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Pere Marquette State Park is an 8050acre protected area in southwestern Jersey County, Illinois, United States. It is located near the city of Grafton, Illinois, at the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Illinois River. The park is located on Illinois Route 100, which at this location is also part of both the Great River Road and the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway. The park is operated and maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and is Illinois' largest state park in area. The park is also part of the Confluence Greenway and is at the northwestern end of the 21.5mi Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail.
The park was named in honor of Father Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit priest who was the co-leader, with his comrade Louis Jolliet, of a 1673 voyage of exploration on the Mississippi River. Marquette was the first European to map the mouth of the Illinois River, which he and Joliet used to return from the Mississippi to the Great Lakes. Arrange your visit to Pere Marquette State Park and discover more family-friendly attractions in Grafton using our Grafton day trip site.
Pere Marquette State Park reviews
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The trails in this park are marked so well!! We were there in late fall but was a gorgeous experience.
The trails in this park are marked so well!! We were there in late fall but was a gorgeous experience. more »
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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!
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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!
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