Illinois Highest Points and Notable Terrain
Illinois is one of the flattest states in the US — the glacier-flattened Till Plain dominates. The "mountains" of Illinois are gentle hills in the Shawnee region and the glacial moraines of the north.
Charles Mound (1,235 ft)
The highest point in Illinois — a glacial till hill in the extreme northwest corner of the state (Jo Daviess County), accessible only on summer weekends when the private landowner opens the property. The summit is a grassy hilltop with views across the Driftless Area (the region of Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota that was not glaciated). The approach is a short walk from the parking area. Bagging Charles Mound is the least dramatic of any state high point — but the Driftless landscape of rolling hills and coulees is beautiful.
Shawnee Hills (Southern Illinois)
The most significant topographic feature in Illinois — a series of sandstone hills and ridges in the southern tip, reaching elevations of 900–1,000 feet above sea level (but 700+ feet above the surrounding Mississippi and Ohio River lowlands). The Garden of the Gods (elevation ~800 ft), the Bell Smith Springs area, and the Burden Falls area are the highest terrain in Shawnee National Forest.
Illinois Moraines
The glacial moraines of northeastern Illinois (the Valparaiso Moraine, the Tinley Moraine) are the topographic ridges that form the Chicago metro's topography. The moraines reach only 800 feet but define the drainage divide between the Lake Michigan and Mississippi watersheds.
Galena Territory (Jo Daviess County)
The far northwest corner of Illinois — rolling hills of the Driftless Area, reaching 1,000+ feet, with lead mining history and the well-preserved 19th-century town of Galena (Ulysses S. Grant's home). The Galena-area terrain is the most scenic in northern Illinois.
Rock formations of Starved Rock
The 18 sandstone canyons of Starved Rock reach 100-foot heights above the Illinois River — not mountains, but the most dramatic geological terrain within a 2-hour drive of Chicago.
Sources
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