Illinois National Parks

An emotional Abraham Lincoln opened his farewell remarks to the citizens of Springfield, Illinois with these words on February 11, 1861. Explore the Lincoln Home National Historic Site details here.

The Reagan family moved to Dixon, Illinois and into this house on December 6, 1920. The family lived in the house for three years. Explore the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Preservation Foundation here.

Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1936 by Executive Order 7524, which authorized the purchase of lands owned by the defunct Chautauqua Drainage and Levee District.

The Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in southernmost Illinois within the Cache River Watershed. Explore this Illinois NWR in detail here.

Carlyle Lake is located on the Kaskaskia River, approximately 107 miles above its mouth, near the community of Carlyle, Illinois. Carlyle Lake is the largest man-made lake in Illinois.

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge's 44,000 acres of land and water contain a wide diversity of flora and fauna. Major habitat types on the refuge include hardwood forest, agricultural land, grazing units, brushland, wetlands, and lakes.

Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge was established December 29, 1993 with the purchase of its first 284 acres. About 2,200 acres have been acquired to date.

The Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor was completed in 1848 connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River watershed along a longstanding Indian portage route.

Lake Shelbyville, located in central Illinois, offers beaches, hiking trails, marinas, boat ramps, and over 1500 campsites. Explore this national park here.

Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge is located along the east side of the Illinois River in Cass and Morgan counties, about 50 miles west of Springfield, IL.

The Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge was established on May 31, 2000 and is part of the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie established in 1996 is the nation's first federally designated tallgrass prairie. Explore the details of this Illinois National Park here.

Welcome! Explore the Shawnee National Forest. Enjoy the splendors of the varied natural resources of the largest, most diversified treasure in Illinois. Major highways lead to this heartland.

The 8,501-acre Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge is one of five refuges in the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Two Rivers Refuge is located near the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.