Skip to content

Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area

Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area from directly overhead

Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area is a nature reserve in Illinois, at a modelled elevation of 117 m. Bald Knob stands 314 m to the south-southwest, 23 miles off. The nearest named place is Veterans Memorial, a historic site 3.3 miles away. Great River Road passes 16 miles off. 23 named summits stand within 25 miles.

What to expect

Operated by
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

How to reach it

Coordinates37.86369, -89.20660

Named places within 25 miles

Parks
  • Senior Citizens Park & Gazebo: 3.5 mi
  • Senior Citizens Park & Gazebo: 3.5 mi
  • De Soto City Park: 3.8 mi
  • De Soto - Recreation Complex: 3.8 mi
  • Hurst City Park: 4.1 mi
Peaks: 23
  • Dutch Hill: 3.9 mi
  • Indian Hill: 4.9 mi
  • McKinney Hill: 8.2 mi
  • Mount Carbon: 10.2 mi
  • Turkey Knob: 14.2 mi
Historic sites: 22
  • Veterans Memorial: 3.3 mi
  • Veterans Memorial: 3.3 mi
  • Old Train Depot: 3.4 mi
  • Unknown Departed Memorial: 3.7 mi
  • Unknown Departed Memorial: 3.7 mi
Artworks: 18
  • k: 10.7 mi
  • gym: 10.9 mi
  • ps: 10.9 mi
  • Dragon: 12.3 mi
  • Faery: 12.3 mi
Picnic sites: 18
  • Morava Point: 10.7 mi
  • Hickory Grove Picnic Area: 10.8 mi
  • Cypress Retreat: 10.8 mi
  • Saluki Cove: 10.9 mi
  • Pine Circle Picnic Area: 11.0 mi
Cliffs: 10
Museums: 9
Attractions: 7
  • Mystic Willow: 3.5 mi
  • ps: 9.8 mi
  • ps: 11.1 mi
  • ps: 11.1 mi
  • Pomona Natural Bridge: 16.6 mi
Gardens: 5
Ghost towns: 4
Waterfalls: 3
  • Kinkaid Lake Spillway Falls: 14.6 mi
  • Falls-Shelter Bluff: 23.5 mi
  • Bjork's Falls: 24.5 mi
Springs: 3
  • Seep: 18.6 mi
  • Bottoms Spring: 19.5 mi
  • Cave Spring: 21.4 mi
Beaches: 2

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Bald KnobSSW 200°314 m22.9 mi
Tiptop KnobS 184°269 m22.6 mi
Government RockSSW 212°250 m23.5 mi
Grassy KnobSW 215°241 m21.1 mi
Buck KnobSSE 165°217 m24.3 mi
Iron MountainSSW 193°212 m24.7 mi
Swallow RockSW 222°198 m16.0 mi
Jims HillSSE 159°198 m24.8 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:0118:3419:09
June solstice05:3619:4420:23
September equinox06:4518:2118:55
December solstice07:1016:0116:42

Local time (America/Chicago).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F333847576675787668574637
Precip in2.82.64.15.35.04.13.63.02.93.53.93.1

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Carbondale Sthrn Illinois AP, 6 mi away.

  • butterfly milkweed20 obs
  • prairie blazing star20 obs
  • Sampson's snakeroot14 obs
  • Winged Loosestrife14 obs
  • purple milkweed13 obs
  • Purple Fringeless Orchid12 obs
  • Illinois bundleflower12 obs
  • climbing prairie rose12 obs

Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikidata

OpenStreetMap element way/1421448442

More nature reserves in Illinois

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens