Crab Orchard Wilderness
Crab Orchard Wilderness, in the middle of the Mississippi Flyway bird migration route, offers a critical winter haven for an average of 40,000 Canada geese annually. Early 1900s agriculture and logging had severely depleted this area’s natural forest, wetland, and grassland, leaving wildlife struggling to survive. The establishment of the refuge and, later, the wilderness designation aimed to restore essential habitats for geese, ducks, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and small mammals like coyotes, beavers, opossums, and raccoons. Visitors are drawn to this Wilderness for its prime bird-watching, hunting, and fishing opportunities. Anglers come to Devil's Kitchen Lake and Little Grassy Lake, hoping to catch bass, bluegill, and crappie.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | Illinois |
| Size | 4,050 acres |
| Designated | 1976, by Congress |
| Center point | 37.61° N, 89.11° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11) |
Boundary map
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
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.
Where to camp
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.
Trails
1 named Forest Service trail enters this wilderness, 5 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Panther Den ↗ | 4.6 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedInagheh 1&2 Rx
19 mi from the center point · 62 acres
- PrescribedInagheh 4 & 5 Rx
22 mi from the center point · 205 acres
- PrescribedCretaceous Hills State Natural Area Rx
41 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
- 1.3 miGiant City State Park Lodge and Cabins ↗Makanda, IL
- 2.5 miGiant City Stone Fort Site ↗Makanda, IL
- 8.2 miReef House ↗Carbondale, IL
- 8.3 miFuller, R. Buckminster, and Anne Hewlett Dome Home ↗Carbondale, IL
- 8.4 miIllinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot ↗Carbondale, IL
- 9.1 mi
- 10.1 miStotlar, Ed. M., House ↗Marion, IL
- 10.3 miAllen, Willis, House ↗Marion, IL
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 Wilderness?
4,050 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Crab Orchard Wilderness?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Crab Orchard Wilderness in?
Illinois.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Crab Orchard Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1976.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Crab Orchard Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 37.606° N, 89.106° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Crab Orchard Wilderness right now?
3 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Inagheh 1&2 Rx at 19 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Crab Orchard Wilderness?
The National Register has 23 listings within 15 miles, including Giant City State Park Lodge and Cabins and Giant City Stone Fort Site.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- 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.