List of National Natural Landmarks in Illinois

From List of National Natural Landmarks, these are the National Natural Landmarks in Illinois. There are 18 in total, X are lakes or pond, Y are forests, Z are other.

Name Image Date Location County Description
1 Allerton Natural Area 01970 1970 Piatt Contains relatively undisturbed examples of bottomland and upland forests.
2 Bell Smith Springs 01980 1980 Pope A fragile area containing some of the best examples of ecosystems typical of sharply dissected sandstone substrates.
3 Busse Forest Nature Preserve 01980-02 February 1980 Schaumburg, Illinois Cook A surviving fragment of flatwoods, a type of damp-ground forest in the Great Lakes region. Characterized by red maple, swamp white oak, and black ash trees. It is part of the larger Ned Brown Forest Preserve, managed by the Cook County Forest Preserves.
4 Forest of the Wabash 01965 1965 Wabash Essentially undisturbed upland and bottomland forests lying along the Wabash River.
5 Fults Hill Prairie Nature Preserve 01986 1986 Monroe Essentially undisturbed loess hill prairies.
6 Funks Grove 01974 1974 McLean Rare example of the virgin forests once isolated on the prairies of the Midwest.
7 Giant City 01980 1980 Union An exceptional example of gravity sliding, consisting of massive joint-bounded sandstone blocks of Pennsylvanian age.
8 Heron Pond - Little Black Slough 01972 1972 Johnson Largest remaining cypress-tupelo swamp in Illinois.
9 Horseshoe Lake 01972 1972 Alexander Contains diverse aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna and mature stands of bald cypress.
10 Illinois Beach Nature Preserve 01980 1980 Lake County Supports over 60 species of animals and plants that are threatened or endangered in Illinois.
11 LaRue-Pine Hills Ecological Area 01974 1974 Union One of the finest assemblages of diverse vegetation in the Midwest.
12 Little Grand Canyon 01980 1980 Jackson A large box canyon with vertical overhanging walls.
13 Lower Cache River Swamp 01980 1980 Johnson, Pulaski Remnant of the swampy flood plain forest and open swamp that once covered an extensive area at the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys
14 Lusk Creek Canyon 01980 1980 Pope An excellent example of a gorge-like valley formed by mass wasting and stream erosion in lower Pennsylvanian sandstones.
15 Markham Prairie 01987 1987 Cook Largest and highest quality prairie in Illinois.
16 Mississippi Palisades 01972 1972 Carroll Deep V- shaped valleys, caves and sinks, and massive cliffs along the Mississippi River.
17 Volo Bog Nature Preserve 01972 1972 Lake Contains many unusual or rare plants that are characteristic of the classic northern quaking bog.
18 Wauconda Bog Nature Preserve 01972 1972 Lake Mature bog with bog vegetation at their farthest southern extension in Illinois.