Located just north of St. Louis city is Chouteau Island, in Granite City, IL. The park is only a short drive from the city making it easily accessible for those in the St. Louis area. The park is located along the Mississippi River on the Illinois side, and is one of the two entrance points for Chain of Rocks Bridge.  The park offers a variety of trails, fishing, biking, and some nice views of the river, the Chain of Rock Bridge, and a water intake tower that looks like a small castle.

When we visited we drove through North St. Louis to look at the architecture and painted brick then headed over the river to enter Chouteau Island. We visited Chouteau Island to go eagle watching. We saw one eagle from far away, and we also saw a beautiful red tailed hawk, and a plethora of seagulls. Since Margaret broke her ankle we parked along the river and only walked a little bit. Although we didn’t spot any eagles up close, we did enjoy sitting by the river and watching the birds; however, the best part was that when we visited it was when ice floes were floating down the Mississippi River, making for a nice sight.