List of Illinois state parks
Encyclopedia
Map of Protected Areas of Illinois
Each dot is linked to the corresponding article:
Parks; Forests; Recreation Areas;
Fish and Wildlife Areas; Natural Areas;
National Historic Sites and Trails

Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 has a variety of protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...

s, including 123 state protected areas - state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

s, wildlife areas, recreation area
Recreation area
A recreation area is a type of protected area designated in some jurisdictions. In the United States, National Recreation Areas are administered by several different agencies. They typically do not meet the strict guidelines to become national parks. In U.S...

s, nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

s and state forest
State forest
A state forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign state.The precise application of the term varies by jurisdiction...

s. There are also federal and local level protected areas in the state. These levels interact to provide a variety of recreation opportunities and conservation schemes, sometimes in a small area. For instance, 1500 acres (6.1 km²) Shabbona Lake State Park
Shabbona Lake State Park
Shabbona Lake State Park is an Illinois state park on in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. Shabbona Lake is a man-made lake created in 1975. Its name derives from the Potawatomi leader Shabbona....

 lies in DeKalb County which has its own 1000 acres (4 km²) forest preserve system, while the city of DeKalb has a 700 acres (2.8 km²) park system. There is one UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

 in Illinois, Cahokia
Cahokia
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the area of an ancient indigenous city located in the American Bottom floodplain, between East Saint Louis and Collinsville in south-western Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. The site included 120 human-built earthwork mounds...

.

Overview

Illinois has a wide variety of state owned and administered protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...

s: state parks, state forests, state recreation areas, state fish and wildlife areas, state natural areas, and one state trail. They are all administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cabinet-level department of the state government of Illinois. It is headquartered in the state capital of Springfield...

.

There is also one national forest
United States National Forest
National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...

, Shawnee National Forest
Shawnee National Forest
The Shawnee National Forest, located in the Ozark and Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, consists of approximately 280,000 acres of federally managed lands. In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Pope, Jackson, Union, Hardin, Alexander, Saline, Gallatin, Johnson, and Massac...

, and several other sites administered by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...

, including portions of National Trails. There are also National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...

s.

U.S. Wilderness Areas

  • Bald Knob Wilderness
    Bald Knob Wilderness
    The Bald Knob Wilderness is a 5,973-acre parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It is, by acreage, the largest wilderness area located within the U.S. state of Illinois...

  • Bay Creek Wilderness
    Bay Creek Wilderness
    The Bay Creek Wilderness is a parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It is located within the Shawnee National Forest in Pope County, Illinois...

  • Burden Falls Wilderness
    Burden Falls Wilderness
    The Burden Falls Wilderness is a 3,775-acre unit of the Shawnee National Forest. It is located in northwestern Pope County and southwestern Saline County, Illinois. The wilderness is characterized by roadless second-growth hardwood forest, punctuated by a small, seasonal waterfall on Burden Creek...

  • Clear Springs Wilderness
    Clear Springs Wilderness
    The Clear Springs Wilderness is a 4,730-acre parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It contains the LaRue-Pine Hills Ecological Area, a National Natural Landmark noted for a large and diverse population of snakes....

  • Crab Orchard Wilderness
    Crab Orchard Wilderness
    The Crab Orchard Wilderness is a parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It is located within the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Williamson County, Illinois.-Second-growth wilderness:...

  • Garden of the Gods Wilderness
    Garden of the Gods Wilderness
    The Garden of the Gods Wilderness is a parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It is located within the Shawnee National Forest in Hardin County, Pope County, Saline County, and Gallatin County in the U.S. state of Illinois...

  • Lusk Creek Wilderness
    Lusk Creek Wilderness
    The Lusk Creek Wilderness is a parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It is located within the Shawnee National Forest in Pope County, Illinois...

  • Panther Den Wilderness
    Panther Den Wilderness
    The Panther Den Wilderness is a parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It is located within the Shawnee National Forest in Union County in the U.S...


National Forest Service

  • Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
    Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
    The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is a prairie reserve operated by the United States Forest Service. It is in the Central forest-grasslands transition ecoregion. It is located on the site of the former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant near Elwood, Illinois, and was established by federal law in 1996...

     - 15454 acres (62.5 km²)
  • Shawnee National Forest
    Shawnee National Forest
    The Shawnee National Forest, located in the Ozark and Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, consists of approximately 280,000 acres of federally managed lands. In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Pope, Jackson, Union, Hardin, Alexander, Saline, Gallatin, Johnson, and Massac...

     - 270000 acres (1,092.7 km²)

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

  • Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge
    Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge
    The Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Illinois River in Mason County northeast of Havana, Illinois. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as one of the four Illinois River National Wildlife and Fish Refuges....

  • Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
    Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
    Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is a 43,890 acre 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...

     - 43500 acres (176 km²) including the 4050 acres (16.4 km²) Crab Orchard Wilderness
    Crab Orchard Wilderness
    The Crab Orchard Wilderness is a parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It is located within the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Williamson County, Illinois.-Second-growth wilderness:...

  • Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge
    Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge
    The Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Cache River watershed in southernmost Illinois, largely in Pulaski County, but with extensions into Union, Alexander, and Johnson counties. The refuge was established in 1990 under the authority of the Emergency Wetlands Resource Act of...

  • Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge
  • Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex
    Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex
    The Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex was established for the protection of migratory birds including waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds. It is located along the Mississippi Flyway, one of the major routes for migrating waterfowl...

  • Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge
    Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge
    The Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge located along the Illinois River in Cass County and Morgan County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The refuge is adjacent to Meredosia, Illinois, but is managed by the U.S...

  • Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
    Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
    The Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Mississippi River downstream from St. Louis, Missouri. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex....

  • Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge
    Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge
    The Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Illinois River and the Mississippi River in parts of Calhoun, Jersey, and Greene counties in Illinois, and St. Charles County, Missouri. It is managed by the U.S...


National Park Service

There are no national parks in Illinois but the Parks Service owns the 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Lincoln Home National Historic Site preserves the Springfield, Illinois home where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861, before becoming the 16th President of the United States...

 in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

. The Chicago Portage National Historic Site
Chicago Portage National Historic Site
The Chicago Portage National Historic Site is a National Historic Site in Lyons, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located in Old Chicago Portage Forest Preserve, at the junction of Portage Creek with the Des Plaines River, just west of Harlem Avenue on the line of 48th Street...

 is a NPS-affiliated site which is located in the Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Cook County Forest Preserves
The Cook County Forest Preserves are a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are set aside as natural areas. Cook County contains Chicago, Illinois, and is the center of a densely-populated urban metropolitan area in northeastern Illinois...

’s Portage Woods and Ottawa Trail Woods units.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

  • Carlyle Lake
    Carlyle Lake
    Carlyle Lake is a reservoir largely located in Clinton County, Illinois, with smaller portions of the lake within Bond and Fayette counties. It is the largest man-made lake in Illinois, and the largest lake wholly contained within the state.-History:...

     - 26000 acres (105.2 km²) of water and 11000 acres (44.5 km²) of public land
  • Illinois Waterway
    Illinois Waterway
    The Illinois Waterway system consists of of water from the mouth of the Calumet River to the mouth of the Illinois River at Grafton, Illinois. It is a system of rivers, lakes, and canals which provide a shipping connection from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. The...

  • Lake Shelbyville
    Lake Shelbyville
    Lake Shelbyville is a reservoir located in Shelby County, Illinois and Moultrie County, Illinois created by damming the Kaskaskia River at Shelbyville, Illinois. The lake's normal surface pool is at an elevation of . The area that surrounds the lake is the Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area...

