Shawnee National Forest

Stretching across southern Illinois between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, Shawnee National Forest is renowned for its dramatic sandstone bluffs, ancient cypress swamps, and the iconic Garden of the Gods -- a collection of towering sandstone formations sculpted by 320 million years of erosion into fantastic shapes overlooking an unbroken forest canopy. Encompassing approximately 289,000 acres, the forest protects a unique geological crossroads where the Ozark Hills, Shawnee Hills, and the Gulf Coastal Plain converge, creating one of the most ecologically diverse landscapes in the Midwest with over 700 species of flowering plants. The Burden Falls Wilderness and the Lusk Creek Wilderness preserve rugged sandstone canyons, seasonal waterfalls, and old-growth forests that shelter timber rattlesnakes, river otters, and a remarkable diversity of neotropical migrant birds.\n\nOver 280 miles of trails wind through the forest, including the popular River-to-River Trail connecting the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers across the full width of southern Illinois. LaRue-Pine Hills, known as the "Snake Road," is one of the most famous herpetological sites in North America, where the road is closed twice annually to allow mass snake migrations between the limestone bluffs and the swamp below. The forest's ancient bald cypress-tupelo swamps at Heron Pond and Little Black Slough preserve remnants of a primeval wetland ecosystem more commonly associated with the Deep South, making Shawnee a surprising and rewarding destination for nature enthusiasts.