Piasa Harbor History

America's great rivers, the Mississippi, the Illinois and the Missouri, meet in a broad floodplain bordered by majestic 150 foot limestone bluffs - geology that dates back more than 250 million years. The Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway, locally known as the Great River Road, traverses for 15 miles between the Mississippi River and the bluffs from Alton, Illinois to Grafton, Illinois. The route is lush with forest and prairie attracting rare species such as the Bald eagle,   american white pelican and a variety of other migratory birds. This section of the river runs east to west with the tree lines of Missouri providing a magnificent landscape for sunrise and sunset.  Residents and tourists revere the splendor by car, motorcycle, bicycle or boat. GRLT was formed in 1992 to protect the lands along this beautiful stretch of the Mississippi and is operated by a 13-member board of directors and numerous staff members.