     - 11100 acres (44.9 km²) lake and 23000 acres (93.1 km²) of land
  • Rend Lake
    Rend Lake
    Rend Lake is a -long, -wide southern Illinois reservoir in Franklin and Jefferson Counties near Benton, Illinois. The lake contains 18,900 acres of water, stores of water, and supplies over 15 million gallons of water per day to 300,000 persons in over 60 communities. The reservoir is up to ...

     - 18900 acres (76.5 km²) of water and 20000 acres (80.9 km²) of land

Current state parks

Park Name   County or Counties   Area (acres)  Area (km2)   Date
established
  
Bodies of water    Remarks  
Anderson Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area  Fulton
Fulton County, Illinois
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 37,069, which is a decrease of 3.1% from 38,250 in 2000. Its county seat is Lewistown. Canton is the largest city. Both cities are southwest of Peoria, and the county is considered...

22479.1 1947
Apple River Canyon State Park
Apple River Canyon State Park
Apple River Canyon State Park is an Illinois state park on 297 acres  in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, USA. The land for the park was purchased by the state in 1932 and preserves the canyon on the Apple River....

 
Jo Daviess
Jo Daviess County, Illinois
Jo Daviess County is a county located in the northwest corner of U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,678, which is an increase of 1.7% from 22,289 in 2000. Its county seat is Galena....

2971.2 1932 Apple River
Apple River (Illinois)
The Apple River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about long, in southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois in the United States. It rises in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, and flows for most of its length in Illinois, through Jo Daviess and Carroll Counties. Along its course it...

 
Argyle Lake State Park
Argyle Lake State Park
Argyle Lake State Park is an Illinois state park located in Colchester, Illinois. The park is home to the Argyle Lake and of hiking trails and wooded campsites....

 
McDonough 17006.9 1948 Argyle Lake 
Baldwin Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area  Randolph
Randolph County, Illinois
Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 33,476, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 33,893 in 2000. Its county seat is Chester....

20188.2 ? Baldwin Lake
Baldwin Lake (Illinois)
Baldwin Lake is a reservoir which spans part of the border between Randolph County, Illinois and St. Clair County, Illinois.The lake is part of the Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area, near Elevation: ,...

Beall Woods State Park
Beall Woods State Park
Beall Woods State Park is Illinois state park on bordering the Wabash River and Keensburg in Wabash County, Illinois in the United States. of the state park is an old-growth forest designated as an Natural Area by the state of Illinois. The trees within the forest consist overwhelmingly of...

 
Wabash
Wabash County, Illinois
Wabash County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 11,947, which is a decrease of 7.7% from 12,937 in 2000...

6352.6 1966 Coffee Creek
Beaver Dam State Park
Beaver Dam State Park (Illinois)
Beaver Dam State Park is an Illinois state park on in Macoupin County, Illinois in the United States. The park is southwest of Carlinville, Illinois and is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a public place for fishing....

 
Macoupin
Macoupin County, Illinois
Macoupin County is a county located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 47,765, which is a decrease of 2.6% from 49,019 in 2000. The county seat is Carlinville. Macoupin County is an outlying county of the Metro-East region...

7503 1947 Beaver Dam Lake 
Big River State Forest
Big River State Forest
Big River State Forest is a conservation area on in Henderson County, Illinois, United States. The land was first acquired in 1925 as only a refuge, but subsequent land purchases raised the total to .-External links:*...

 
Henderson 290011.7 1925 Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 
Buffalo Rock State Park & Effigy Tumuli
Buffalo Rock State Park & Effigy Tumuli
Buffalo Rock State Park & Effigy Tumuli is an Illinois state park on in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. The park is located in LaSalle County next to Starved Rock State Park, and was once used as a "blind canyon" for Indians to capture buffalo...

 
LaSalle 2981.2 November 15, 1928 Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...

 
Cache River State Natural Area
Cache River State Natural Area
Cache River State Natural Area is an Illinois state park on in Johnson County, Illinois, United States....

 
Johnson 1431457.9 1970
Carlyle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Carlyle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Carlyle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Fayette County, Illinois, United States.-References:*...

 
Fayette
Fayette County, Illinois
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,140, which is an increase of 1.6% from 21,802 in 2000. Its county seat is Vandalia...

37000149.7 1966 Carlyle Lake
Carlyle Lake
Carlyle Lake is a reservoir largely located in Clinton County, Illinois, with smaller portions of the lake within Bond and Fayette counties. It is the largest man-made lake in Illinois, and the largest lake wholly contained within the state.-History:...

 
Castle Rock State Park
Castle Rock State Park (Illinois)
Castle Rock State Park is an Illinois state park on in Ogle County, Illinois, USA. A portion of the land was acquired by the "Friends of Our Native Landscape" in 1921.-2008 closing:...

 
Ogle
Ogle County, Illinois
Ogle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,497, which is an increase of 4.8% from 51,032 in 2000. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle...

20008.1 1921 Rock River 
Cave-in-Rock State Park
Cave-in-Rock State Park
Cave-in-Rock State Park is an Illinois state park on in Hardin County, Illinois in the United States. The state park contains the historic Cave-in-Rock, a landmark of the Ohio River...

 
Hardin 2040.82555944 1929 Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 
Chain O'Lakes State Park
Chain O'Lakes State Park (Illinois)
Chain O'Lakes State Park is a Illinois state park at the inlet of the Fox River into the Chain O'Lakes in Lake and McHenry counties, in the suburban wildlife of Chicago, Illinois, USA....

 
McHenry
McHenry County, Illinois
McHenry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 308,760, which is an increase of 18.7% from 260,077 in 2000. Its county seat is Woodstock. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest county, in...

17006.9 1945 Bluff Lake
Bluff Lake
Bluff Lake is a lake of Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada.-References:*...

, Catherine Lake, Channel Lake, Fox Lake, Fox River
Fox River (Illinois River tributary)
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...

, Grass Lake, Marie Lake, Nippersink Lake, Petite Lake, Pistakee Lake, Redhead Lake, Turner Lake 
Channahon State Park
Channahon State Park
Channahon State Park is an Illinois state park in Will County, Illinois, United States. The park was named after a Native American word meaning "the meeting of the waters". It lies adjacent to the confluence of the Dupage, Des Plaines, and Kankakee Rivers....

 
Will
Will County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 502,266 people, 167,542 households, and 131,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 600 people per square mile . There were 175,524 housing units at an average density of 210 per square mile...

20.50.08296063 1932 DuPage River
DuPage River
The DuPage River is a tributary of the Des Plaines River in the U.S. state of Illinois.-Course:The river begins as two individual streams. The West Branch of the DuPage River, long, starts in Schaumburg at Campanelli Park in Cook County and continues southward through the entire county of DuPage,...

, Des Plaines River
Des Plaines River
The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the U.S. Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River....

, Kankakee River
Kankakee River
The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the...

 
Clinton Lake State Recreation Area
Clinton Lake State Recreation Area
Clinton Lake State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in DeWitt County, Illinois, United States....

 
DeWitt 930037.6 1978 Clinton Lake
Clinton Lake (Illinois)
Clinton Lake is a reservoir located near Clinton, Illinois. The lake is a part of the Clinton Lake State Recreation Area, which encompasses . Clinton Lake is located in the central part of the state. It was built in the 1970s as a cooling source for Clinton Nuclear Generating Station. The lake...

, Salt Creek
Salt Creek (Sangamon River Tributary)
Salt Creek is a major tributary to the Sangamon River, which it joins at the boundary between Mason and Menard County, Illinois. There are at least two other Salt Creeks in Illinois, Salt Creek , and in Effingham County, Illinois....

