Shawnee National Forest

Shawnee National Forest covers 280,000 acres of southern Illinois and is the main reason visitors come to Carbondale. The forest is unusually wild-looking for the Midwest — dramatic sandstone bluffs, natural arches, cypress swamps, and hardwood ridges give it a character more like the Ozarks or Appalachians than the flat Illinois most people imagine.

The most popular sites are Garden of the Gods (a series of dramatic sandstone formations with views over the forest canopy), the Giant City State Park (prehistoric stone forts built of massive sandstone slabs), and the Cave in Rock (a large cave opening onto the Ohio River). All are within an hour's drive of Carbondale. Rock climbing, rappelling, canoeing, and backpacking are all well-catered for; the forest has over 160 kilometres of hiking trails.

things to do sight
A story
The Shawnee Hills wine trail — sometimes called the "Napa of the Midwest" — runs through the southern edge of the Shawnee National Forest. The region's sandy, loamy soil and long growing season produce wines that have surprised sceptics. The trail has grown from a handful of wineries in the 1990s to over two dozen, most of them accessible on a day trip from Carbondale.