Skip to main content

Attention hunters: Visit our FAQ page for information about the use of centerfire, single-shot rifles for deer hunting in Illinois. 

Governor JB Pritzker Illinois.gov Contact IDNR DNR A to Z

Spitler Woods State Natural Area, a 200-acre site in Mt. Zion in Macon County, is home to one of the largest acreages of old growth woods in central Illinois.  Much of the site is dedicated as Spitler Woods Nature Preserve, providing additional protection for the site’s valuable natural features. 

Spitler Woods mesic upland forest includes red oak, sugar maple, black walnut and basswood on the hillsides and slopes. Dry mesic forest containing white oak, red oak and shagbark hickory is present on the higher elevations. Wet-mesic floodplain forest containing sycamore, hackberry and Ohio buckeye is present along the creek which flows through the nature preserve. The site has a spectacular display of spring wildflowers, including false rue anemone, wild geranium, trillium, spring beauty and mayapple.

Spitler Woods provides outstanding habitat for songbirds, with birders spotting yellow-billed cuckoo, gray catbird, eastern wood pewee and red-bellied woodpecker.

Picnic area shelters and the youth group camp at Spitler Woods can be reserved online at ExploreMoreIL™.