Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route

Illinois

National Scenic Byway

Map

Byway Details

Designation
National Scenic Byway
Length
33 mi in Illinois

About Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route

Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route is a 32.9-mile drive in Illinois that holds two designations: National Scenic Byway and Illinois State Scenic Byway. The route links a string of towns, passing through Hartford, Wood River, Alton, Portage Des Sioux, Elsah and Grafton, so there are plenty of places to stop along the way. For comfortable driving weather, aim for September or October. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Alton show September highs around 80°F and October highs near 68°F, with roughly seven or eight wet days in each month. The drive makes a good base for getting out of the car. Gilbert Lake Hiking Trail, Duncan Farm Trail and the climbing areas of Pere Marquette State Park all sit within about a tenth of a mile of the route. Swan Lake Levee Trail is about a mile off as well.

Scenic byway data: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration

Facts about this place

When to go

Best time to go: Apr–Jun. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 66–84°F and lows of 45–66°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Alton - Melvin Price L&D, IL weather station, 3.5 mi away. High / low in °F.

  1. Jan39° high22° low
  2. Feb44° high25° low
  3. Mar53° high35° low
  4. Apr66° high45° low
  5. May75° high56° low
  6. Jun84° high66° low
  7. Jul87° high69° low
  8. Aug86° high67° low
  9. Sep80° high60° low
  10. Oct68° high48° low
  11. Nov54° high37° low
  12. Dec44° high27° low

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Towns along the route
Hartford · Wood River · Alton · Portage Des Sioux · Elsah · Grafton

Source: USGS GNIS populated places

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 2 miles of the route, PostGIS distance)