Pere Marquette State Park - November 2008 Hike

November 1, 2008
12:15 pm
Weather: Clear, 75 F
Pere Marquette State Park

Peak fall colors came a bit later than expected this year, and the warm weather on this early November weekend generated huge crowds - on the roads and in the parks. The day was clear and the colors were beautiful, but the trails were a bit too crowded for my liking.

We hiked several trails: Dogwood, Ridge, Goat Cliff, Hickory, and Hickory South, but we didn't have time to explore the east end of the park. We hope to do that sometime in the near future.

The trails on west end of the park offers several scenic views, including a few that overlook the Illinois River just north of it's confluence with the Mississippi. I highly recommend bringing a camera to this park, particularly one were you can shoot panoramas.

Pere Marquette State Park offers a Park-like atmoshere: the trails are wide an well-maintained. There are also several lookout pavillions, "patios", and benches throughout. That said, a few of trails included climbs that might be a bit challenging for the elderly and physically challenged. We noticed families with very small childern on the trail - not something I would necessarily recommend.

Pere Marquette also includes a campground, catering mostly to the RV camping crowd. Not my cup of tea.

Illinois' Great River Road is a fantastic day trip. Missourians can fill the entire day by doing a full loop. My recommendation is:

Begin in St.Charles and head to the Golden Eagle Ferry and Brussels "island", then take the Illinois free ferry to the Illinois "mainland". Take Route 100 west a few miles to Pere Marquette State Park and hike for a couple hours. Then head east to Grafton, grab lunch, maybe a beer, and check out some of the shops. From Grafton you'll head southeast to Alton, but I highly recommend making a quick stop at the village of Elsah, especially if you enjoy historic residential architecture.

There's a lot to do once you reach Alton. You'll find numerous antique shops, or can tour the "most haunted town in America", or enjoy a nice steak at Tony's. Fast Eddie's in BonAire, just east of downtown Alton, is also a great way to finish the day. Have a Big Elwood or Chick on Stick and a handful of shrimp, then wash it down with a couple beers. Be forewarned, it might set you back a whole ten bucks. You can head home by crossing the beautifully lit Alton Bridge into Missouri.