Public lands in Illinois

23 units whose boundary reaches Illinois. They are 13 national wildlife refuges, 8 wilderness areas and 2 national forests and grasslands, largest first within each type.

National wildlife refuges: 131,212 acres
Wilderness areas: 32,171 acres
National forests and grasslands: 957,593 acres

Each figure is the acreage inside Illinois for one kind of unit, summed over the units listed below. A unit that crosses into another state counts only the part of its boundary that lies in Illinois. Wilderness often lies inside one of the other kinds, so the figures overlap and should not be added together.

National wildlife refuges

All national wildlife refuges →

Refuge · USFWS

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

190,553 acres7 campgrounds near

Refuge · USFWS

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

45,495 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge

18,601 acres1 campground near

Refuge · USFWS

Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge

16,622 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Great River National Wildlife Refuge

11,823 acresAlso MO

Refuge · USFWS

Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge

8,511 acresAlso MO

Refuge · USFWS

Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge

7,928 acresAlso MO

Refuge · USFWS

Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge

6,582 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge

3,934 acresAlso MO

Refuge · USFWS

Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge

3,700 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge

2,692 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge

1,201 acresAlso WI

Show 1 more

Refuge · USFWS

Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area

65 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Wilderness areas

All wilderness areas →

Wilderness · USFS

Lusk Creek Wilderness

6,352 acresWilderness

Wilderness · USFS

Bald Knob Wilderness

5,800 acres1 campground near

Wilderness · USFS

Clear Springs Wilderness

4,739 acres1 campground near

Wilderness · USFWS

Crab Orchard Wilderness

4,050 acresWilderness

Wilderness · USFS

Garden of the Gods Wilderness

3,955 acresWilderness

Wilderness · USFS

Burden Falls Wilderness

3,694 acresWilderness

Wilderness · USFS

Bay Creek Wilderness

2,760 acresWilderness

Wilderness · USFS

Panther Den Wilderness

821 acresWilderness

National forests and grasslands

All national forests and grasslands →

Shawnee National Forest

930,027 acres1 campground near

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

27,566 acresNational Forest

Boundaries come from the agencies’ own layers. A unit is listed in every state or territory its boundary reaches. Data refreshed November 1, 2026.