Deep within the Shawnee National Forest

The Garden of the Gods is made up of many rock formations and cliffs that took millions of years to form. Great rivers carried sand and mud to the sea that settled along the shoreline. The weight of the sediments turned them into thick layers of rock. Eventually it raised inland sea above sea level and caused much more sand and mud to fill. Since that time, weather has caused the layers to wear down, creating the beautiful rock formation that now is, Garden of the Gods.

For more information about visiting the Garden of the Gods in Shawnee National forest, follow this link-

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/shawnee/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=10685&actid=50

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ILLINOIS

The Garden of the Gods Wilderness in Illinois is a 3,318 acre parcel of land listed as Wilderness Area of the United States. It is located within the Shawnee National Forest in Hardin County, Pope County, Saline County, and Gallatin County in the U.S. sate of Illinois. Garden of the Gods is made of thick sandstone, that over time, has been eroded, weathered, and uplifted. The erosion patterns have created hoodoos, and other unusual formations. Such as Buzzards Point, Anvil Rock, Camel Rock, and Table Rock. Of all the wilderness areas within Shawnee, Garden of the Gods is made of second-growth forested areas that were used until the land condemnations of the 1930's as agriculture land.