Shawnee National Forest

October 13-14-15, 2026

Join the park's annual outing to Snake Road.

Dispersed/primitive camping in the national forest near the migration and a short trip to the Little Grand Canyon.

UNION COUNTY, Ill. – The U.S. Forest Service has closed a small gravel road in Shawnee National Forest to allow for the safe migration of reptiles and amphibians.

Every spring and fall, tens of thousands of snakes and other small animals cross a small stretch of gravel road between a series of limestone bluffs and LaRue Swamp.