Burden Falls Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Burden Falls Wilderness is a 3,775-acre (15.3 km²) unit of the Shawnee National Forest
. It is located in northwestern Pope County and southwestern Saline County
, Illinois. The wilderness is characterized by roadless second-growth hardwood forest, punctuated by a small, seasonal waterfall
on Burden Creek. Burden Falls falls 20 feet (6 m) over a sandstone
ledge, and the falling creek then descends another 80 feet (25 m) in a series of cascades and cataracts.
Although this is a very small waterfall
by the nationwide standards of the United States
, Burden Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in Illinois
. Unlike most of the state, Pope County and extreme southern Illinois escaped glaciation during the Ice Age
s, and steep slopes display the effects of lengthy erosion
. Similar geological features in other regions of Illinois were ground into oblivion by the ice. Watercourses confined by sandstone ledges, of the sort found in Burden Falls Wilderness, are locally known as shut-ins
.
Hardwood trees in the wilderness include blackjack oak
, post oak
, and white oak
, the state tree of Illinois.
Hikers use the Burden Falls Trail, a 3.5-mile (5.5 km) pathway. The nearest town of any size is Carrier Mills, Illinois
.
The Burden Falls tract was listed as a wilderness under the Illinois Wilderness Act of 1990.
Shawnee National Forest
The Shawnee National Forest, located in the Ozark and Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, consists of approximately 280,000 acres of federally managed lands. In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Pope, Jackson, Union, Hardin, Alexander, Saline, Gallatin, Johnson, and Massac...
. It is located in northwestern Pope County and southwestern Saline County
Saline County, Illinois
Saline County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 24,913, which is a decrease of 6.8% from 26,733 in 2000. Its county seat is Harrisburg. Saline County is home to the smallest post office and the largest KFC in the United States....
, Illinois. The wilderness is characterized by roadless second-growth hardwood forest, punctuated by a small, seasonal waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
on Burden Creek. Burden Falls falls 20 feet (6 m) over a sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
ledge, and the falling creek then descends another 80 feet (25 m) in a series of cascades and cataracts.
Although this is a very small waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
by the nationwide standards of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Burden Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Unlike most of the state, Pope County and extreme southern Illinois escaped glaciation during the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
s, and steep slopes display the effects of lengthy erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
. Similar geological features in other regions of Illinois were ground into oblivion by the ice. Watercourses confined by sandstone ledges, of the sort found in Burden Falls Wilderness, are locally known as shut-ins
Shut-in (river)
A shut-in is an Ozark term for a river that's naturally confined within a deep, narrow channel. The river becomes unnavigable even by canoe due to a the rapids and narrow channels produced as the stream encounters a more resistant rock that is more difficult to erode...
.
Hardwood trees in the wilderness include blackjack oak
Blackjack oak
Quercus marilandica is a small oak, one of the red oak group Quercus sect. Lobatae, but fairly isolated from the others...
, post oak
Post oak
Quercus stellata is an oak in the white oak group. It is a small tree, typically 10–15 m tall and 30–60 cm trunk diameter, though occasional specimens reach 30 m tall and 140 cm diameter. It is native to the eastern United States, from Connecticut in the northeast, west to southern Iowa, southwest...
, and white oak
White oak
Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak of the Fagaceae family, native to eastern North America and found from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been...
, the state tree of Illinois.
Hikers use the Burden Falls Trail, a 3.5-mile (5.5 km) pathway. The nearest town of any size is Carrier Mills, Illinois
Carrier Mills, Illinois
Carrier Mills, formerly Carriers Mills and Morrilsville, also known as Catskin, is a village in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,886 at the 2000 census. Carrier Mills was named after George Washington Carrier and his saw and grist mill, and was one of the early Cairo...
.
The Burden Falls tract was listed as a wilderness under the Illinois Wilderness Act of 1990.