, Old Creek 
Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Montgomery County, Illinois, United States.-External links:* , Historical Society of Montgomery County Illinois...

 
Montgomery 2971.2 1966 Coffeen Lake, Shoal Creek
Shoal Creek (Illinois)
Shoal Creek is a watercourse in the U.S. state of Illinois. It rises near Harvel, Illinois and, flowing southward through Lake Lou Yaeger, discharges into the Kaskaskia River near Okawville. It drains parts of Montgomery County, Bond County, and Clinton County. Shoal Creek is named for the many...

 
Crawford County State Fish and Wildlife Area
Crawford County State Fish and Wildlife Area
Crawford County State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Crawford County, Illinois, United States....

 
Crawford 11294.6 ? Huston Creek 
Delabar State Park
Delabar State Park
Delabar State Park is an Illinois state park on in Henderson County, Illinois, United States. Two brothers, Roy and Jack Delabar donated the site of the park in 1959. The park was named after the two brothers, and officially opened in 1960....

 
Henderson 890.36017054 1960
Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area
Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area
Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Will County, Illinois, United States. It is located on floodplain adjacent to the confluence of the Des Plaines River and the Kankakee River to form the Illinois River.A tranquil setting, flowing rivers, and natural prairie...

 
Will
Will County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 502,266 people, 167,542 households, and 131,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 600 people per square mile . There were 175,524 housing units at an average density of 210 per square mile...

500020.2 1948 Kankakee River
Kankakee River
The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the...

, Milliken Lake 
Dixon Springs State Park
Dixon Springs State Park
Dixon Springs State Park is an Illinois state park on in Pope County, Illinois, USA, and is one of several state parks in the Illinois Shawnee Hills. The park is on a giant block of rock which was dropped along a fault line that extends northwesterly across Pope County.The park is about west...

 
Pope 8013.2 1946 Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...

 
Donnelley/Depue State Park
Donnelley/Depue State Park
Donnelley/Depue State Park is an Illinois state park on in Putnam County, Illinois, United States....

 
Putnam 301512.2 1982 Lake DePue, Spring Lake, Coleman Lake, Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...

 
Eagle Creek State Recreation Area
Eagle Creek State Recreation Area
Eagle Creek State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Shelby County, Illinois, United States....

 
Shelby 1110044.9 May, 1963 Lake Shelbyville
Lake Shelbyville
Lake Shelbyville is a reservoir located in Shelby County, Illinois and Moultrie County, Illinois created by damming the Kaskaskia River at Shelbyville, Illinois. The lake's normal surface pool is at an elevation of . The area that surrounds the lake is the Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area...

, Eagle Creek (Illinois), Wolf Creek 
Edward R. Madigan State Fish and Wildlife Area
Edward R. Madigan State Fish and Wildlife Area
The Edward R. Madigan State Fish and Wildlife Area is a conservation area located in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located south of Lincoln, Illinois. Founded in 1971 as Railsplitter State Park, it was renamed in 1995 in honor of Edward R. Madigan, a former member of the U.S. House of...

 
Logan
Logan County, Illinois
Logan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 30,305, which is a decrease of 2.8% from 31,183 in 2000...

9743.9 1971 Salt Creek
Salt Creek (Sangamon River Tributary)
Salt Creek is a major tributary to the Sangamon River, which it joins at the boundary between Mason and Menard County, Illinois. There are at least two other Salt Creeks in Illinois, Salt Creek , and in Effingham County, Illinois....

 
Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area
Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area
Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Clinton County, Illinois, United States....

 
Clinton
Clinton County, Illinois
-Demographics: As of the census of 2000, there were 35,535 people, 12,754 households, and 9,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 75 people per square mile . There were 13,805 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...

300012.1 ? Carlyle Lake
Carlyle Lake
Carlyle Lake is a reservoir largely located in Clinton County, Illinois, with smaller portions of the lake within Bond and Fayette counties. It is the largest man-made lake in Illinois, and the largest lake wholly contained within the state.-History:...

, Lake Shelbyville
Lake Shelbyville
Lake Shelbyville is a reservoir located in Shelby County, Illinois and Moultrie County, Illinois created by damming the Kaskaskia River at Shelbyville, Illinois. The lake's normal surface pool is at an elevation of . The area that surrounds the lake is the Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area...

 
Ferne Clyffe State Park
Ferne Clyffe State Park
Ferne Clyffe State Park is an Illinois state park on in Johnson County, Illinois, United States. The nearest town is Goreville, Illinois, and the nearest connection to a limted-access highway is at Exit 7 on the Illinois portion of Interstate 24...

 
Johnson 24309.8 1949 Ferne Clyffe Lake 
Fort Massac State Park  Massac 14505.9 1908 Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 
Fox Ridge State Park
Fox Ridge State Park
Fox Ridge State Park is an Illinois state park on in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The State of Illinois took over ownership of the park sometime in the 1930s....

 
Coles
Coles County, Illinois
Coles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,873, which is an increase of 1.3% from 53,196 in 2000. Its county seat is Charleston, which is also the home of Eastern Illinois University....

20648.4 1930s Ridge Lake, Embarras River
Embarras River
The Embarras River is a tributary of the Wabash River in southeastern Illinois in the United States. The waters of the Embarras reach the Gulf of Mexico via the Wabash, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers. The river drains a watershed of approximately in an agricultural region...

 
Frank Holten State Recreation Area
Frank Holten State Recreation Area
Frank Holten State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States....

 
St. Clair
St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in St. Clair County. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 270,056, which is an increase of 5.5% from 256,082 in 2000. Its county seat is...

10804.4 1964 Whispering Willow Lake, Grand Marais Lake 
Franklin Creek State Park
Franklin Creek State Park
Franklin Creek State Park is an Illinois state park on in Lee County, Illinois, United States. Franklin Creek State Park was dedicated in 1970, making it the 24th nature preserve in Illinois....

 
Lee 6642.7 1970 Franklin Creek 
Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area
Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area
Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area, also known as the Fults Hill Prairie Nature Preserve, is an Illinois Nature Preserve on in Monroe County, Illinois, United States. A key feature of the preserve is a hill prairie located on the east bluff of the Mississippi River near Fults, Illinois...

 
Monroe
Monroe County, Illinois
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 32,957, which is an increase of 19.3% from 27,619 in 2000. Its county seat is Waterloo...

9974 1970 Kidd Lake 
Gebhard Woods State Park
Gebhard Woods State Park
Gebhard Woods State Park is an Illinois state park on in Grundy County, Illinois, United States. Originally was owned by Mrs. William Gebhard, but was bought by the Grundy County Rod & Gun Club in 1934...

 
Grundy 300.1214058 1934 Nettle Creek 
Giant City State Park
Giant City State Park
Giant City State Park is an Illinois state park on in Jackson and Union Counties, Illinois, United States. Illinois acquired more than in 1927, and dedicated the park as Giant City State Park. A lodge and visitor center welcome state park guests. The park is served by the River to River...

 
Jackson
Jackson County, Illinois
Jackson County, incorporated January 10, 1816, is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 60,218, which is an increase of 1.0% from 59,612 in 2000...

, Union
11004.5 1927 Little Grassy Lake
Little Grassy Lake
Little Grassy Lake is a 1,200-acre reservoir in southern Illinois, created by the damming of Little Grassy Creek, a tributary of Crab Orchard Lake and the Big Muddy River. Most of the lake is located in Williamson County, southeast of Carbondale, Illinois. The lake is accessible from Giant City...

