Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Rte-20140421-047

The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route extends for in southwestern

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, travelling through the floodplain of the

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and

Rivers. The route has been officially designated as a

National Scenic Byway A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...

by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

. The route coincides with a portion of the

Great River Road The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States. They are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Miss ...

Route description

The north end of the route is at

Pere Marquette State Park Pere Marquette State Park is an 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 ...

, located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The south end of the route is at the

Lewis and Clark State Historic Site The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site opened in 2002 and is owned and operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation (formerly Illinois Historic Preservation Agency). The site, located in Hartford, ...

, located near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The cities and villages of Grafton,

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

, Elsah,

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) * Alton (surname) Places Australia * Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario * Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zeala ...

East Alton East Alton is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,786 at the 2020 census, down from 6,301 in 2010. History East Alton was incorporated as a village in 1893 (some say 1894). William Cobb, namesake of Cobb ...

, Wood River and

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

are located along the route. The Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail parallels the route between Pere Marquette State Park and Alton. The Confluence Bike Trail parallels the route from Alton south to Hartford. Other major points of interest along the Route include Piasa Park, the

Clark Bridge The Clark Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Mississippi River between West Alton, Missouri and Alton, Illinois, United States. Named after explorer William Clark like the bridge it replaced, the bridge opened in 1994. It carries U ...

in Alton, and the at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam.

History

The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route was designated as an Illinois State Scenic Byway on June 8, 1998. It was later added to the National Scenic Byway program on June 15, 2000, with an addition that extended the existing byway from East Alton south to New Poag Road. In May 2007, the Illinois Bureau of Tourism announced that the route was officially chosen as one of the "Seven Wonders of Illinois".

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=title,inline Great River Road Illinois River Mississippi River Missouri River National Scenic Byways State highways in Illinois Tourist attractions in Jersey County, Illinois Tourist attractions in Madison County, Illinois 1998 establishments in Illinois