Pere Marquette State Park (redirected from Père Marquette State Park)

Pere Marquette State Park

Parks Directory of the United States / State Parks / Illinois

Location: Northwest of Saint Louis, Missouri, near the Illinois community of Grafton, about 20 miles from Alton.
Facilities: 80 Class A campsites (2 @di) with electrical hookups, drinking water, and shower access, 2 rent-a-camp cabins, youth camping area, 3 fully-equipped organized group camps (2 have swimming pools); lodge with 50 guest rooms and 22 guest cabins, conference center/meeting rooms, gift shop, dining room, cocktail lounge, indoor swimming pool, whirlpool/saunas, game room, and tennis court; picnic areas, 3 picnic shelters, boat ramps and docks, hiking trails (12 miles), equestrian trails (20 miles), horse rentals, and bike trail (20 miles, paved); visitor center with 300-gallon aquarium, exhibits, and displays.
Activities: Camping, boating, fishing, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, bird watching, hunting, interpretive programs.
Special Features: The park overlooks a wide expanse of the Mississippi River and is famous for the exceptional beauty of its fall colors and, during winter, for its bald eagles. The park was named for Father Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary who, in 1673, was among the first group of Europeans to reach the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. A large stone cross stands just east of the park entrance commemorating the historic landing.
Address: Rt 100 , PO Box 158
Grafton, IL 62037
Phone: 618-786-3323;
Web: dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/PARKS/R4/Peremarq.htm
Size: 8,000 acres.

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See other parks in Illinois.