, Indian Creek 
Golconda Marina State Recreation Area
Golconda Marina State Recreation Area
Golconda Marina State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Pope County, Illinois, United States....

 
Pope 2741.1 ? Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 
Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area
Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area
Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area is a state park and listed state nature preserve. More than half of the state park is a tallgrass prairie maintained as a natural area of Illinois...

 
Grundy 253710.3 1969 Goose Lake, Des Plaines River
Des Plaines River
The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the U.S. Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River....

, Kankakee River
Kankakee River
The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the...

, Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...

 
Green River State Wildlife Area
Green River State Wildlife Area
Green River State Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Lee County, Illinois, United States.This wildlife restoration area was acquired by the State of Illinois in 1940, using funds from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act. It is frequented by hunters, hikers, birders and other...

 
Lee 256510.4 1940 Green River
Green River (Illinois)
The Green River is an tributary of the Rock River in northwestern Illinois in the United States. Via the Rock, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed. Much of the Green's course has been straightened and channelized.-Course:...

 
Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area
Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area
Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Hamilton County, Illinois, United States....

 
Hamilton 16836.8 1962 Dolan Lake 
Harry "Babe" Woodyard State Natural Area  Vermilion
Vermilion County, Illinois
Vermilion County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois, between the Indiana border and Champaign County. It was established in 1826 and was the 45th of Illinois' 102 counties...

11044.5 ? ?
Hazel & Bill Rutherford Wildlife Prairie State Park  Peoria
Peoria County, Illinois
Peoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 186,494, which is an increase of 1.7% from 183,433 in 2000. Its county seat is Peoria....

17006.9 2000 Deep Lake, Caboose Lake, Beaver Lake, Horseshoe Lake 
Heidecke Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area  Grundy 13005.3 ? Heidecke Lake 
Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park  Bureau
Bureau County, Illinois
Bureau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 34,978, which is a decrease of 1.5% from 35,503 in 2000. Its county seat is Princeton. Bureau County is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area...

, Lee, Whiteside, Rock Island
Rock Island County, Illinois
Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 147,546, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 149,374 in 2000. Its county seat is Rock Island...

, Henry
Henry County, Illinois
Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 50,486, which is a decrease of 1.0% from 51,020 in 2000. Its county seat is Cambridge...

 
60314244.1 1970 W To Moline then N to Rock Falls vic. 104.5 miles (168.2 km) linear park
Hidden Springs State Forest
Hidden Springs State Forest
Hidden Springs State Forest is a conservation area on in Shelby County, Illinois, United States.-2008 closing:Hidden Springs State Forest was one of eleven state parks slated to close indefinitely on November 1, 2008 due to budget cuts by then-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich...

 
Shelby 12004.9 1960 Richland Creek
Richland Creek
Richland Creek is a river in Texas.Richland Creek is also the name of the main creek flowing through Belleville, Illinois, and is a tributary to the Kaskaskia River.-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas...

, Possum Creek 
Horseshoe Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area  Alexander
Alexander County, Illinois
Alexander County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 8,238, which is a decrease of 14.1% from 9,590 in 2000. Its county seat is Cairo. Alexander County is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical...

1020041.3 ? Horseshoe Lake
Horseshoe Lake (Alexander County, Illinois)
Horseshoe Lake is an oxbow lake in Alexander County, Illinois. It is the site of Illinois's Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, a state park in size. A remnant of a large meander of the Mississippi River, it is today a shallow, isolated patch of water located near Cairo and the southern...

 
Horseshoe Lake State Park
Horseshoe Lake State Park
Horseshoe Lake State Park is an Illinois state park in Madison County, Illinois, United States. It is approximately and surrounds a large horseshoe shaped lake called Horseshoe Lake. Horseshoe Lake is the second largest natural lake in Illinois taking up approximately 2400 acres of the park...

 
Madison
Madison County, Illinois
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Madison County is part of the Metro-East region of the St. Louis Metro Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 269,282, which is an increase of 4.0% from 258,941 in 2000. The county seat is Edwardsville, home to...

296012 ?
Illini State Park
Illini State Park
Illini State Park is an Illinois state park on in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. In 1934, Illini entered into the state park system, and was dedicated a year later in 1935...

 
LaSalle 5102.1 1934 Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...

 
Illinois Beach State Park
Illinois Beach State Park
Illinois Beach State Park is part of the Illinois state park system and is located along Lake Michigan in northeast Illinois in unincorporated Zion, Illinois and the Village of Winthrop Harbor. The park is broken into two units that encompass an area of and contains over six miles of Lake Michigan...

 
Lake
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...

416016.8 1948 Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

 
Illinois Caverns State Natural Area
Illinois Caverns State Natural Area
Illinois Caverns is a state natural area in the New Design Precinct of Monroe County, Illinois. It features Illinois Caverns which is alternatively known as Mammoth Cave of Illinois . Illinois Caverns is the second-largest cave in Illinois and has more than 9.6 km of passages...

 
Monroe
Monroe County, Illinois
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 32,957, which is an increase of 19.3% from 27,619 in 2000. Its county seat is Waterloo...

1200.4856232 1985 None 9.6 km of the park are passages underground.
Iroquois County State Wildlife Area  Iroquois
Iroquois County, Illinois
Iroquois County is a county located in the northeast part of the U.S. state of Illinois along the border with Indiana. It is the third largest county in the state in terms of area, covering over . According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 29,718, which is a decrease of 5.2% from 31,334...

248010 1944 Glacial Lake Watseka 
James "Pate" Philip State Park  DuPage
DuPage County, Illinois
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population...

, Kane
Kane County, Illinois
Kane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, which is an increase of 27.5% from 404,119 in 2000. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora.- Geography :...

343213.9 1991 Brewester Creek 
Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area
Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area
The Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area is a conservation area located within Cass County in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in size. A mix of plowed upland prairie and Panther Creek woodlands, the site is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It is...

 
Cass 1655067 June, 1993 Gridley Lake, Prairie Lake
Prairie lake
A prairie lake is a somewhat shallow lake that will empty naturally during dry periods allowing a variety of land plants to flourish in the rich nutrients on the lake bottom. The lakes eventually fill up with water returning to their previous state. In northern Florida, a Flatwoods/Prairie Lake is...

, Drake Lake 
Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park  Henry
Henry County, Illinois
Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 50,486, which is a decrease of 1.0% from 51,020 in 2000. Its county seat is Cambridge...

13655.5 ? Johnson-Sauk Trail Lake 
Jubilee College State Park
Jubilee College State Park
Jubilee College State Park is an Illinois state park located 6 miles west of Peoria, Illinois. It contains Jubilee College State Historic Site, a frontier Illinois college active from 1840 to 1862....

 
Peoria
Peoria County, Illinois
Peoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 186,494, which is an increase of 1.7% from 183,433 in 2000. Its county seat is Peoria....

320012.9 1933
Kankakee River State Park
Kankakee River State Park
Kankakee River State Park is an Illinois state park on primarily in Kankakee and Will Counties, Illinois, United States. Originally, of land was donated by Ethel Sturges Dummer for the creation of the state park in 1938. Another was donated by Commonwealth Edison in 1956, and again donated more...

 
Kankakee
Kankakee County, Illinois
Kankakee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 113,449, which is an increase of 9.3% from 103,833 in 2000. Its county seat is Kankakee....

, Will
Will County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 502,266 people, 167,542 households, and 131,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 600 people per square mile . There were 175,524 housing units at an average density of 210 per square mile...

400016.2 1938 Kankakee River
Kankakee River
The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the...

