Visit the Shawnee National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/shawnee

The Shawnee National Forest Headquarters is located at 50 Highway 145 South, Harrisburg, IL 62946 .Office hours are 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Closed 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 618-253-7114

The Hidden Springs Ranger District Office is located at 602 N. First Street, Vienna IL, 62995. Office hours are 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Closed 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 618-658-2111

The Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District Office is located at 521 N. Main Street, Jonesboro, IL. 62952. 618-833-8576. Open Tuesday and Thursday, but please call for an appointment. 

Go play! You can camp, paddle, hike, horseback ride, photograph, swim, run, hunt, fish and picnic at Shawnee National Forest. So, come explore our 280,000 acres of glades, barrens, prairies, streams, lakes, ponds, waterfalls, woodlands, rocky outcrops — and more!

The area’s beauty is especially charming during the spring and fall seasons. Spring brings blooming dogwoods, redbuds and wildflowers. The fall is saturated with color as the leaves turn.

Southern Illinois also boasts a rich cultural history. Native Americans used the area’s resources for more than 15,000 years. French and English explorers traveled the waters of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. And, the earliest settlers built homesteads along these rivers.

Need more help planning a visit? Check out a local chamber of commerce or a tourism bureau.

 

 

Our Mission

Friends of the Shawnee National Forest is a not-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible outdoor recreation, tourism, environmental education, and land stewardship on the Shawnee National Forest.

 

Our Vision

The vision of the organization is to create opportunities for collaborative work toward assisting the mission of the U. S. Forest Service as it pertains to the Shawnee National Forest.

Copyright © 2020 Friends of the Shawnee National Forest. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Hiking with Shawn.