USFWS · 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 acresUSFWSIL
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
3 fires
active
Inagheh 1&2 Rx (prescribed burn) · 22 mi from the center · 62 acres
2 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
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point37.68° N, 89.07° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 25)

Boundary map

4 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

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

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.36 inches of precipitation, 3.2 inches of snowFebruary: 3.11 inches of precipitation, 4.0 inches of snowMarch: 4.52 inches of precipitation, 1.3 inches of snowApril: 5.55 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 5.18 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 4.60 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.12 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.16 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.44 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.70 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowNovember: 4.49 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 3.72 inches of precipitation, 2.7 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 32.4°F averageFebruary: 36.4°F averageMarch: 45.3°F averageApril: 56.0°F averageMay: 65.9°F averageJune: 74.4°F averageJuly: 77.9°F averageAugust: 76.0°F averageSeptember: 68.6°F averageOctober: 57.0°F averageNovember: 45.5°F averageDecember: 36.3°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Carbondale Sewage Plt, 6 miles from the center point at 390 feet, station USC00111265 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 49 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 11 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Inagheh 1&2 Rx

    22 mi from the center point · 62 acres

  • Prescribed
    Inagheh 4 & 5 Rx

    25 mi from the center point · 205 acres

  • Prescribed
    Cretaceous Hills State Natural Area Rx

    43 mi from the center point · 48 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 · 26 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Illinois

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

45,495 acres.

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

How do I get to Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.681° N, 89.072° W. 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?

3 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Inagheh 1&2 Rx at 22 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 26 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 and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • 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.