USFWS · Illinois

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is a 43,890 acre (180 km2) National Wildlife Refuge primarily in southwestern Williamson County, but with small extensions into adjacent eastern Jackson and northeastern Union counties of southern Illinois, in the United States. Its land and water contain a wide diversity of flora and fauna. It centers on Crab Orchard Lake. Major habitat types on the refuge include hardwood forest, agricultural land, grazing units, brushland, wetlands, and lakes. Other major bodies of water on the refuge are Devil's Kitchen Lake and Little Grassy Lake.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge 45,495 acres USFWS IL 1 campground within 10 mi

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

4fires
active

Red Shale Bn Rx (prescribed burn) · 1 mi from the center · 469 acres

3 more within 50 miles

Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓

Designation	National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
State	Illinois
Size	45,495 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS region	Region 3
Center point	37.6809, -89.0723
Night sky	Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 25)

Boundary map

4 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Carbondale Sewage Plt, 6 miles from the center point at 390 feet, station USC00111265 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 49 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 11 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary and 0 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FWS · Inside

Devils Kitchen Group Pavilion

Reservable8 sites

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-18

Prescribed
Red Shale Bn Rx
1 mi from the center point · 469 acres
Prescribed
Broken Handle A Rx
2 mi from the center point · 112 acres
Prescribed
Lift Station A & B Rx
3 mi from the center point · 126 acres
Prescribed
Propeller Point Rx
3 mi from the center point · 367 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 25 in all · Register Atlas

1.3 mi
Giant City State Park Lodge and Cabins ↗Makanda, IL
1.8 mi
Stotlar, Ed. M., House ↗Marion, IL
2.2 mi
Giant City Stone Fort Site ↗Makanda, IL
2.4 mi
Allen, Willis, House ↗Marion, IL
2.5 mi
Goddard Chapel ↗Marion, IL
2.5 mi
Williamson County Jail ↗Marion, IL
2.9 mi
Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot ↗Carbondale, IL
3.1 mi
Reef House ↗Carbondale, IL

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

45,495 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in?

Illinois.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary, including Devils Kitchen Group Pavilion. 1 in all are within ten miles. Most refuges do not allow camping inside the refuge, so the campgrounds listed are outside it.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.681, -89.072. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Red Shale Bn Rx at 1 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 25 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge?

25 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Giant City State Park Lodge and Cabins and Stotlar, Ed. M., House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
Description: Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
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