Beall Woods State Park | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
Map of the U.S. state of Illinois showing the location of Beall Woods State Park | |
Location | Wabash County, Illinois, USA |
Nearest city | Keensburg, Illinois |
Coordinates | 38°21′31″N 87°49′30″W / 38.35861°N 87.82500°W |
Area | 635 acres (257 ha) |
Established | 1966 |
Governing body | Illinois Department of Natural Resources |
Official website |
Beall Woods State Park is an Illinois state park on 635 acres (257 ha) bordering the Wabash River and Keensburg in Wabash County, Illinois in the United States. 329 acres (133 ha) of the state park is an old-growth forest designated as a protected Natural Area by the state of Illinois. The trees within the forest consist overwhelmingly of hardwoods of the former Eastern Woodlands ecosystem.
Portions of Beall Woods State Park have been designated a National Natural Landmark as the Forest of the Wabash. The state park was created in 1966, after the death of the last of the Beall family who had maintained the forest in an untouched state since the early 19th century. The park hosts a small primitive campground and maintains a visitor center which opened in April 2001. The park maintains 6+1⁄4 miles (10.1 km) of hiking trails, primarily through the Forest of the Wabash portion of the park.