That’s Shawnee National Forest for you—a sprawling 289,000-acre paradise tucked away in southern Illinois near Herod that somehow remains one of America’s most underrated natural wonders.

The Chapel Loop is perhaps the most popular day hike, a 10-mile circuit that takes in Chapel Rock, Chapel Beach, and Chapel Falls. The Lakeshore Trail provides the best views of the cliffs from above, ...

The visitor center and a wastewater treatment plant were among the 50 to 80 structures lost, the park superintendent said.