The Illinois section of the Great River Road includes a wide variety of landscapes and terrain as well as a diverse set of points of interest.  On the Northern end of this ride, there are high bluffs and deep valleys.  As riders travel further south, the hilly terrain gives way to plains and farmlands.
 
There are historic sites to see such as the Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower and Historic sites and the Nauvoo Illinois Temple and an early Mormon settlement in Nauvoo.  Riders on this section of the Great River Road will also pass by the Driftless Road Adventures Home Base as they ride through Andalusia.
 
Riders can also view 2 great confluences along this route.  In Hartford, it is possible to view the joining of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.  In Cairo, riders can visit Fort Defiance State Park and watch the Ohio River flow into the Mississippi.  At Fort Defiance you can stand in Illinois and view both Kentucky and Missouri by looking across the different rivers.
 
The Illinois section of the Great River Road is divided into 2 parts; from Dubuque, Iowa to Quincy and from Quincy to Cairo.
 
Note:  We have created 2 sets of routes for each state.  1 is for riding North to South and the other is for riding South to North.  Each route is notated either N to S (for North to South) or S to N (for South to North).
 
Location:  Western Illinois
Approximate Mileage:  560 miles
Estimated Riding Time: 12 hours 
Surface:  Paved
 
Attractions:
 
Grafton - Grafton Ferry
Brussels - Brussels Ferry, Pere Marquette State Park
Cordova - Cordova Dragway
Nauvoo - Nauvoo Illinois Temple
Quincy - Villa Katherine
Savanna - Mississippi Palisades State Park, Poopy’s
Hartford - Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower, Lewis & Clark State Historic Site
Gladstone - Henderson County Covered Bridge