 
Kaskaskia River State Fish & Wildlife Area  St. Clair
St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in St. Clair County. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 270,056, which is an increase of 5.5% from 256,082 in 2000. Its county seat is...

, Monroe
Monroe County, Illinois
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 32,957, which is an increase of 19.3% from 27,619 in 2000. Its county seat is Waterloo...

, Randolph
Randolph County, Illinois
Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 33,476, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 33,893 in 2000. Its county seat is Chester....

2000080.9 ? Kaskaskia River
Kaskaskia River
The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in central and southern Illinois in the United States. The second largest river system within Illinois, it drains a rural area of farms, as well as rolling hills along river bottoms of hardwood forests in its lower...

, Baldwin Lake
Baldwin Lake (Illinois)
Baldwin Lake is a reservoir which spans part of the border between Randolph County, Illinois and St. Clair County, Illinois.The lake is part of the Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area, near Elevation: ,...

, Peabody River
Peabody River
The Peabody River is a 12.9 mile long river in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Androscoggin River, which flows south and east into Maine, joining the Kennebec River near the Atlantic Ocean....

 
Kickapoo State Recreation Area
Kickapoo State Recreation Area
Kickapoo State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. Located just outside of Danville, Illinois this park is easily accessible through route I-74. It is 28 miles away from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and 95 miles from...

 
Vermilion
Vermilion County, Illinois
Vermilion County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois, between the Indiana border and Champaign County. It was established in 1826 and was the 45th of Illinois' 102 counties...

284211.5 1939 Vermilion River
Vermilion River (Wabash River tributary)
The Vermilion River is a tributary of the Wabash River in the states of Illinois and Indiana, United States.There are two "Vermilion Rivers" in Illinois. The Wabash tributary flows south, while the other Vermilion River flows north to the Illinois River...

 
Kinkaid Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Kinkaid Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Kinkaid Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Jackson County, Illinois, United States....

 
Jackson
Jackson County, Illinois
Jackson County, incorporated January 10, 1816, is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 60,218, which is an increase of 1.0% from 59,612 in 2000...

1175047.6 1968 Kinkaid Lake
Kinkaid Lake
Kinkaid Lake is a reservoir located in southwestern Illinois. Entirely within Jackson County, the lake is approximately northwest of Murphysboro and southeast of St. Louis.-History and ownership:...

, Johnson Creek, Reed Creek 
Kishwaukee River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Kishwaukee River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Kishwaukee River State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States.-History:The land for the Kishwaukee River State Fish and Wildlife Area was acquired by the state of Illinois in 2002. That year, the state purchased of land along the South Branch...

 
DeKalb
DeKalb County, Illinois
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 105,160, which is an increase of 18.2% from 88,969 in 2000. Its county seat is Sycamore. DeKalb County is part of the Chicago metropolitan statistical area.-History:DeKalb County...

5702.3 2002 Kishwaukee River
Kishwaukee River
The Kishwaukee River, sometimes locally known as simply "The Kish", is a river in the U.S. state of Illinois. "The Kish" is famous for its high number of bridges that cross within its 100-year floodplain.-Location:...

 
Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park
Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park
Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The park surrounds and includes Lake Le-Aqua-Na....

 
Stephenson
Stephenson County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 48,979 people, 19,785 households, and 13,473 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 21,713 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...

7152.9 1948 Lake Le-Aqua-Na 
Lake Murphysboro State Park
Lake Murphysboro State Park
Lake Murphysboro State Park is an Illinois state park on in Jackson County, Illinois, United States....

 
Jackson
Jackson County, Illinois
Jackson County, incorporated January 10, 1816, is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 60,218, which is an increase of 1.0% from 59,612 in 2000...

10224.1 1948 Lake Murphysboro 
LaSalle Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area  LaSalle 20588.3 ? LaSalle Lake 
Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial
Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial
The Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial is a 162 acre state park located on the Sangamon River in Macon County near Harristown, Illinois, United States.-Home of Lincoln family:...

 
Macon 1620.65559132 1957 Sangamon River
Sangamon River
The Sangamon River is a principal tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in central Illinois in the United States. It drains a mostly rural agricultural area between Peoria and Springfield...

 
Lincoln Trail State Park
Lincoln Trail State Park
Lincoln Trail State Park is a Illinois state park located in Clark County, in east-central Illinois, south of the city of Marshall, just west of Illinois Route 1...

 
Clark 10234.1 1958 Lincoln Trail Lake 
Lowden State Park
Lowden State Park
Lowden State Park is an Illinois state park on in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The park was named after Governor Frank Orren Lowden. Governor Lowden had served Illinois during World War I. Lowden State Park is home to the Black Hawk Statue, by artist Lorado Taft...

 
Ogle
Ogle County, Illinois
Ogle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,497, which is an increase of 4.8% from 51,032 in 2000. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle...

2070.83770002 1945 Rock River
Rock River (Illinois)
The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Illinois. It rises in southeast Wisconsin, in the Theresa Marsh near Theresa, Wisconsin in northeast Dodge County, Wisconsin approximately south of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin...

 
Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area
The Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area is a 1,448 acre state park in Tazewell County, Illinois. It is operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources ....

 
Tazewell
Tazewell County, Illinois
Tazewell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 135,394, which is an increase of 5.4% from 128,485 in 2000. Its county seat and largest city is Pekin. The majority of the population live in the suburbs and bedroom communities...

14485.9 ? Mackinaw River
Mackinaw River
The Mackinaw River, also called Mackinac River, is a river in the U.S. state of Illinois. It flows through what was once the Grande Prairie region of central Illinois...

 
Marshall State Fish & Wildlife Area  Marshall
Marshall County, Illinois
The median income for a household in the county was $41,576, and the median income for a family was $48,061. Males had a median income of $35,765 versus $21,452 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,065...

600024.3 1925 Red Hills Lake
Red Hills Lake
The Red Hills Lake,also called Puzhal Lake is located in Ponneri Taluk of Thiruvallur district, Tamilnadu, South India . It is one of the two rain-fed reservoirs from where water is drawn for supply to Chennai City, the other one being the Chembarambakkam Lake.*The full capacity of the lake is...

, Muddy Creek 
Matthiessen State Park
Matthiessen State Park
Matthiessen State Park is an Illinois state park located a few miles south of the more famous Starved Rock State Park. The main entrances to both parks are located on Illinois State Route 178....

 
LaSalle 17006.9 1943 Deer Park Lake, Vermilion River
Vermilion River (Wabash River tributary)
The Vermilion River is a tributary of the Wabash River in the states of Illinois and Indiana, United States.There are two "Vermilion Rivers" in Illinois. The Wabash tributary flows south, while the other Vermilion River flows north to the Illinois River...

 
Mautino State Fish and Wildlife Area
Mautino State Fish and Wildlife Area
Mautino State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Bureau County, Illinois, United States....

 
Bureau
Bureau County, Illinois
Bureau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 34,978, which is a decrease of 1.5% from 35,503 in 2000. Its county seat is Princeton. Bureau County is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area...

9113.7 ? 15 lakes
Mazonia/Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area
Mazonia/Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area
Mazonia/Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Grundy County, Illinois, United States....

 
Grundy 10174.1 1981 Braidwood Lake 
Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Massac County, Illinois, United States....

 
Massac 263010.6 1949 Mermet Lake 
Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area
Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area
Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is located about six miles north of Interstate 74 and the Oakwood exit. Its name comes from the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River that flows through the area....

 
Vermilion
Vermilion County, Illinois
Vermilion County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois, between the Indiana border and Champaign County. It was established in 1826 and was the 45th of Illinois' 102 counties...

