then feel like your bleeding it hurts. Last the safety sign on The slides says That there’s two people floats my friend and I went up to the life guard up there and asked where the two people float boats are? He said “We never had them”. So your telling me that that safety sign that the lodge buildt for that slide that they put those specific word on there and kept that sign on there for people to read when going on the slide. That doesn’t make sense to me.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very disappointing. The resort has all the amenities needed to entertain the children; however, the room left something to be desired. The rooms are dated. The ceiling had multiple signs of water damage, with hasty repair. It wasn’t exactly pleasing to the eye, or reassuring. House keeping service is also not provided, during the stay. Because of this, sufficient soap and toiletries were not provided. If you wanted towels, or toilet paper, you had to go ask for it. This is not something I would expect at a resort. On top of that, the desk staff was snippy when asking for these basic items. I can understand the covid 19 situation, has changed how hotel stays work, but this resort doesn’t seem to measure up. If you aren’t going to vacuum or make the beds daily, I can live with that; you should at least, check on these basics, as well as the trash, on a daily basis though. The other thing I couldn’t figure out either, is the random sand bags in the pool. They leaked everywhere. The water park area, disappointed as well.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Start off with the good. Very friendly staff. Everyone I encountered was polite and helpful. The girl at the front desk was polite and knowledgeable. We called down and asked for more pillows and Larry bought them right up. Beds are comfortable. The place feels very safe. My kids are good swimmers and I let them go around the indoor water park as I sat at the table and let them have fun. The life guards keep a good eye out. It was a very fun stay for the kids. Ages 12, and 8 year old twins.
The poor list is quite long. First off. The wifi is terrible. We were on the second floor which is the main floor of the hotel and our room had virtually no signal. Our room keys stopped working while we were here and had to get them replaced which resulted in a 30 min wait inline at the check in desk. As a family of 5 you get one small bar of soap, one very small bottle of shampoo and one small bottle of conditioner. Not near enough for a family. One small coffee pot with 2 paper cups. A small ice bucket. No cups for that, didn’t matter, the ice machine didn’t work anyway. The bathroom is very small.
At the indoor water park the lifeguards constantly blow their whistles. It gets annoying after a while. The bathrooms were dirty. A very small amount of tubes for the slides and lazy river. There wasn’t enough poolside chairs and tables to accommodate the amount of guests and the poolside snack bar was closed our entire stay.
Would never come again but the kids had fun and that’s what it’s all about. Keep your expectations low.
The poor list is quite long. First off. The wifi is terrible. We were on the second floor which is the main floor of the hotel and our room had virtually no signal. Our room keys stopped working while we were here and had to get them replaced which resulted in a 30 min wait inline at the check in desk. As a family of 5 you get one small bar of soap, one very small bottle of shampoo and one small bottle of conditioner. Not near enough for a family. One small coffee pot with 2 paper cups. A small ice bucket. No cups for that, didn’t matter, the ice machine didn’t work anyway. The bathroom is very small.
At the indoor water park the lifeguards constantly blow their whistles. It gets annoying after a while. The bathrooms were dirty. A very small amount of tubes for the slides and lazy river. There wasn’t enough poolside chairs and tables to accommodate the amount of guests and the poolside snack bar was closed our entire stay.
Would never come again but the kids had fun and that’s what it’s all about. Keep your expectations low.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First of all if you come for the water park, you have to reserve time in a 2 hour interval. I can understand this because of the virus, but the pool is closed down for cleaning on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and we were there on Thursday and there was green algae in the bottom and the water was cloudy and cold and paint was chipping off all over the sides. The slides were not opened and the lazy river wasn't running nor the wave pool so all we had was a pool. Basically I could have gotten a room anywhere cheaper and closer to home with just a pool. There wasn't any popcorn or cake pops to buy the ice cream was way overpriced and the pastry looked weeks old. The snack shop wasn't open (pool area) and the restaurant's limited menu ( maybe 5 entrees) overpriced and just awful food. They don't tell you that the free activity for kids are not available during the week. The arcades were closed. We ended up sitting in our room the whole time. I wonder how sanitized the room was as the 'clean' room had crumbs on the nightstands. Next time we want a get away I will stay closer to my house. A clean hotel room with a pool would be much cheaper. Last but not least...I have called and left 3 messages with the management office to give them a chance to respond before I write a review. NO response (I am not surprised) Terrible experience...won't be back!
