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Illinois
Pere Marquette State Park
- Established
- 1931
- Acreage
- 8,050 · 8,050 acres at the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers; founded 1931 with state and local matching funds; originally called Piasa Bluffs State Park
- Location
- Jersey County, IL (near Grafton on the Great River Road)
- Key features
- Riverbluff overlooks of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers; massive CCC-built lodge (1930s) with a 700-ton, 50-ft-tall stone fireplace; 12 mi of hiking trails; Twin Mounds Native American site; bald eagle wintering grounds
- Activities
- Hiking, horseback riding, camping, lodging at Pere Marquette Lodge, fishing, hunting, boating, eagle-watching tours, picnicking
- Notable
- Illinois' largest state park (8,050 ac); named for Jesuit explorer Father Jacques Marquette who passed through the area in 1673; the riverbluffs host hundreds of wintering bald eagles each January and February
Visits
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Source: dnr.illinois.gov · 2026-05-10