USFS · National forest · Illinois

Shawnee National Forest

Shawnee National Forest is a United States National Forest located in the Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, United States. Administered by the United States Forest Service, it consists of approximately 498,615 acres (201,782 ha) of federally managed lands. In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Pope, Jackson, Union, Hardin, Alexander, Saline, Gallatin, Johnson, and Massac counties. Forest headquarters are located in Harrisburg, Illinois. There are local ranger district offices in Jonesboro and Vienna. Shawnee National Forest is also the single largest publicly owned body of land in Illinois.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest930,027 acresUSFSIL2 campgrounds within 10 mi29 Forest Service sites
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4fires
active
Prison C & D Rx (prescribed burn) · 13 mi from the center · 168 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateIllinois
Size930,027 acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0908, region 09
Center point37.5156, -88.8584
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary and 1 more is within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Pine Hills Campground
First-comeIL
FWS · 1.7 mi
Devils Kitchen Group Pavilion
Reservable8 sites

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 29

The Forest Service lists 29 recreation sites in this forest, among them 5 fishings, 4 picnic areas, 4 backpackings, 3 interpretive sites. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 29

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Prescribed
    Prison C & D Rx

    13 mi from the center point · 168 acres

  • Prescribed
    Water Tower B C D E Rx

    14 mi from the center point · 148 acres

  • Prescribed
    Dk West De Rx

    15 mi from the center point · 157 acres

  • Prescribed
    Lift Station A & B Rx

    15 mi from the center point · 126 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historical Park · 23 mi
Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 147 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Shawnee National Forest?

930,027 acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Shawnee National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Shawnee National Forest in?

Illinois.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Shawnee National Forest?

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary, including Pine Hills Campground. 2 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Shawnee National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 29 recreation sites here, including 5 lake and pond fishings, 4 picnickings and 4 backpackings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Shawnee National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.516, -88.858. Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park is 23 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Shawnee National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Prison C & D Rx at 13 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Shawnee National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 14 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Shawnee National Forest?

Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park (23 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Shawnee National Forest?

147 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Dupont, John, House and Giant City State Park Lodge and Cabins.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: Shawnee National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.