Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For a different perspective on the state park, take a cruise aboard a ferry that departs
from the nearby town of Cave-in-Rock. Like old-time travelers, passengers can view the
chalky limestone cliff and the opening of the cave as they cross the Ohio River.
SNAKE ROAD
Beneath the 150-foot limestone bluffs that rise up over the Mississippi River is a
swampland that's home to 35 species of snakes—including the venomous cottontail,
copperhead, and timber rattlesnake—and a variety of amphibians. Called the LaRue-
Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area, this five-mile section of the river is
closed off to vehicular traffic from September 1 to October 30 in the fall so that the
snakescanslitheracrossSnakeRoadandfindadenintherockybluffsacrosstheway.
Then again, from March 15 to May 15, so that the snakes and amphibians can return
to the swamp for the summer. Visitors can come to Snake Road to view the migration,
but collecting is prohibited.
5.
Tower Rock
The drive briefly backtracks, then heads west on Rte. 146, a gently meandering highway
that proves anew that travel at its best is much more than just a journey between two
points.Miles ofrollingfarmland borderthetwo-lane road,whichalsopassesstately stands
of maples and oaks. For camping and for unobstructed views of the Ohio River, take the
turnoff to Tower Rock. The giant cliff—it rises 160 feet above water level—is the tallest
bluff on the Illinois bank of the Ohio River.
6.
Elizabethtown
Looking at the river today, one is likely to see many sleek pleasure boats—a marked con-
trast to times past when the only craft would have been steam-powered vessels and make-
shiftrafts.InthosedaystravelersandpilotmenoftenstoppedatElizabethtowntoprovision
theirbargesandescapetherigorsofriverlife,perhapsspendingthenightattheRoseHotel.
Opened in 1812, the Rose was first a boarding house, then a hotel that was once the
pride of southern Illinois; today the completely refurbished hotel—a national historic land-
mark operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency—continues to provide lodging
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