Wilderness Areas in the Shawnee National Forest

In 1964, the Wilderness Act established the National Wilderness Preservation System. The purpose of the Act was to "secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness."

In 1990, the Illinois Wilderenss Act designated 7 Wilderness Areas located in the Shawnee National Forest. Together they represent over 27,000 acres that are protected in perpetuity from development, logging, mining, and motorized vehicles and equipment.

The Shawnee National Forest spans 287,000 acres (450 square miles) in southernmost Illinois from the Ohio River to the Mississippi River. Located at the convergence of five geological areas, the Shawnee contains abundant biological diversity found within the rugged terrain of the Ozark Hills, to the massive sandstone bluffs of the Shawnee Hills, to the gently rolling Cretatceous Hills.

The 7 Wilderness Areas are located across the breadth of the Shawnee. They are Clear Springs, Bald Knob, Panther Den, Burden Falls, Bay Creek, Lusk Creek, and Garden of the Gods. Learn more about Wilderness.