Southern Illinois' largest public forest, shaped by glaciers, hardwood hills, and sandstone canyons.
Shawnee National Forest
Shawnee National Forest is a United States National Forest in the Shawnee Hills of southern Illinois, administered by the U.S. Forest Service and spanning roughly 289,000 hectares of federally managed land across nine counties. It is the single largest publicly owned body of land in Illinois and sits along the southern edge of a region shaped by Pleistocene glaciers, where hardwood forests, sandstone bluffs, and deeply cut canyons define much of its character.
The forest protects a remarkable mix of ecosystems for its midwestern location, from upland oak-hickory woodlands and pine plantations to swamps, ravines, and river corridors. Seven designated wilderness areas, well-known rock formations such as Garden of the Gods, and recreation sites like Pounds Hollow and Jackson Falls anchor its strong identity as both a refuge for biodiversity and a major outdoor recreation landscape in the American Midwest.
Beyond ecology, Shawnee National Forest carries cultural and historical weight. Much of its early land was exhausted farmland reclaimed through New Deal-era conservation work, and the forest today reflects more than eight decades of reforestation, planning, and grassroots environmental engagement that have shaped both its landscape and its management.
