There’s a large stone cross located just east of Pere Marquette State Park along Great River Road. It marks the spot where Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet are believed to have touched land during a trip in 1673. On that expedition, Marquette, a Jesuit missionary priest, and Jolliet, a French explorer and cartographer, became the first Europeans to reach the confluence of the Mississippi and the Illinois rivers and enter what is now the state of Illinois.
A 2,605-acre park opened in 1931 as Piasa Bluffs State Park, but the name was soon changed to honor Marquette. Over the ensuing years, the park, a 2,574-acre conservation area, and additional parcels of land were combined, eventually bringing Pere Marquette to its present-day size of approximately 8,000 acres—the largest park in Illinois.
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Today, it’s a treasure spot for nature lovers eager to hike, fish, climb, camp, and admire wildlife. Located merely one hour from downtown St. Louis, Pere Marquette offers something for outdoors enthusiasts of all stripes.
The park presents hikers with their choice of 10 trails totaling more than 11 miles. Of those footpaths, the Goat Cliff Trail is the most popular—and the most scenic. The 1.7-mile loop is of moderate difficulty, and starts on the park’s western edge near Illinois Route 100. Before long, hikers begin a slight ascent. Walk up approximately 300 yards and you’ll spot the Cap au Grès fault line.
“You can actually see where the rocks are split right down the center,” says Scott Isringhausen, Illinois Department of Natural Resources urban fishing coordinator. “As you continue up the trail, you’ll see even more evidence of the fault line.”
The park’s hiking trails are open from sunrise to sunset. Before heading up Goat Cliff, stop by the Pere Marquette Visitor Center to take a look at a map. Dogs are allowed to accompany hikers on the trail, though they must be guided on a leash. Other trails include:
- Dogwood (0.5 miles, moderate)
- Ridge (.25 miles, moderate)
- Ravine (0.5 miles, moderate)
- Hickory (0.5 miles, easy)
- Hickory North (1 mile, moderate)
- Hickory South (1.25 miles, moderate)
- Fern Hollow (1.25 miles, moderate)
- Rattlesnake (.25 miles, moderate)
- Oak (.25 miles, moderate)
The sweeping views of the surrounding areas, including Stump Lake, are among the reasons why Goat Cliff Trail is so popular with visitors. One of the best spots to take in the sights is McAdams Peak, which sits at an elevation of 791 feet.
The Goat Cliff, Hickory, Ridge, and Ravine trails all meet at McAdams Peak, from which you can enjoy the sights of three bodies of water: the Illinois River, Stump Lake, and Swan Creek. “It’s a really beautiful vantage point,” Isringhausen says, “and one of my favorite places in the entire park.”
While McAdams Peak is consistently a crowdpleaser, another lookout offers hikers similarly breathtaking views. From McAdams Peak, follow the Hickory Trail a few hundred yards to the east and arrive at a spur that leads to Twin Mounds. The viewing area overlooks a gorgeous native prairie below.
“It’s been here about 10,000 years,” Isringhausen says. “From that point, you can also see the Gateway Arch, which gives you an idea of how close we really are to St. Louis.”
Many visitors come to Pere Marquette thinking that McAdams Peak is the best place to catch fall colors and spring blooms. They’re not necessarily wrong. But depending on who you ask, Twin Mounds might be a bit better during both seasons.
“In the spring, it’s rimmed with dogwoods and redbuds,” Isringhausen says. “In the fall, it’s the prettiest place in the entire park. You can look toward the Illinois River and it’s full of sugar maples. So you’ll see bright reds, yellows, and golds. It’s a really, really pretty place during the fall.”
Visitors also don’t have to stray far from the Pere Marquette Lodge to see plenty of redbuds and dogwoods during the spring. From mid- to late-April, the area around the Lodge is fully decorated with nature’s beauty.
During winter months, eagle watchers flock to the park to spot the majestic avian creatures. The best time to do so is approximately late December through mid-to-late March. In particular, the last week of January and the first week of February are prime eagle-watching days. “This is truly one of the best places to see eagles,” Isringhausen says. “It’s pretty common to see them all through the river valley.”
Keep in mind that while you can see eagles from various vantage points inside the park, perhaps the best place to spot the birds is at the Brussels Ferry along the Illinois River. The Brussels Ferry is not part of Pere Marquette, but it is adjacent to the park’s perimeter. Inside the park, some of the best places to admire eagles include the harbor area across from the Pere Marquette Lodge, and McAdams Peak and Twin Mounds. “You’re probably not going to see an overabundance of eagles when you’re up there,” Isringhausen says, “but a lot of the times when you do see one, you will actually be able to look down and see the eagles from above, which is pretty neat. It’s a unique vantage point that a lot of people don’t get the chance to see.”
Anglers are attracted to the area for all of the fishing opportunities that are available inside and outside the park. In the water along the harbor area, you’ll find catfish, buffalo, carp, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and more. There’s also an educational pond located inside the park. It’s primarily geared toward kids eager to learn the finer points of fishing, and it’s catch-and-release only. “It’s a great place to get kids introduced to fishing,” Isringhausen says. “It’s unbelievable. I guarantee that if you put a hook in a worm, the kids are going to catch a fish. We have that many fish in there.”
Along those lines, each June the park hosts the Two Rivers Family Fishing Fair, a free event designed to help kiddos learn more about fishing. There’s a pond where kids can have their picture taken with their fish, food and drink, and dozens of other outdoor activities. Every kid who attends leaves with a prize. This year’s fair is tentatively scheduled for June 8 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
There are three group campsites on the grounds of the park: Camp Piasa, Camp Potawatomi, and Camp Ouatoga. Piasa can accommodate 120 campers, and Potawatomi can fit 60 campers.
The park also features another 80 individual campsites, including rent-a-cabins at site Nos. 13 and 15. These cabins are two-room units that feature a full-sized bed in the front room, two sets of bunk beds in the back room, electrical outlets, air conditioning, heating, and more.
Opened: 1931
Address: 13112 Visitor Center Lane, Grafton, Illinois 62037
Coordinates: 38.973, -90.543
Acres: 8,050
Trail miles: 11.0 (approx.)
Camping: Yes; group and individual sites
Hunting: Yes
Fishing: Yes
Rock climbing: Yes
Horseback riding: Yes
