Visit Wilderness

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

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

Although you can certainly appreciate wilderness from afar—online, on television, or in books—first-hand experiences in nature such as campng or hunting enable you to enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas provide. Wilderness areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” opportunities to see wildlife, a chance to renew and refresh, and the health benefits of exercising outside. You can even bring your well-behaved dog to many wilderness areas.

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

Garden of the Gods Wilderness is renowned for its stunning views, unique rock formations, canyons, bluffs, and ridges. Hiking and equestrian trails wind through the area, revealing signs of past human activity, such as homesteads, fruit trees, cemeteries, and abandoned roads. Some of these trails connect the Wilderness to the adjacent Garden of the Gods Observation Site, making it the most visited wilderness area in Shawnee National Forest. The Illinois River-to-River Trail, part of the American Discovery Trail, also runs through.

Once home to Indigenous peoples, the area now attracts rock climbers, photographers, and bird-watchers hoping to spot resident raptors. Visitors can enjoy panoramic views from the summits of massive sandstone formations overlooking dense forests, which are particularly beautiful in the fall. Hiking below the bluffs is easy and tranquil, winding through hardwood trees and moss-covered sandstone. Among the many canyons, Rock Branch Hollow is often considered the most stunning. 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 Garden of the Gods 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 Garden of the Gods 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: 4,015 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.