Sightseeing
History BuffMillstone Bluff
No admission feeWalk a short interpretive trail to the top of a bluff in Shawnee National Forest to see the remains of a Mississippian village and petroglyphs.
Photo: Miguel.v, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureLocal Gem
Cache River State Natural Area
Paddle or hike through southern Illinois swamps to see bald cypress trees more than 1,000 years old, including the state champion.
930 Sunflower Lane, Belknap, IL 62908 · Belknap, IL
About Cache River State Natural Area
Cache River State Natural Area protects 18,047 acres of swamp, floodplain forest and hills in Johnson, Massac and Pulaski counties at the southern tip of Illinois. Its bald cypress trees have buttressed trunks more than 40 feet around, many are over 1,000 years old, and one is the state champion bald cypress. In 1996 the wetlands were named a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, only the 19th in the United States. You can hike, bike, canoe and fish across three units: Little Black Slough, Lower Cache River Swamps and Glass Hill. Start at the Henry N. Barkhausen Cache River Wetlands Center.
- #swamp
- #bald cypress
- #canoeing
- #hiking
- #wetlands
What's around here?
The closest stops to Cache River State Natural Area, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
16 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
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Fort Massac State Park
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Giant City State Park
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Trail of Tears State Forest
Check pricesHike the steep, wooded ridges of the Ozark Hills in southern Illinois, with spring wildflowers, CCC stone shelters and backcountry camping.
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Garden of the Gods
No admission feeFollow a quarter-mile sandstone trail across the bluffs to rock formations like Camel Rock and views over the Shawnee Hills.
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Cave-in-Rock State Park
Check pricesWalk into a 55-foot-wide cave in the Ohio River bluffs that once hid river pirates, then take in the view from the lodge on the cliffs above.
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