10 Reasons Why You Should Drive the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway

Meandering along the eastern bank of the Mississippi River between Hartford, Illinois, and Pere Marquette State Park near Grafton, Illinois, is the 33-mile-long Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway.

Celebrating the confluence of the Mississippi with both the Missouri and Illinois rivers, the scenic byway offers historic treasures, abundant wildlife, as well as natural and man-made wonders as it winds along the bends of the river.

The route takes travelers along Illinois highways 3 and 143 from Hartford to Alton, home of the tallest man ever - all 8 feet, 11 inches of him. At Alton, the byway switches to Illinois 100 and runs below wooded bluffs for 25 miles past the historic community of Elsah, through Grafton and ends at Marquette State Park, Illinois' largest.

While there are many reasons to make this hour-long drive along the Mississippi River, here's 10, starting at the eastern end of the byway:

Lewis & Clark Historic Site, Hartford: At Illinois 3 and New Poag Road, this facility includes exhibits that tell about the beginning of Corps of Discovery expedition at Camp River Dubois near the site. The site includes a 55-foot keelboat display, a theater and a full-scale replica of a fortified encampment similar to the one at Camp River Dubois. A short distance from the museum is the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers where Lewis and Clark set off on their adventure. The largest site east of the Rocky Mountains dedicated to the expedition is a must-see for history buffs. Admission is free.

Melvin Price Locks and Dam No. 26 and National Great Rivers Museum: Learn about the river and its importance to our country at this facility about five miles from the Lewis & Clark Historic site. The view of the Mississippi is incredible while standing atop the dam. Admission is free.

Historic Alton: Monuments are plentiful in Alton, from the life-size statues of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas at the site of their final debate to the also life-size monument to native son Robert Wadlow, who grew to stand nearly nine-feet tall. Grown men can feel like a child again by sitting in a replica of his chair at this site. Antique shops and quaint cafes line the streets of historical downtown, but our favorite stop here is the History & Hauntings Book Co., a store filled with books on everything spooky (and a few regular books, too). Of course, one would expect at least one business to celebrate the town's reputation for being one of the most haunted in America.

Piasa Park: Pronounced Pie-a-saw, this park was built near the image of a large monster painted on a bluff just west of Alton. Explorers Marquette and Joliet discovered an image of the monster in 1673 as they traveled down the Mississippi. This is a replica of the original as described by the explorers.

The village of Elsah: Known as "The Town Time Forgot," Elsah is a picturesque little community that sits in a small valley between the bluffs about 12 miles from Alton. The entire village was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Mississippi River Lighthouse: Don't blink, you'll miss it. It's not your ordinary lighthouse that stands tall against the battering wind and rain along a forbidding, rocky coast. No, it stands only a few feet high and sits right along the roadside. But it's there and it is a unique sight along the route.

Grafton: The final community along the byway boasts antique shops, unique restaurants, wineries and a 120-year-old restored hotel and saloon. A ferry transports vehicles and their passengers across the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers to Missouri. Recommended stops include the Fin Inn Restaurant (where you can view fish inside large aquariums while you eat, Piasa Winery (take home a bottle) and the Raging Rivers Water Park (in season, of course).

Pere Marquette State Park: The byway ends here in the 8,000 square acres that make up Illinois' largest state park. The park features a stone and timber lodge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The lodge has been updated and expanded since then and offers 50 guest rooms and 22 stone cabins. Not to be missed is the mammoth stone fireplace that is reported to weigh 700 tons. You can play a game of chess on the giant chessboard with pieces the size of a small child in the lobby. Across from the lodge is the park's visitor's center, which includes several informative exhibits on local history, ecology and wildlife. Several trails crisscross the park, taking hikers through heavily wooded areas to scenic overlooks of the surrounding countryside. Admission to the park is free.

The awesome scenery: Whether you are driving the byway, cruising along the road at the foot of the towering bluffs, or you've wandered off onto a side road and are now gazing down on the mighty Mississippi from atop a forested bluff, the views along the road are hard to match in the Midwest. During the fall foliage season , this same drive will take twice as long as the reds, oranges and yellows literally burst from the bluffs. Locals will tell you that sunsets are spectacular, because this stretch of the Mississippi runs west to east and the suns sets over the river here.

Watching the river: It is just fascinating to witness the activity along the Mississippi. Barges moving goods slowly up and down the waterway. Cranes, pelicans, eagles flying low over the water. Ferries moving people from one side of the river to the other. Speedboats whizzing around. Water washing over a piece of driftwood that has become lodged against the bank. The river is never still. So, stop somewhere along the byway and just watch for awhile.