106 state parks and recreation areas in Illinois

Every Illinois park in Park Finder. Camping, trails, fees, hours and current alerts are on each park’s own page.

• Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State ParkIllinois' only surviving beach-ridge shoreline runs 6.5 miles along Lake Michigan here, with dunes, swales…
• Anderson Lake State Fish & Wildlife AreaA 1,134-acre floodplain lake fed by Illinois River overflow, ringed by bottomland silver maple, cottonwood…
• Apple River Canyon State ParkLimestone bluffs, spring-fed streams and deep ravines cut by the Apple River fill this 1,907-acre park in…
• Argyle Lake State ParkA 93-acre lake for boating and fishing sits at the centre of 1,700 wooded acres, with five miles of rugged…
• Banner Marsh State Fish & Wildlife AreaMore than 200 clear water bodies behind an Illinois River levee hold largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern…
• Beall Woods State ParkOne of the few remaining tracts of virgin timber east of the Mississippi stands on the Wabash River here…
• Beaver Dam State ParkOak-hickory woodland surrounds the lake that gave this 750-acre Macoupin County park its name, dammed by a…
• Big River State ForestA 2,900-acre remnant of the prairie-woodland border that once covered much of Illinois, including a pine…
• Buffalo Rock State ParkA bluff that was once an island in the Illinois River gives this 298-acre park a sweeping view over the water…
• Cache River State Natural AreaBald cypress with buttressed bases over 40 feet around — some more than 1,000 years old — stand in 18,047…
• Castle Rock State ParkA sandstone bluff above the Rock River gives this Ogle County park its name, with ravines and northern plant…
• Cave-in-Rock State ParkA 55-foot-wide cave, cut from limestone by water over thousands of years, opens in the bluffs above the Ohio…
• Chain O' Lakes State ParkThe park borders Grass, Marie and Nippersink lakes and the Fox River that links the rest of the Chain…
• Channahon State ParkThe official trailhead of the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail, where the DuPage, Des Plaines and…
• Clinton Lake State Recreation AreaA 4,900-acre lake draws anglers after crappie, catfish, bass and walleye, with boat launches, a fishing pier…
• Coffeen Lake State Fish & Wildlife AreaA cooling lake for the Coffeen power station, filled by 1966 behind a 75-foot earthen dam and opened to the…
• Delabar State ParkEighty-nine acres of oak, birch and hickory on the Mississippi River, a mile and a half north of Oquawka…
• Des Plaines State Fish & Wildlife AreaFarmland and woodland, prairie and swamp, still water and shoreline across more than 5,000 acres — roughly…
• Dixon Springs State ParkThe park sits on a block of 315-million-year-old sandstone dropped 500 feet along a Pope County fault…
• Eagle Creek State ParkFacing Wolf Creek across Lake Shelbyville, the site shares 11,100 acres of water and 250 miles of shoreline…
• Edward R. Madigan State ParkA quiet 974 acres along Salt Creek south of Lincoln, wooded with oak, walnut, ash and hackberry — including…
• Eldon Hazlet State Recreation AreaOne of the largest campgrounds in the Illinois park system sits on the western shore of Carlyle Lake, the…
• Fall Creek Scenic Overlook State Natural AreaA small, high-quality forested tract overlooking the Mississippi River valley, originally built as a rest…
• Ferne Clyffe State ParkFerns, unusual plant communities and striking rock formations have made this 2,470-acre Johnson County park a…
• Fort Defiance State ParkCairo Point is the southernmost tip of Illinois and, at 279 feet, its lowest ground, where the Ohio and…
• Fort Massac State ParkIllinois' first state park, preserved since 1908, looks out over the Ohio River from the state's southern tip…
• Fox Ridge State ParkSteep wooded ridges and broad valleys along the bluffs of the Embarras River make 2,064 acres that look…
• Frank Holten State ParkWithin sight of the Gateway Arch, this 1,080-acre East St. Louis park pairs the 18-hole Grand Marais golf…
• Franklin Creek State Natural AreaLarge natural springs, bedrock outcrops and hardwood forest line Franklin Creek through 882 acres, including…
• Fults Hill Prairie State Natural AreaThe largest complex of high-quality loess hill prairies in Illinois rises above the Mississippi floodplain…
• Gebhard Woods State ParkThirty acres in Morris between the I&M Canal and Nettle Creek, shaded by old walnut, oak, ash, maple and…
• Giant City State ParkThe 'Giant City Streets' are huge sandstone bluffs formed 12,000 years ago, and the nature trail through them…
• Goose Lake Prairie State Natural AreaThe largest prairie remnant left in Illinois, 2,537 acres of the grassland that once covered nearly 60…
• Green River State Wildlife AreaA 2,565-acre wildlife restoration area where swampy sloughs cover nearly a third of the ground and the rest…
• Hamilton County State Fish & Wildlife AreaDolan Lake is the draw here: 75 acres behind a 1962 earthen dam, three miles of shoreline and water 18 feet…
• Harry 'Babe' Woodyard State Natural AreaWooded ground with upland prairie openings and a rocky creek running through the draw that splits the site…
