Panther Den Wilderness

Panther Den Wilderness is a 1,195-acre protected area in southern Illinois within Shawnee National Forest along Devils Kitchen Lake. Designated under the Illinois Wilderness Act on November 28, 1990, it is the smallest of the state’s eight federally designated wilderness areas and includes land managed by both the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A second-growth forest shaped by earlier farming and federal land purchases in the 1930s, it is known for a large sandstone formation, old homestead traces, and former roads that became trails. Its rugged terrain, lake inlets, and tangled paths draw hikers and other visitors while making careful navigation essential.

Illinois · United States