USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Illinois

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is a 43,890 acre (180 km2) National Wildlife Refuge primarily in southwestern Williamson County, but with small extensions into adjacent eastern Jackson and northeastern Union counties of southern Illinois, in the United States. Its land and water contain a wide diversity of flora and fauna. It centers on Crab Orchard Lake. Major habitat types on the refuge include hardwood forest, agricultural land, grazing units, brushland, wetlands, and lakes. Other major bodies of water on the refuge are Devil's Kitchen Lake and Little Grassy Lake.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge45,495 acresUSFWSIL1 campground within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
4fires
active
A-13 Piles Rx (prescribed burn) · 1 mi from the center · 10 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateIllinois
Size45,495 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point37.6809, -89.0723
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 25)

Boundary map

4 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground

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 0 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FWS · Inside
Devils Kitchen Group Pavilion
Reservable8 sites

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Prescribed
    A-13 Piles Rx

    1 mi from the center point · 10 acres

  • Prescribed
    Area 13 Pile Rx

    1 mi from the center point · 30 acres

  • Prescribed
    Red Shale Bn Rx

    1 mi from the center point · 469 acres

  • Prescribed
    Bassponds A&B Rx

    2 mi from the center point · 55 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 Register listings within 15 miles · 25 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

45,495 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in?

Illinois.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary, including Devils Kitchen Group Pavilion. 1 in all are within ten miles. Most refuges do not allow camping inside the refuge, so the campgrounds listed are outside it.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.681, -89.072. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest A-13 Piles Rx at 1 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 25 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

25 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Giant City State Park Lodge and Cabins and Stotlar, Ed. M., House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge 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.
  • 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.