• Heidecke Lake State Fish & Wildlife AreaMore than 1,300 acres of prime fishing water, built in 1978 as a cooling lake and leased to the state ever…
• Henderson County Conservation AreaGladstone Lake covers 27 acres with a mile and a half of shoreline and water 25 feet deep, on ground the…
• Hennepin Canal State TrailA 104.5-mile linear park across five counties, on a canal built between 1892 and 1907 — the first American…
• Hidden Springs State ForestRoughly 1,200 acres near Clarksburg, named for seven springs early settlers drank from; Rocky Spring and…
• Horseshoe Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area (Alexander County)Bald cypress, tupelo gum, swamp cottonwood and wild lotus give this 10,200-acre site the feel of the Deep…
• Horseshoe Lake State Park (Madison County)A natural oxbow left behind when the Mississippi cut a new channel, now averaging just three feet deep across…
• Illini State ParkRustic Civilian Conservation Corps buildings and riverside picnic areas make this 510-acre park south of the…
• Illinois Caverns State Natural AreaMonroe County has more caves than any other Illinois county, and this is the one that was worked commercially…
• Illinois and Michigan Canal State TrailThe canal that opened the first water route from the east coast to the Gulf, completed in 1848 and running 96…
• Iroquois County State Wildlife AreaMarshland, sand ridges and dunes in a glacial outwash plain, first bought in 1944 to protect Illinois'…
• James "Pate" Philip State ParkFarmland and grazing ground returned to prairie, marsh and young woodland on Chicago's far western edge, with…
• Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish & Wildlife AreaOne of Illinois' largest public access areas at 16,550 acres — mature forest, grassland, farmland and rare…
• Johnson-Sauk Trail State Recreation AreaA glacial moraine gives this 1,365-acre Henry County park its rolling hills, astride a trail that once ran…
• Jubilee College State ParkRolling ground and the meandering Jubilee Creek fill 3,200 acres between Kickapoo and Brimfield, deeply…
• Kankakee River State ParkThe park wraps both banks of the Kankakee River for 11 miles across roughly 4,000 acres, on a river listed on…
• Kaskaskia River State Fish & Wildlife AreaOne of the largest state-managed sites in Illinois, more than 20,000 acres following the Kaskaskia River from…
• Kickapoo State Recreation AreaTwenty-two deep-water ponds left by turn-of-the-century strip mining now hold 221 acres of clear water across…
• Kidd Lake State Natural AreaThick stands of bulrush, cattail and smartweed fill this floodplain marsh, with willows on the drier ground…
• Kinkaid Lake State Fish & Wildlife AreaA 2,750-acre lake built in 1968 north of Murphysboro, held between sandstone bluffs and oak-hickory hills…
• Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreation AreaA 40-acre lake anchors 715 acres six miles south of the Wisconsin line, with multi-use trails and separate…
• Lake Murphysboro State ParkRolling wooded hills surround the star-shaped lake at the centre of this 1,022-acre Jackson County park. A…
• Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park & MemorialEighty-two acres on the Sangamon River marking where the Lincoln family built their first Illinois home in…
• Lincoln Trail State ParkNamed for the route the Lincoln family took from Indiana to Illinois in 1831, the park holds an American…
• Lowden State ParkA 50-foot concrete statue of a Native American figure, sculpted by Lorado Taft, stands on the bluffs above…
• Marshall State Fish & Wildlife AreaNearly ten miles of Illinois River backwaters, bottomland and bluff across roughly 6,000 acres, half of it…
• Matthiessen State ParkCanyons, streams, prairie and forest meet four miles south of Utica, and the rock formations make it a park…
• Middle Fork State Fish & Wildlife AreaGrass, forest and cropland across 2,700 acres, named for the Middle Fork branch of the Vermilion River that…
• Mississippi Palisades State ParkPalisades are the steep cliffs above a river, and 2,500 acres of them stand near where the Apple meets the…
• Moraine Hills State Park & McHenry Dam State ParkAbout half of these 2,200 acres are wetland and lake, including 48-acre Lake Defiance — one of the few…
• Moraine View State ParkThe Bloomington Moraine, one of the four largest in Illinois, rolls through this 1,687-acre park around a…
• Morrison-Rockwood State ParkLake Carlton, a stream-fed reservoir built in 1969 behind a 38-foot dam, is the focus of 1,164 acres north of…
• Nauvoo State ParkA 148-acre park on the Mississippi at the edge of historic Nauvoo, with a 13-acre lake and a mile of…
• North Point Marina State Recreation AreaThe largest marina on the Great Lakes, with 1,500 floating slips from 30 to 60 feet, built in 1989 midway…
• Pere Marquette State ParkBluff-top overlooks above the Illinois River and its backwaters, with about 230 bird species recorded and…
• Piney Creek Ravine State Natural AreaOne of only two places in Illinois where short-leaf pines grow naturally, on 198 acres bought in 1972 for its…
• Prophetstown State ParkFifty-three acres on the south bank of the Rock River, on the site of a Native American village and named for…
