Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Clear Springs Wilderness, located on the west side of Shawnee National Forest, is one of the largest designated wilderness areas in Illinois. Elevations range from 400 to over 900 feet, featuring rugged terrain with narrow ridgetops, steep slopes, and scenic creeks winding through the valleys. Hiking and equestrian trails meander through the wilderness, where visitors can discover remnants of old homesteads, including stone foundations, fruit trees, abandoned roads, and family cemeteries.

Adjacent to Bald Knob Wilderness to the south and the LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area to the west, Clear Springs is also defined by the waters of Hutchins Creek, which flows through the area. At the western boundary, you’ll find stunning views of the Mississippi and Big Muddy Rivers from sheer limestone bluffs that rise 400 feet above the valley floor. The deciduous forest, characteristic of the Ozarks, shelters wild turkeys, deer, and various smaller mammals, as well as threatened shortleaf pine, which grows in isolated stands. Hiking away from the steep valley walls is easy and enjoyable, with many secluded spots perfect for camping. No permits are required for trail use or camping.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Clear Springs Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Clear Springs Wilderness
FS Topographic Map
Google Earth

Illinois Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 101-633

Date: November 28, 1990
Acreage: 4,730 acres

Illinois Wilderness Act of 1990 - Public law 101-633 (11/28/1990) To designate certain lands in the State of Illinois as wilderness, and for other purposes

For more information (To download or see all affected Wilderness areas) visit our law library for 101-633 or special provisions for 101-633 or legislative history for 101-633.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.