270010.9 1986 Middle Fork
Middle Fork Vermilion River
The Middle Fork of the Vermilion River is a tributary of the Vermilion River in Illinois. The Middle Fork rises in Ford County and flows southeast to join the Vermilion near Danville....

 
Mississippi Palisades State Park  Carroll 250010.1 1973 Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, Apple River
Apple River (Illinois)
The Apple River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about long, in southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois in the United States. It rises in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, and flows for most of its length in Illinois, through Jo Daviess and Carroll Counties. Along its course it...

 
Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area is an 24,386 acre protected area in Jersey and Calhoun Counties, Illinois, United States. The park is maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.-References:...

 
Jersey
Jersey County, Illinois
Jersey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Jersey County is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,985, which is an increase of 6.1% from 21,668 in 2000...

, Calhoun
Calhoun County, Illinois
Calhoun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 5,089, which is an increase of 0.1% from 5,084 in 2000. Its county seat is Hardin. It is part of the Metro-East portion of the St...

2438698.7 ? Stump Lake
Stump Lake
Stump Lake is a lake in the Nicola Country region of the South-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located northeast from and of a similar size to Nicola Lake...

, Fuller Lake
Fuller Lake
Fuller Lake is the body of water with of surface area in the former Pine Grove Quarry in Pennsylvania. During the period of iron ore excavation when the pit depth had sufficiently increased, mountain springs that filled the quarry required pumping...

 
Moraine Hills State Park
Moraine Hills State Park
Moraine Hills State Park is an Illinois state park on in McHenry County, Illinois, United States.- See also :*Moraine*Illinois state parks*...

 
McHenry
McHenry County, Illinois
McHenry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 308,760, which is an increase of 18.7% from 260,077 in 2000. Its county seat is Woodstock. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest county, in...

22008.9 1939 Lake Defiance, Fox River
Fox River (Illinois River tributary)
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...

 
Moraine View State Recreation Area
Moraine View State Recreation Area
The Moraine View State Recreation Area is a state park operated by the Department of Natural Resources of the U.S. state of Illinois. The 1,687 acre recreation area is located near Le Roy, Illinois....

 
McLean
McLean County, Illinois
McLean County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 169,572, which is an increase of 12.7% from 150,433 in 2000. Its county seat is...

16876.8 1959 Dawson Lake, Salt Creek
Salt Creek (Sangamon River Tributary)
Salt Creek is a major tributary to the Sangamon River, which it joins at the boundary between Mason and Menard County, Illinois. There are at least two other Salt Creeks in Illinois, Salt Creek , and in Effingham County, Illinois....

 
Morrison-Rockwood State Park
Morrison-Rockwood State Park
Morrison Rockwood State Park is an Illinois state park on in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. Is named after the nearby Rock Creek and Rockwood, along with the city of Morrison....

 
Whiteside 11644.7 1971 Rock Creek
Rock Creek (Illinois)
Rock Creek is a tributary of the Kankakee River in the U.S. state of Illinois. It empties into the Kankakee River in Kankakee River State Park which is just north west of the city of Kankakee. It starts in higher land and then drops into the Kankakee River Valley. Because of this, the river has...

, Lake Carlton 
Nauvoo State Park
Nauvoo State Park
Nauvoo State Park is an Illinois state park on in Hancock County, Illinois, United States....

 
Hancock
Hancock County, Illinois
Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 19,104, which is a decrease of 5.1% from 20,121 in 2000. Its county seat is Carthage. Hamilton is the largest city in Hancock County, with Carthage being the second largest...

1480.59893528 ? Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, Lake Horton 
Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Jasper County, Illinois, United States. The park's grasslands are home to the largest of the three remaining Greater Prairie Chicken flocks in Illinois....

 
Jasper
Jasper County, Illinois
hjsdgcbi76dft...

17757.2 1979 Newton Lake, Sand Creek, Laws Creek 
North Point Marina
North Point Marina
North Point Marina is an Illinois state park on in Lake County, Illinois, United States....

 
Lake
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...

2971.2 ? Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

 
Peabody River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Peabody River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Peabody River State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Randolph County, Illinois, United States....

 
Randolph
Randolph County, Illinois
Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 33,476, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 33,893 in 2000. Its county seat is Chester....

22008.9 ? Peabody River
Peabody River
The Peabody River is a 12.9 mile long river in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Androscoggin River, which flows south and east into Maine, joining the Kennebec River near the Atlantic Ocean....

 
Pere Marquette State Park
Pere Marquette State Park
Pere Marquette State Park is an 8,050-acre protected area in southwestern Jersey County, Illinois, United States. It is located near the city of Grafton, Illinois, at the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Illinois River...

 
Jersey
Jersey County, Illinois
Jersey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Jersey County is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,985, which is an increase of 6.1% from 21,668 in 2000...

805032.6 1931 Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...

 
Piney Creek Ravine State Natural Area
Piney Creek Ravine State Natural Area
Piney Creek Ravine State Natural Area is an Illinois state park on in Jackson and Randolph Counties, Illinois, United States.One cliff face in the ravine contains several Native American petroglyphs, along with modern graffiti....

 
Jackson
Jackson County, Illinois
Jackson County, incorporated January 10, 1816, is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 60,218, which is an increase of 1.0% from 59,612 in 2000...

, Randolph
Randolph County, Illinois
Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 33,476, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 33,893 in 2000. Its county seat is Chester....

1980.80127828 1972 Piney Creek 
Prophetstown State Recreation Area
Prophetstown State Recreation Area
Prophetstown State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States....

 
Whiteside 530.21448358 1947 Coon Creek, Rock River
Rock River (Illinois)
The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Illinois. It rises in southeast Wisconsin, in the Theresa Marsh near Theresa, Wisconsin in northeast Dodge County, Wisconsin approximately south of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin...

 
Pyramid State Recreation Area
Pyramid State Recreation Area
Pyramid State Recreation Area, the largest state recreation area in Illinois, contains 19,701 acres . It is located within Perry County, and is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources...

 
Perry 1970179.7 1968
Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area
Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area
Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area is a 1,980 acre state park located in Fayette County, Illinois, United States. The nearest town is Ramsey, Illinois, and the park is adjacent to U.S. Highway 51...

 
Fayette
Fayette County, Illinois
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,140, which is an increase of 1.6% from 21,802 in 2000. Its county seat is Vandalia...

19808 ? Ramsey Lake, Ramsey Creek 
Randolph County State Recreation Area
Randolph County State Recreation Area
Randolph County State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Randolph County, Illinois, United States....

 
Randolph
Randolph County, Illinois
Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 33,476, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 33,893 in 2000. Its county seat is Chester....

11014.5 1958 Randolph County Lake 
Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area
Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area
The Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area is a 1,140-acre state park located near Griggsville in Pike County, Illinois. It borders on the Illinois River and is primarily made of steeply sloped bluffland that is part of the river's valley. Heavily wooded, this region is managed for whitetail...

 
Pike
Pike County, Illinois
Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,430, which is a decrease of 5.5% from 17,384 in 2000...

11404.6 1970 Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...

 
Red Hills State Park
Red Hills State Park
Red Hills State Park is an Illinois state park on in Lawrence County, Illinois, United States. The park sits at an elevation of . Red Hills State Park is open for year-round recreation including boating, fishing, hunting, hiking and various winter sports...

 
Lawrence 9673.9 ?
Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Franklin and Jefferson Counties, United States....

 
Franklin
Franklin County, Illinois
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 39,561, which is an increase of 1.4% from 39,018 in 2000. Its county seat is Benton.-History:...