• Pyramid State Recreation AreaAt 19,701 acres this is the largest site IDNR manages, forested hills dotted with lakes and ponds on…
• Ramsey Lake State Recreation AreaRolling hills and timbered shoreline around Ramsey Lake, on ground once known as the Old Fox Chase Grounds…
• Randolph County State Recreation AreaA 65-acre lake finished in 1961 sits in 1,101 acres of southern Illinois hill country, five miles northeast…
• Red Hills State ParkThe highest point between St. Louis and Cincinnati is here, above 967 acres of wooded hills, deep ravines and…
• Rice Lake State Fish & Wildlife AreaA Fulton County backwater wetland used by thousands of ducks and geese each migration, with bald eagles…
• Rock Cut State ParkTwo lakes — 162-acre Pierce and 50-acre Olson — sit in 3,254 acres of rolling plain in Winnebago County…
• Rock Island Trail State ParkTwenty-six miles of old railbed from Alta to Toulon, in a tree-canopied corridor only 50 to 100 feet wide. An…
• Sahara Woods State Recreation AreaReclaimed strip-mine land west of Harrisburg, roughly 4,000 acres holding about 270 acres of fishable water…
• Saline County State Fish & Wildlife AreaSprings and wells here once supplied brine to one of the region's salt works, which gave the county its name…
• Sam Dale Lake State Fish & Wildlife AreaA 194-acre lake with five miles of shoreline trail is the highlight of 1,302 gently rolling, wooded acres in…
• Sam Parr State Fish & Wildlife AreaA 183-acre lake in 1,180 acres northeast of Newton, on ground Jasper County residents campaigned for decades…
• Sand Ridge State ForestThe largest of Illinois' state forests, 7,550 acres of oak-hickory woodland, pine plantation and genuine sand…
• Sangchris Lake State ParkSangchris Lake, a cooling lake built in 1964, gives this 3,000-acre park 120 miles of shoreline for bass…
• Shabbona Lake State Recreation AreaA 318-acre man-made fishing lake in 1,550 acres of rolling prairie, meadow, upland and bottomland woods, plus…
• Sielbeck Forest State Natural AreaMagnificent oaks and ancient cypress stand in bottomland hardwood forest and forested swamp, saved when The…
• Siloam Springs State ParkWooded gullies and scenic crests alive with wild roses and black-eyed Susans surround a lake in 3,323 acres…
• Silver Springs State Fish & Wildlife AreaA pool of clear bubbling water that never freezes, bordered by watercress beds, gives the site its name. The…
• Spitler Woods State Natural AreaTwo hundred acres in Mt. Zion holding one of the largest stands of old-growth woods in central Illinois, much…
• Spring Lake State Fish & Wildlife AreaA long, narrow lake formed by an Illinois River meander runs 8.5 miles along the base of the east bluff…
• Starved Rock State ParkEighteen canyons of moss-laden St. Peter sandstone, cut by glacial meltwater more than 14,000 years ago, and…
• Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation AreaA large lake with 18 miles of shoreline sits in 3,103 acres of oak and hickory, with swimming off sandy Rocky…
• Trail of Tears State ForestJust over 5,000 acres in the Ozark Hills, among the most rugged landscapes in Illinois, with narrow rocky…
• Tunnel Hill State TrailForty-five miles of old Chicago and Eastern Illinois railbed from Harrisburg to Karnak, past the tunnel and…
• Volo Bog State Natural AreaThe only open-water quaking bog in Illinois, formed in a glacial kettlehole and the southernmost in North…
• Walnut Point State ParkWoods, water and wildlife across 671 acres northeast of Charleston, with two winding tree-lined drives that…
• Washington County State Recreation AreaWashington County Lake covers 248 acres with a 13-mile shoreline, four miles south of Nashville. More than…
• Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation AreaThe park overlooks Rend Lake, a 19,000-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir known for white and black crappie in…
• Weinberg-King State Fish & Wildlife AreaRolling hills and a meandering creek across 772 acres in Schuyler County, including a four-acre pond. Most of…
• Weldon Springs State ParkA 550-acre park southeast of Clinton with one of the fullest year-round programmes in the system — fishing…
• White Pines Forest State ParkConcrete fords let you drive through Spring and Pine creeks, past moss-covered cliffs strung with vines, in…
• William G. Stratton State ParkFour public launch ramps in Morris put boats straight onto the Illinois River, with a separate jet-ski launch…
• William W. Powers State Recreation AreaWolf Lake on Chicago's far southeast side, at the Indiana line, holds largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye…
• Wolf Creek State ParkFacing Eagle Creek across Lake Shelbyville, the park shares 11,100 acres of water and 250 miles of shoreline…
• Woodford State Fish & Wildlife AreaA 2,900-acre site along the Illinois River, 2,462 acres of it water, where artesian wells keep the man-made…

Parks in other states

• Alabama22
• Arizona32
• Arkansas54
• California260
• Colorado43
• Georgia64
• Louisiana38
• Nevada27
• New Mexico35
• North Carolina46
• Oklahoma38
• South Carolina51
• Tennessee66
• Texas93
• Utah46
• Virginia44
• West Virginia47

All parks by state

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