Shawnee National Forest Quarter

The Shawnee National Forest hosts the most acreage of any natural area in the state of Illinois. Its large, public open spaces offer many recreation opportunities including big-game hunting, long-distance pedestrian and equestrian trails, orienteering, bird watching, rock-climbing, beach recreation, and two National Scenic Byways: the Ohio River and the Great River Road. The forest also has some of the largest and most diverse blocks of mature hardwoods and forest interior habitats of national forests. An abundance of wetlands, floodplains and riparian areas enhances water quality and provides important wetland habitats for migrating waterfowl in the Mississippi flyway. It was established as a national site in 1939.