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Date of stay: October 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Save your money!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had horrible customer service when trying to book a cabin. I looked online and could see that the cabin was available for the dates I wanted but had to call to receive my husband’s veterans discount, when I called and talked to the front desk to ask questions before booking I was told they didn’t have availability for a cabin on my dates, I then checked online again and it was available so I called reservations (the only time I had good customer service) and booked our room. When we arrived to the cabin it had not been cleaned the floors left our feet black it was so dirty, the toilet on the main level didn’t flush, the shower in the basement had no hot water, and the master jacuzzi was not working properly. We had maintenance come to look at it and he said he don’t have parts for the toilet or basement shower, so those just didn’t work for our stay, he said he fixed the jacuzzi in the master but when we turned it on it shot out black debris from the jets, so that was unable to be used.
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Date of stay: February 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We came to celebrate our son’s 9th birthday—his request. We have been here one time before five years ago. The rooms were not that clean—old food remnants and wrappers found under the beds and old cereal on a chair—and the bathroom fan did not work. Someone was obviously smoking somewhere on the bottom floor, as we could smell it on the walk to and from the pool.
Positives—the kids had a lot of fun. Our littlest was cold in the pool, but the the older kids were fine. They loved the wave pool and the slides. The enjoyed the duck race at the pool. They loved the arcade. The man working at the arcade Sunday and Monday was very friendly and patient with the kids. The location is great and we enjoyed an afternoon hiking at Starved Rock. We only had ice cream at the hotel and the employee working the counter was very kind and patient, as well. We ate our other meals at area restaurants, which were all very good.
Positives—the kids had a lot of fun. Our littlest was cold in the pool, but the the older kids were fine. They loved the wave pool and the slides. The enjoyed the duck race at the pool. They loved the arcade. The man working at the arcade Sunday and Monday was very friendly and patient with the kids. The location is great and we enjoyed an afternoon hiking at Starved Rock. We only had ice cream at the hotel and the employee working the counter was very kind and patient, as well. We ate our other meals at area restaurants, which were all very good.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Typical event band that is color coded and placed upon wrist.
"Watch out for their "off season" website is not clear at all! Lots of rundown things on property. For the price should have looked better."Read full review
"Their online and in person group reservation is terrible. They would lose thousands of dollars rather than keep our family together"Read full review
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PRICE RANGE
$108 - $183 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
grizzly jack`s grand bear hotel utica, grizzly jacks grand bear resort, grizzly jacks grand bear hotel
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Resort
LOCATION
United StatesIllinoisNorth Utica
NUMBER OF ROOMS
272
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Claim Your ListingGRAND BEAR RESORT AT STARVED ROCK - Updated 2024
Frequently Asked Questions about Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock
Which popular attractions are close to Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock?
Nearby attractions include Matthiessen State Park (1.5 miles), Starved Rock State Park (2.2 miles), and Hegeler Carus Mansion (4.2 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include an indoor pool, an on-site restaurant, and free parking.
What food & drink options are available at Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant and breakfast during their stay.
Is parking available at Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock?
Conveniently located restaurants include Nonie's Bakery & Cafe, Uptown Grill, and Starved Rock Lodge - Main Dining Room.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock?
Yes, guests have access to an indoor pool during their stay.
Does Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock offer any business services?
Yes, it conveniently offers meeting rooms, a banquet room, and conference facilities.
Are there any historical sites close to Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock?
Many travelers enjoy visiting St. Mary's Catholic Church (1.6 miles) and Grand Village of the Illinois (1.0 miles).
Is Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access and reduced mobility rooms. For specific inquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.