Approximately 230 species of birds have been identified within, at the boundaries or flying over Pere Marquette State Park in the past 20 years. Popular locations for bird watching are Stump Lake, in the river bottoms, McAdams Peak and other overlooks along the scenic drive through the park.

Four of Pere Marquette's hiking trails (Goat Cliff, Ridge, Ravine and Hickory) terminate at McAdams Peak. A stone shelter constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps sits atop the peak.

Every winter Pere Marquette State Park and the surrounding area plays host to to our national bird, the Bald Eagle. A Park Site Interpretive Program Coordinator will be presenting informative programs about these magnificent creatures. Visitors will learn to distinguish between immature and mature eagles, what they eat, why they winter in the area and more.

On the Oak Trail, hikers can view the vertical loess (pronounced 'less') soil formations. Loess is a geologic term that refers to deposits of silt that have been laid down by wind action called aeolian activity by geologists.

Because the Fern Hollow Trail is the longest trail in the Park and isn't easily accessed, it is the most remote of all the hiking trails and therefore the one where hikers are most likely to happen upon wildlife.

The Rattlesnake Trail is named after one of the three venomous snake species that are native to Illinois can be found at Pere Marquette State Park. The trail covers habitat that Rattlesnakes prefer.

The Hickory Trail is actually an old service road that once provided access to the trail’s shelters and follows a ridge extending from McAdams Peak to the Park’s Scenic Drive. Not far from McAdams Peak is an area known as Twin Mounds, which overlooks a prairie area that has been restored to its natural state and is being maintained by prescribed burns.

The terrain that the Ravine trail passes through would have been mostly hill prairie before fire control efforts. There have been efforts recently to restore some of the area to its original form. The Park conducts periodic controlled burns and this maintenance of this prairie area gives visitors an opportunity to experience a piece of Illinois’ past.

The Goat Cliff Trail is the oldest in the park, originally laid out in 1934 by members of the National Youth Administration, one of the Depression era work programs. The trail is recommended as the best way to sample the park's natural treasures. The trail starts on the west end of the parking lot by the Visitor’s Center near the log cabin.

The "Four Rivers" Fabric Art hangs in the center of the Great Room at the Pere Marquette State Park Lodge. Consisting of 4 large hangings, the piece depicts the world of nature surrounding the Park and the Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers. Celebrated artist and art professor at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, M. Joan Lintault, created the piece.

In 1929, John D. McAdams, business manager of the Alton Telegraph, made the suggestion to create a monument commemorating Jacques Marquette as the first European to land in Illinois. This suggestion was made to H. H. Ferguson, a local landowner, who had the monument designed. The monument was erected where Ferguson believed the mouth of the Illinois River was likely to have been located at the time of Marquette’s expedition.

Father Jacques Marquette, sometimes known as Pere Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who along with Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to explore and map the northern portion of the Mississippi River Valley.

Examples of Native American pottery and explanations of the techniques they used can be found in the exhibit room of the Visitor Center of Pere Marquette State Park.

Pere Marquette State Park is home to many owls. The Great Horned Owl, the Barred Owl and the Eastern Screech Owl are common to both the State and to Pere Marquette State Park.

There is a variety of camping options at the campgrounds of Pere Marquette State Park including a Class A campground which can accommodate RVs as well as traditional campers and a Class B campground, which is for tents only.

The Pere Marquette Lodge and Conference Center offers traditional hotel type rooms and separate cabins. The Lodge was originally built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and has been newly renovated and contains modern amenities. Today, native stone and rustic timbers of the original Lodge blend with the new to provide first class accommodations in a historical setting.

The Pere Marquette State Park offers two types of accommodation options. Visitors can stay at the Lodge and Conference Center which offers traditional hotel type rooms or they can opt for camping.

The small river communities of Grafton and Elsah provide visitors to Pere Marquette with a variety of opportunities and activities to take advantage of.

Pere Marquette Lodge & Conference Center is the host of a variety of fun family events throughout the year. The Park's interpretive staff holds events such as the early summer Family Fishing Fair and the popular Bald Eagle Days in January and February.