Illinois's Best Scenic Overlooks

Illinois's overlooks are not mountain summits — they are river bluffs, sandstone outcrops, and Chicago's skyline terraces.

Chicago: John Hancock Observatory and 360 Chicago
The 94th floor of the John Hancock Center (now 875 North Michigan Avenue) is 1,030 feet above street level — one of the finest urban panoramas in the US. The view encompasses the Chicago grid extending to the horizon in three directions and Lake Michigan's blue expanse to the east. At night, Chicago's grid of lights is extraordinary. The Willis Tower Skydeck (103rd floor, 1,353 feet) has glass-floor TILT boxes extending over the city — the highest observation deck in the Western Hemisphere.

Pere Marquette Bluff (Grafton)
From the bluffs of Pere Marquette State Park — the view of the Illinois River entering the Mississippi River is one of the finest river confluence views in the US. The blufftop drive through the park passes multiple overlooks; eagles soar below in winter.

Garden of the Gods (Shawnee NF)
The Observation Trail (0.25 miles) reaches the top of the Camel Rock and Anvil Rock sandstone formations — views across the Shawnee Hills forest canopy. For a flat state, the perspective of standing on a 900-foot sandstone outcrop above rolling forest is striking.

Mississippi Palisades State Park (Savanna)
On the Mississippi River in the northwest corner of Illinois — limestone bluffs 200 feet above the Mississippi, with cave openings and dramatic river views. Twin Sisters, Indian Head Rock, and Sentinel Rock are viewpoints above the river bends.

Galena Territory Overlooks
From the hills around Galena — views across the Driftless Area's rolling terrain. The Galena Territory resort area's viewpoints look across the Apple River valley.