Pere Marquette State Park campground will be closed for renovations through summer

The campground at Pere Marquette State Park near Grafton will be closed through mid-August, according to WBGZ radio station in Alton and its online newspaper, AltonDailyNews.com.

The closure is reportedly needed for repairs and updates to roads, electrical services, water lines and campsite pads. The rest of the park will remain open, including the lodge, restaurant, visitor’s center and hiking trails.

WBGZ broadcast a comment by Scott Isringhausen, urban fishing coordinator with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, who also leads eagle tours at Pere Marquette.

“They are going to redo the campground,” he said. “The tent camping and the RV area both will be closed. They’re going to redo the water lines. They’re going to put more spigots out. But the big thing to the RV area is, they’re going to put all 50-amp circuits in there.”

Isringhausen noted that the campground was built decades ago, when campers didn’t use as much electricity.