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Nature reserve · Illinois

Lake Murphysboro State Park

Lake Murphysboro State Park from directly overhead

Lake Murphysboro State Park is a nature reserve in Illinois, at a recorded elevation of 116 m. Bald Knob stands 314 m to the south, 16 miles off. The nearest named place is Pine Circle Picnic Area, a picnic site 0.1 miles away. Great River Road passes 5.0 miles off. 23 named summits stand within 25 miles.

The record

What the record says

Elevation
116 m
Visiting

What to expect

Operated by
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Official site

Getting there

How to reach it

Driving directionsPlan a drive around it
Coordinates37.78177, -89.37760
Around it

Named places within 25 miles

Parks
  • Longfellow Park: 1.9 mi
  • Riverside Park: 2.1 mi
  • Glenn Schlimpert Recreation Area: 2.2 mi
  • Glen Schlimpert Recreation Area: 2.2 mi
  • Town Center Park: 2.2 mi
Peaks: 23
  • Mount Carbon: 4.1 mi
  • Swallow Rock: 6.3 mi
  • Cleinman Mound: 8.6 mi
  • Lookout Rocks: 8.9 mi
  • Indian Hill: 10.3 mi
Historic sites: 22
  • Unknown Departed Memorial: 8.3 mi
  • Unknown Departed Memorial: 8.3 mi
  • Old Train Depot: 8.6 mi
  • Veterans Memorial: 8.6 mi
  • Veterans Memorial: 8.6 mi
Picnic sites: 17
  • Pine Circle Picnic Area: 0.1 mi
  • Lake Shore Drive Picnic Area: 0.2 mi
  • Shady Cove: 0.3 mi
  • Oak Point Picnic Area: 0.4 mi
  • Clearview: 0.4 mi
Artworks: 17
  • ps: 2.1 mi
  • gym: 2.1 mi
  • k: 9.9 mi
  • Faery: 12.8 mi
  • Dragon: 12.8 mi
Nature reserves: 15
Cliffs: 9
Museums: 8
  • The Carbondale Depot Museum: 9.6 mi
  • Sharp Museum: 9.8 mi
  • African American Museum of Southern Illinois: 10.7 mi
  • Giant City Visitor Center: 16.2 mi
  • Carterville Heritage Museum: 16.5 mi
Attractions: 7
  • ps: 2.0 mi
  • ps: 2.1 mi
  • ps: 3.0 mi
  • Mystic Willow: 8.2 mi
  • Pomona Natural Bridge: 9.4 mi
Gardens: 5
Ghost towns: 4
Springs: 3
  • Bottoms Spring: 8.9 mi
  • Cave Spring: 13.1 mi
  • Seep: 16.4 mi
Waterfalls: 2
  • Kinkaid Lake Spillway Falls: 4.0 mi
  • Falls-Shelter Bluff: 16.2 mi
Beaches: 1
On the horizon

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Lake Murphysboro State Park. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Bald KnobS 174°314 m16.0 mi
Tiptop KnobSSE 155°269 m18.6 mi
Government RockSSW 193°250 m14.6 mi
Grassy KnobSSW 194°241 m11.9 mi
McGee HillS 191°240 m16.5 mi
Tricky HillSSW 211°219 m23.4 mi
Buck KnobSE 138°217 m23.7 mi
Iron MountainS 169°212 m18.7 mi
Conditions

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:0218:3519:10
June solstice05:3719:4420:24
September equinox06:4618:2218:56
December solstice07:1016:0216:43

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, 7 mi away.

Wildlife nearby
  • Common Box Turtle13 obs
  • eastern redbud8 obs
  • Virginia Springbeauty8 obs
  • pennywort8 obs
  • prairie trillium6 obs
  • wild comfrey6 obs
  • common pawpaw5 obs
  • American tuliptree5 obs

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

Sources

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial site

OpenStreetMap element way/671039791

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