Frontier Motel

About Frontier Motel

The Frontier Motel sits right along the Mississippi River in Marquette, Iowa, a tiny river town wedged between the water and the wooded bluffs of the state's driftless northeast corner. It is family owned and operated by Todd and Sally, who run it as a single-story motor court where guests park at their door and step straight into the riverfront air. The setting does the heavy lifting here: the mighty Mississippi rolls by out front with its towboats and passing trains, Effigy Mounds National Monument sits just up the road, and the bluff overlooks of Pikes Peak State Park are only minutes south. Marquette pairs with McGregor next door and looks across the water to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, making the motel a well-kept, welcoming base for a stretch of the Great River Road.

What Frontier Motel Is Known For

What the Frontier does better than almost anywhere in its class is care. The single-story rooms are kept immaculate, often cleaner than fancier hotels, and Todd and Sally treat guests like arriving friends, accommodating requests and pointing them toward the best of the river country. The grounds show the same attention: landscaped beds, hanging flower baskets, and a heated outdoor pool that stays genuinely well maintained. It is a modest riverfront motel that punches far above its size on hospitality and upkeep, the kind of place travelers remember and return to.

Amenities

• Pets Welcome
• WiFi
• Heated outdoor pool
• Landscaped grounds with hanging flower baskets
• Picnic and grilling area
• At-door parking with room for boats and trailers
• Mississippi River frontage
• Large area for walking dogs

The Room

Rooms at the Frontier are comfortable, spotless, and honest rather than designed, the classic single-story motor-court layout where you park right outside your own door. Each has a private bath, a mini fridge, a microwave, and an in-room coffee maker, along with a TV and free WiFi, so a road tripper can settle in, keep a few things cold, and warm up leftovers after a day on the river. They are simple and well kept, the sort of clean, reliable room that lets the setting and the hospitality be the story.

The Grounds

The outdoor life is the Frontier's calling card. Landscaped grounds run along the property with hanging flower baskets and tidy plantings, and a heated outdoor pool sits at the center for cooling off after a hot afternoon in the bluffs. A picnic and grilling area gives guests a place to gather and cook, and the whole property looks out toward the Mississippi, where towboats push barges and trains roll along the bank. Parking is free and at your door, with room for boats and trailers, and there is a big open area for walking a dog.

The Experience

Staying at the Frontier feels like landing at a river town's steady, well-tended anchor. You pull up to your door, drop your bags, and step out to the pool or a picnic table to watch the Mississippi go by, towboats and freight trains passing in a slow rhythm all day and night. Todd and Sally are around and genuinely glad you came, ready with a tip on where to eat or which bluff overlook to catch at sunset. Mornings are quiet and green, Effigy Mounds and Pikes Peak are a short drive for a hike above the river, and the historic riverfront of McGregor is right next door. It is calm, clean, and unpretentious, a place that makes the river country easy to explore.

Details

Frequently Asked Questions

Things to Do Near the Upper Mississippi River bluffs