Pere Marquette State Park

The hikes here are fantastic with great views of the river. They are very quick hikes though, so you’ll probably want to combine them all together if you want any sort of exercise.
It takes about an hour to get here from St. Louis because there’s no direct way… you have to go 270 around then across the river into Illinois then west to Grafton.
You can enjoy the scenic drive on the river and explore the quaint towns along the way.

This is just a lovely place! My husband and I love to hike and we have come here several times. It is so pretty and peaceful and it’s not too far to drive if you live in the St. Louis area.
We found that the best time to come here is in the fall! It’s just beautiful! We are going back to home to San Antonio, Texas soon and I must say we will always miss this place. Of all the places we visited while we were here, this is the place we will miss the most.

Pere Marquette’s a great State Park with a good amount of trails and views. Heck, the drive up there from St. Louis was pretty, especially along the Mississippi past Alton.
In the middle of November, my wife was out of town so I took my two dogs up there early in the morning in hopes of getting a good hike in (see my Keystone Colorado list to understand…). That early in the morning (7:30am), the only people I was seeing were crazy runners that were bounding up and down the trails, but it was cool to see people there.
The trails were pretty good for anyone in decent shape. To put things into perspective, my pekingese walked most of the way around the fern hollow trail, with the exception of any stairs (I’m one of THOSE people with the doggy backpacks…). Seriously.
My understanding, though, is that Goat Cliff is by far the most scenic of the trails. They’re all pretty short so you can probably spend the better part of the day there and see most of what the place has to offer. I will definitely be back with the dogs (and wife???).

Such a beautiful place to visit. It has hiking suitable for just about everyone. You cant really describe the beauty in words you’ll just have to check it out yourself! We has a nice little 2.5 hour hike up here!

I am a city girl.
There is a reason why I no longer live in the country.
I am a city girl.
However, when my extended family wanted to take me on a hike while I was visiting, I wasn’t reluctant per se, and I rather enjoyed my hike through Pere Marquette State Park.
I don’t have a lot of hiking experience, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, really, but I can say that the trail was relatively easy (my four– and six-​year-​old cousins were able to do it with as much ease as my aunts and uncle), and the scenery was beautiful! The view from one of the summits was absolutely breathtaking, overlooking the Mississippi, into the Wild Blue Yonder (pics to come).
I’m still a city girl, and I don’t plan on moving to the Midwest ever, but Pere Marquette’s a great experience for people who like outdoorsy things and people who don’t.