Shawnee National Forest

Find your next adventure

Nestled in southern Illinois between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the Shawnee National Forest spans 289,000 acres featuring oak-hickory forests, flourishing wetlands, grassy openlands, lush canyons, sheer bluffs and unique geological features.

Recreation Guide

Come Play

An icon of a small trailerCamping
An icon of a person riding a horseHorseback Riding
An icon of a person with a hiking stickHiking
An icon of binocu larsNature Viewing
An icon of a person in a canoe. Water Activities
An icon of an interpretive panelOutdoor Learning

Commonly Asked Questions

Know Before You Go: Safety Information
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Features

Jackson Falls Visitor Use Management Plan

Tents line a path that meanders through a spring forest.

Calling all visitors, neighbors, and supporters of Jackson Falls! The Shawnee National Forest is developing a Visitor Use Management Plan (VUMP) for the Jackson Falls area, and you are invited to be a part of the process. The VUMP will help guide future investments over time to ensure that Jackson Falls remains a safe and sustainable recreation destination.

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Forestry for the Birds

Photo of Cerulean Warbler

Learn how forestry restoration on the Shawnee is restoring and improving habitat for many warbler species of birds, including the cerulean warbler which is listed as ‘threatened’ in Illinois (see p.10)

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