, Jefferson
Jefferson County, Illinois
Jefferson County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 38,827, which is a decrease of 3.0% from 40,045 in 2000...

38900157.4 ? Rend Lake
Rend Lake
Rend Lake is a -long, -wide southern Illinois reservoir in Franklin and Jefferson Counties near Benton, Illinois. The lake contains 18,900 acres of water, stores of water, and supplies over 15 million gallons of water per day to 300,000 persons in over 60 communities. The reservoir is up to ...

 
Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Fulton County, Illinois, United States.-External links:...

 
Fulton
Fulton County, Illinois
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 37,069, which is a decrease of 3.1% from 38,250 in 2000. Its county seat is Lewistown. Canton is the largest city. Both cities are southwest of Peoria, and the county is considered...

566022.9 1945 Rice Lake (Illinois) 
Rock Cut State Park
Rock Cut State Park
Rock Cut State Park is a state park of the U.S. state of Illinois. Located near Rockford in Winnebago County, it covers 3,092 acres , enveloping Pierce Lake and Olson Lake...

 
Winnebago
Winnebago County, Illinois
Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 295,266, which is an increase of 6.1% from 278,418 in 2000...

309212.5 ? Pierce Lake, Olson Lake 
Rock Island Trail State Park
Rock Island Trail State Park
The Rock Island Trail State Park is a long public rail trail in the west-central region of the U.S. state of Illinois. It was designated a National Recreation Trail in 2003.It passes through portions of Peoria and Stark counties...

 
Stark
Stark County, Illinois
Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 5,994, which is a decrease of 5.3% from 6,332 in 2000...

, Peoria
Peoria County, Illinois
Peoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 186,494, which is an increase of 1.7% from 183,433 in 2000. Its county seat is Peoria....

 
1989 26 miles (41.8 km) public rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...

.
Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area
Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area
Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Saline County, Illinois, United States....

 
Saline
Saline County, Illinois
Saline County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 24,913, which is a decrease of 6.8% from 26,733 in 2000. Its county seat is Harrisburg. Saline County is home to the smallest post office and the largest KFC in the United States....

12705.1 1959
Sam Dale Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Sam Dale Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Sam Dale Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Wayne County, Illinois, United States....

 
Wayne 13025.3 1959 Sam Dale Lake 
Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area
Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area
Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Jasper County, Illinois, United States....

 
Jasper
Jasper County, Illinois
hjsdgcbi76dft...

11804.8 1960
Sand Ridge State Forest
Sand Ridge State Forest
Sand Ridge State Forest is a conservation area located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Containing 7,200 acres , it is the largest state forest in Illinois. It is located in northern Mason County. The nearest town is Manito, Illinois and the nearest numbered highway is U.S. Highway 136...

 
Mason 720029.1 1939 None
Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area
Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area
Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Cass, Schuyler, and Mason County, Illinois, United States....

 
Cass, Schuyler, Mason 1036041.9 1948
Sangchris Lake State Recreation Area
Sangchris Lake State Recreation Area
Sangchris Lake State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Christian and Sangamon Counties, Illinois, United States. The Sangchris Lake makes up a large portion of this state park....

 
Christian
Christian County, Illinois
Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 34,800, which is a decrease of 1.6% from 35,372 in 2000...

, Sangamon
Sangamon County, Illinois
Sangamon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 197,465, which is an increase of 4.5% from 188,951 in 2000...

302212.2 1964 Sangchris Lake
Sangchris Lake
Sangchris Lake is a 3,022-acre reservoir located in Christian and Sangamon Counties, Illinois. It was created in 1964 by damming Clear Creek, a tributary of the South Fork of the Sangamon River for recreation and to serve as a source for cooling water for an adjacent electrical generating plant...

 
Shabbona Lake State Park
Shabbona Lake State Park
Shabbona Lake State Park is an Illinois state park on in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. Shabbona Lake is a man-made lake created in 1975. Its name derives from the Potawatomi leader Shabbona....

 
DeKalb
DeKalb County, Illinois
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 105,160, which is an increase of 18.2% from 88,969 in 2000. Its county seat is Sycamore. DeKalb County is part of the Chicago metropolitan statistical area.-History:DeKalb County...

15506.3 1978 Shabbona Lake 
Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area
Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area
Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Moultrie County, Illinois, United States....

 
Moultrie 620025.1 ?
Sielbeck Forest Natural Area
Sielbeck Forest Natural Area
Sielbeck Forest Natural Area is an Illinois state park on in Johnson County, Illinois, United States....

 
Johnson 3851.6 ?
Siloam Springs State Park
Siloam Springs State Park
Siloam Springs State Park is an Illinois state park on in Adams and Brown counties, Illinois, United States....

 
Adams
Adams County, Illinois
Adams County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 67,103, which is a decrease of 1.7% from 68,277 in 2000...

, Brown
332313.4 1940
Silver Springs State Fish & Wildlife Area  Kendall
Kendall County, Illinois
Kendall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 114,736, which is an increase of 110% from 54,544 in 2000. It was the fastest-growing county in the United States between the years 2000 and...

13505.5 1969 Fox River
Fox River (Illinois River tributary)
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...

, Loon Lake, Beaver Lake, Silver Springs 
Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area
Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area
Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Knox County, Illinois, United States. Snakeden Hollow contains 125 water impoundments totaling . All lakes and ponds, except Snakeden Hollow Lake which is , were formed as the result of surface mining operations...

 
Knox
Knox County, Illinois
Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 52,919, which is a decrease of 5.2% from 55,836 in 2000...

250010.1 1987 Snakeden Hollow Lake 
South Shore State Park
South Shore State Park
South Shore State Park is an Illinois state park on in Clinton County, Illinois, United States. It houses the largest manmade reservoir in Illinois, Carlyle Lake....

 
Clinton
Clinton County, Illinois
-Demographics: As of the census of 2000, there were 35,535 people, 12,754 households, and 9,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 75 people per square mile . There were 13,805 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...

26000105.2 ? Carlyle Lake
Carlyle Lake
Carlyle Lake is a reservoir largely located in Clinton County, Illinois, with smaller portions of the lake within Bond and Fayette counties. It is the largest man-made lake in Illinois, and the largest lake wholly contained within the state.-History:...

 
Spitler Woods State Natural Area
Spitler Woods State Natural Area
Spitler Woods State Natural Area is a 202.5-acre state park located adjacent to Mount Zion, Illinois. The state park is located within the Decatur, Illinois metropolitan area. The eastern two-thirds of the state park is a listed state natural area noted for its old-growth forest grove of white...

 
Macon 202.50.81948915 1937 Squirrel Creek 
Spring Lake Fish and Wildlife Area  Tazewell
Tazewell County, Illinois
Tazewell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 135,394, which is an increase of 5.4% from 128,485 in 2000. Its county seat and largest city is Pekin. The majority of the population live in the suburbs and bedroom communities...

20328.2 1950 Spring Lake 
Starved Rock State Park
Starved Rock State Park
Starved Rock State Park is a state park in Illinois, characterized by the many canyons within its 2360 acres. Located just southwest of the village of North Utica, in Deer Park Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the Illinois River, the park hosts over two million visitors...

 
LaSalle 263010.6 1911 Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...

 
Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area
Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area
Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Marion County, Illinois, United States. It was named for Stephen Alfred Forbes....

 
Marion 310312.6 1959
Ten Mile Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area  Hamilton, Jefferson
Jefferson County, Illinois
Jefferson County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 38,827, which is a decrease of 3.0% from 40,045 in 2000...

