i have never had the pleasure of ice climbing here but have friends who have.... i have however gone on several hikes through the park... this is where i leash trained my cat, over 100 visits to the park.
Used to live nearby, great place. Never did get to do any ice climbing but nice hikes. One of the areas of more elevation gain/loss in IL. Oh yeah, the brunch is good too.
Hiked many of the canyons when living in Bloomington, Illinois. The place is amazing in winter and during fall colors. The only bad thing is half of Chicago seems to be there for fall colors.