By state

National parks in Illinois

Every national park and public-land unit in Illinois, scored and ranked by our Experience Score.

Illinois has six National Park Service units. These sites focus on human stories and natural areas, rather than large wilderness. They divide between southern Illinois and the Chicago and Springfield regions. A single road trip would need careful planning to visit them all. Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is in the south. It offers hiking, camping, and water access. It provides more outdoor recreation than any other unit in Illinois. Springfield's Lincoln Home National Historic Site attracts history buffs. In Chicago, Pullman National Historical Park is an urban site worth exploring. Three national historic trails cross the state. These include the Trail of Tears and the Mormon Pioneer Trail. They are suitable for scenic drives and families who prefer to experience parks while traveling.

Reviewed by Irene A. Taranina, founding editor/Checked against official public data/Published July 2025/Updated August 2026/Independent, no sponsored rankings

parkverdict is an independent digital publication. Not affiliated with the National Park Service.

96DOES IT ALL Jim Osborne/Friends of CONWR

National Wildlife Refuge · IL

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

Crab Orchard offers a rare breadth of activity for a Midwest federal refuge.

2 story tan house with green shutters. Red, white, and blue striped bunting draped below its fence

83WIDE RANGE NPS Photo

National Historic Site · IL

Lincoln Home National Historic Site

The Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois, preserves the only residence Abraham Lincoln owned, occupied from 1844 until his 1861 departure for Washington.

Small waterfall with brown rocks and green moss

74WIDE RANGE NPS Photo / Alex Wiles

National Historic Trail · IA

Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail

The Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail presents a formidable undertaking.

Red cliffs line a highway as seen from a high point with grass in the foreground.

62GOOD RANGE NPS photo

National Historic Trail · IL

Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail

The Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail is less a destination and more a 1,300-mile historical corridor.

large white house, green lawn, two trees in front

59GOOD RANGE NPS

National Historic Trail · AL

Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail spans over 5,000 miles across nine states, marking the 1838-1839 forced removal of the Cherokee Nation.

front of clocktower taken looking up with blue sky, sunny

57GOOD RANGE NPS Photo

National Historical Park · IL

Pullman National Historical Park

Pullman National Historical Park offers a focused urban history experience.

How this page is ranked

How the Illinois order is set

These 6 Illinois units are ranked by one number, run identically nationwide: the Experience Score, built only from public records on documented breadth and access. It says nothing about scenery or how busy a place gets. Same formula everywhere, so a Illinois park and a desert one are read on the same terms.

Keep the blind spots in mind: scenery, seasonal crowds, trail conditions and program quality are all outside this score. A quiet, single-focus spot can land low and still win the weekend. The ranking is a fair look at what is documented, not a ruling on which Illinois park you will love.