Shawnee National Forest , Illinois

Bluffs millions of years old stand guard over forested hill country. Cliffside vistas and interesting outcroppings draw thousands of people each year. Popular attractions include Garden of the Gods, Stone Face, Little Grand Canyon and their hiking trails. Inspiration Point Bluff rises 300 feet above the Mississippi River bottomland at the LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area.

Minerals played an important role in the history of southern Illinois and are still important today. The great Salt Springs attracted people and animals to the area for centuries. A visit to the Illinois Iron Furnace, restored in 1967 by the Goldonca Job Corps, will take you back to the mid-1800's when more than nine tons of pig iron was produced per day.

In addition to an astonishing variety of trees and plants, many species of wildlife live here, including at least 48 species of mammals, 237 birds, 52 reptiles, 57 amphibians and 109 fish. Approximately 500 vertebrate species live in the Shawnee. Numerous insects and invertebrates occur throughout the Forest as well. Perhaps you'll see a whitetail buck leave his forest shelter for early evening grazing. Or you'll follow brilliantly feathered finches from a board