600024.3 1988 Ten Mile Creek 
Trail of Tears State Forest
Trail of Tears State Forest
Trail of Tears State Forest is a State of Illinois conservation area on in Union County, Illinois, United States.Trail of Tears was established in 1929 when Illinois purchased acres of Shawnee Hills land and used the resulting land to create the Kohn-Jackson Forest...

 
Union 511420.7 1929 Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, Clear Creek
Clear Creek (Illinois)
Clear Creek is a southern Illinois watercourse that rises in Jackson County and Union County, and discharges into the Mississippi River in Alexander County.-Upper and lower halves:...

 
Tunnel Hill State Trail
Tunnel Hill State Trail
The Tunnel Hill State Trail is a bicycle trail running from Harrisburg to Karnak, Illinois. The trail runs along the former bed of a part of the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad, a transportation unit led during its early years by Civil War General Ambrose Burnside...

 
Johnson, Pulaski, Saline
Saline County, Illinois
Saline County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 24,913, which is a decrease of 6.8% from 26,733 in 2000. Its county seat is Harrisburg. Saline County is home to the smallest post office and the largest KFC in the United States....

, Williamson
Williamson County, Illinois
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*92.7% White*3.8% Black*0.4% Native American*0.8% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.7% Two or more races*0.4% Other races*2.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

 
45 miles (72.4 km) Trail.
Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area
Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area
Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Randolph County, Illinois, United States....

 
Randolph
Randolph County, Illinois
Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 33,476, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 33,893 in 2000. Its county seat is Chester....

22649.2 ?
Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area
Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area
Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Union County, Illinois, United States. It contains extensive Clear Creek wetlands managed for fishing and bird hunting....

 
Union 620225.1 1940s
Volo Bog State Natural Area
Volo Bog State Natural Area
The Volo Bog State Natural Area is a 1,150 acre quaking bog maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources . It is a National Natural Landmark as the only remaining open-water quaking bog in Illinois. It is located about a mile west of U.S...

 
Lake
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...

11504.7 1970 Volo Bog 
Walnut Point State Park
Walnut Point State Park
Walnut Point State Park is an Illinois state park on in Douglas County, Illinois, United States....

 
Douglas 6712.7 1968
Washington County State Recreation Area
Washington County State Recreation Area
Washington County State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Washington County, Illinois, United States....

 
Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area
Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area
The Wayne Fitzgerell State Recreation Area is a 3,300-acre state park bordering Rend Lake near Benton, Illinois. The state park is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to concentrate on shoreline recreation, including boating, fishing, and picnicking.After Rend Lake was...

 
Weinberg-King State Park
Weinberg-King State Park
Weinberg-King State Park is an Illinois state park on in Schuyler County, Illinois, United States. It is located near Augusta, Illinois.-Geology and history:...

 
Weldon Springs State Recreation Area
Weldon Springs State Recreation Area
Weldon Springs State Recreation Area is a state park located near Clinton, Illinois. It centers on Salt Creek and the impoundment of a tributary, Weldon Springs, to form Weldon Spring Lake, a reservoir...

 
White Pines Forest State Park
White Pines Forest State Park
White Pines Forest State Park, more commonly referred to as White Pines State Park, is an Illinois state park in Ogle County, Illinois. It is located near the communities of Polo, Mount Morris and Oregon...

 
Ogle
Ogle County, Illinois
Ogle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,497, which is an increase of 4.8% from 51,032 in 2000. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle...

3851.6 1927 Pine Creek
Pine Creek (Illinois)
Pine Creek is a short tributary of the Rock River that flows through western Ogle County in the U.S. state of Illinois.-Course:Pine Creek rises where several stream branches come together south of Illinois Route 64. The creek then flows to the south to join the Rock River between Grand Detour and...

, Spring Creek 
Southernmost stand of virgin, native white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...

 trees in the state of Illinois.
William G. Stratton State Park
William G. Stratton State Park
William G. Stratton State Park is an Illinois state park in Grundy County, Illinois, United States. It is named after Illinois Governor William Stratton, and was developed in 1959. It is possessed of a jet-ski landing area, and it is bounded by the Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail....

 
William W. Powers State Recreation Area
William W. Powers State Recreation Area
William W. Powers State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on in the Hegewisch community area of the City of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The area includes of water in Wolf Lake that provides about of...

 
Wolf Creek State Park
Wolf Creek State Park
Wolf Creek State Park is an Illinois state park on in Shelby County, Illinois, United States.-2008 closing:Wolf Creek State Park was one of eleven state parks slated to close indefinitely on November 1, 2008 due to budget cuts by then-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich...

 
Woodford State Fish and Wildlife Area
Woodford State Fish and Wildlife Area
Woodford State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on of area Woodford County, Illinois, United States. Most of this protected area is over the Goose Lake and Upper Peoria Lake sections of the Illinois River....

 

Local level parks

A variety of county and town protected areas exist in Illinois, including city park districts and county-wide Forest Preserve Districts. One of the largest systems is the Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Cook County Forest Preserves
The Cook County Forest Preserves are a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are set aside as natural areas. Cook County contains Chicago, Illinois, and is the center of a densely-populated urban metropolitan area in northeastern Illinois...

, which includes Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
The Brookfield Zoo is zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. The zoo covers an area of and houses around 450 species of animals....

 and the Chicago Botanic Garden
Chicago Botanic Garden
Located at 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois, USA, the Chicago Botanic Garden is a living plant museum situated on nine islands featuring 24 display gardens and surrounded by four natural habitats: McDonald Woods, Dixon Prairie, Skokie River Corridor, and Lakes and Shores. The Garden is open...

 as well as 67000 acres (271.1 km²) of open land, or 11 percent of Cook County’s land area.
  • Boone County Conservation District
  • Byron Forest Preserve District - 900 acres (3.6 km²)
  • Champaign County Forest Preserve District - 3800 acres (15.4 km²)
  • Forest Preserve District of Cook County
    Cook County Forest Preserves
    The Cook County Forest Preserves are a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are set aside as natural areas. Cook County contains Chicago, Illinois, and is the center of a densely-populated urban metropolitan area in northeastern Illinois...

     - 67000 acres (271.1 km²)
  • DeKalb County Forest Preserve - 1020 acres (4.1 km²)
  • Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
    Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
    The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is a governmental agency headquartered in Wheaton, Illinois. Its mission is to acquire and hold lands containing forests, prairies, wetlands, and associated plant communities or lands capable of being restored to such natural conditions for the purpose...

     - 24000 acres (97.1 km²)
  • Forest Preserve District of Kane County - 17135 acres (69.3 km²)
  • Forest Preserves of the Kankakee River Valley - 250 acres (1 km²)
  • Kendall County Forest Preserve District - 2150 acres (8.7 km²)
  • Lake County Forest Preserve - 26200 acres (106 km²)
  • Macon County Conservation District - 3200 acres (12.9 km²)
  • McHenry County Conservation District - 20000 acres (80.9 km²)
  • Putnam Country Conservation District - 950 acres (3.8 km²)
  • Rock Island Forest Preserve District - 1900 acres (7.7 km²)
  • Vermilion County Conservation District - 6000 acres (24.3 km²)
  • Forest Preserve District of Will County
    Forest Preserve District of Will County
    The Forest Preserve District of Will County was created by referendum on July 25, 1927, to preserve open spaces in Will County, Illinois, USA. The first land acquisition was in 1930. As of December 2010, the District owns or manages 21,916 acres of land...

     - 15000 acres (60.7 km²)
  • Winnebago County Forest Preserve District - 9000 acres (36.4 km²)

External links

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