Randall Creek Recreation Area
🏆 Fort Randall Tailwater — Recreation area below Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River — outstanding tailwater fishing and
Revheim Bay Recreation Area
🏆 Lake Oahe Bay — Sheltered bay on massive Lake Oahe — protected fishing and camping on the Missouri River
Richmond Lake Recreation Area
🏆 Aberdeen’s Lake — 1,750-acre lake near Aberdeen — the “Hub City” of northeastern South Dakota Richmond Lake Recreation Area
Sandy Shore Recreation Area
🏆 Lake Sharpe Shore — Sandy shoreline recreation area on Lake Sharpe — camping and fishing on the Missouri River
Shadehill Recreation Area
🏆 Northwest SD Oasis — 5,000-acre reservoir in the remote northwestern prairie — the largest lake in a 100-mile radius
Sheps Canyon Recreation Area
🏆 Angostura Canyon — Recreation area on Angostura Reservoir in the southern Black Hills — warm-water swimming and fishing in
Snake Creek Recreation Area
🏆 Fort Randall Reservoir — Recreation area on Lake Francis Case near the powerhouse of Fort Randall Dam — where
Springfield Recreation Area
🏆 Lewis & Clark Lake — Recreation area on Lewis & Clark Lake near Springfield — the most downstream Missouri
Swan Creek Recreation Area
🏆 Lake Oahe Shore — Recreation area on Lake Oahe in Walworth County — fishing and camping on the massive
West Bend Recreation Area
🏆 Big Bend Country — Recreation area at the dramatic Big Bend of the Missouri River — where the river
West Pollock Recreation Area
🏆 Northern Oahe — Recreation area on the northern reaches of Lake Oahe — remote fishing and camping near the
West Whitlock Recreation Area
🏆 Earth Lodge Village Site — Recreation area on Lake Oahe at the site of historic Arikara earth lodge villages
Bohm Woods Nature Preserve
🏆 Old-Growth Gem — Rare 80-acre old-growth bottomland forest — one of the last uncut hardwood stands in southern Illinois
Cape Bend State Fish and Wildlife Area
Situated in the scenic southern reaches of Illinois within Alexander County, Cape Bend State Fish and Wildlife Area is a
Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Central Illinois Fishing — 1,175-acre cooling lake offering year-round warm-water fishing — heated discharge keeps fish active in winter
Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Chicago’s Wild Backyard — 5,000-acre wetland complex along the Des Plaines River — critical migration corridor for millions of
Devils Island Wildlife Management Area
🏆 Illinois River Backwater — Backwater wetland on the Illinois River — managed for waterfowl habitat and flood control Devils
Donnelley DePue (Illinois)
Illinois’ Premier Waterfowl Sanctuary — 3,015-Acre Fish & Wildlife Area, Migratory Bird Habitat, Waterfowl Hunting, Backwater Lake Fishing & Birding
Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Prairie Pothole — Managed wetland and grassland in central Illinois — restoring prairie pothole habitat for waterfowl Double T
Fall Creek Scenic Overlook
🏆 Shawnee Hills Vista — Dramatic bluff overlook in the Shawnee National Forest — panoramic views of the Ohio River
Golconda Marina (Illinois)
🏆 Ohio River Gateway — Marina on the Ohio River at historic Golconda — gateway to the Smithland Pool and
Harry ”Babe” Woodyard (Illinois)
🏆 Prairie Heritage — 1,200-acre state natural area honoring conservationist Harry “Babe” Woodyard — restored tallgrass prairie and wetlands Harry
Heidecke Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
🏆 Power Plant Lake — 1,500-acre cooling lake near Channahon — excellent warm-water fishing with striped bass and walleye Heidecke
Illinois and Michigan Canal (Illinois)
🏆 Canal That Built Chicago — 96-mile historic canal that connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi — the engineering
Iroquois County State Wildlife Area
🏆 Grand Prairie — Managed grasslands and wetlands in the heart of the Grand Prairie — restoring Illinois’s agricultural heartland
Kaskaskia River State Fish & Wildlife Area
🏆 Kaskaskia River Bottom — 20,000-acre wildlife area along the Kaskaskia River — the largest state fish and wildlife area
Kidd Lake Marsh (Illinois)
🏆 Ice Age Relic Marsh — Rare glacial marsh preserving Ice Age plant communities — one of the most ecologically
Kishwaukee River State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Rock River Valley — River corridor along the Kishwaukee — a tributary of the Rock River in northern Illinois
LaSalle Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
🏆 Nuclear Cooling Lake — 2,058-acre cooling lake for the LaSalle Nuclear Generating Station — superb warm-water fishing in a
Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Prairie River — Riparian corridor along the Mackinaw River — one of the last free-flowing prairie rivers in Illinois
Marseilles State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 I&M Canal Lock — Historic Illinois & Michigan Canal lock town — where the canal meets the Illinois River
Marshall State Fish & Wildlife Area
🏆 Wabash Valley — Managed wetlands and forest in the Wabash River valley — where Illinois meets Indiana Marshall State
Mautino State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Bureau County Wetlands — Managed wetlands and uplands near the Illinois River — quality waterfowl hunting and fishing Mautino
Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Southern IL Powerhouse — 1,775-acre cooling lake with exceptional bass and catfish fishing — one of the top fisheries
Peabody River State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Coal Country — Reclaimed strip mine lands restored to wildlife habitat — turning Illinois’s coal mining legacy into conservation
Pekin Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Illinois River Gem — Backwater lake on the Illinois River near Pekin — exceptional crappie fishing in a historic
Piney Creek Ravine (Illinois)
🏆 300-Million-Year Canyon — Dramatic sandstone box canyon with Native American rock art — one of the most spectacular geological
Powerton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Central IL Power Lake — 1,600-acre cooling lake on the Illinois River — striped bass and hybrid striper fishery
Randolph County State Recreation Area
🏆 Kaskaskia Bottomlands — Recreation area in the Kaskaskia River bottomlands — near Illinois’s first state capital and the only
Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Western IL Wetlands — Managed wetlands in Brown County — quality waterfowl hunting in the Illinois River watershed Ray
Sahara Woods (Illinois)
🏆 Desert in Illinois! — Unique sandstone landscape with sand barrens and desert-like features — one of the most unusual
Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Salt Capital — Reclaimed lands near the historic Saline Springs — where Illinois’s first industry (salt production) began in
Spitler Woods (Illinois)
🏆 Virgin Timber — 219-acre old-growth forest — one of the last virgin timber stands in central Illinois Spitler Woods
Spring Lake Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Illinois River Hub — 2,023-acre site on the Illinois River — managed wetlands providing critical habitat for migrating waterfowl
Ten Mile Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area
🏆 Lincoln Country — Managed wetlands and grasslands near Lincoln’s New Salem — in the heart of Abraham Lincoln’s Illinois
Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Mississippi River Bluffs — Scenic bluffs along the Mississippi River in Jackson County — oak-hickory forest with dramatic river
World Shooting and Recreational Complex
🏆 World’s Largest Shooting Complex — The LARGEST shooting sports complex in the WORLD — 1,631 acres with 100+ ranges
Binney Pond Natural Area
🏆 Hidden Bog Gem — Secluded pond and bog ecosystem in the Monadnock Region — a quiet natural area protecting
Bradford Pines Natural Area
🏆 Ancient White Pines — Stand of massive old-growth white pines — some among the largest in New Hampshire Bradford
Curtiss Dogwood Natural Area
🏆 Botanical Rarity — One of the northernmost stands of native flowering dogwood in North America Curtiss Dogwood Natural Area