Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton

This is the only reason why I'd come to Grafton. This park is absolutely beautiful! I love how my fiance, pets and I could just walk and reflect and not be bothered. We saw other people with pets and had no issues. People walking past were very polite on the trails. The amount of trails and difficulty levels were really nice to choose from. It's literally real hiking! I love that. I love a challenging hike and being out in nature with pretty views. It was peaceful and fun. My babies enjoyed it, too. We will come back all the time for as long as we are living in Illinois. They offer so much more here but you have to plan time to do it all. It's definitely worth visiting!

One of the best state parks in Illinois. Great hiking trails. Availability of other activities like scenic drive, horse riding, boating, rock climbing etc. make it even more worth it. Probabaly the best park management staff, because they organize free fun group events. Visitor center and park lodge are great places to check out even if you didn't need visitor information or didn't have to stay in the lodge. It's a great place! It's a 3 hr drive for me and I thought it would be a once in few years visit, but surely not!