Chautauqua
Havana, IL 62644-6372
Plan Your Visit
Points of Interest
Let our staff and volunteers inside the refuge headquarters help you plan your visit! While there, enjoy the half mile ADA accessible nature trail featuring viewing platforms with resting benches and scopes.
What To Do
If you have 15 minutes
- Check out the informational kiosk and viewing platform at the Eagle Bluff access point
If you have one hour
- Enjoy a few of our trails. There is a half mile ADA accessible nature trail located at the refuge headquarters or check out the five miles of primitive trails along the bluff line starting at Eagle Bluff.
If you have half a day or more
- Bring a fishing pole or kayak to experience an Illinois River backwater lake or checkout other local points of interest just up the road from the refuge, like the Jake Wolf Memorials Fish Hatchery or Sand Ridge State Forest.
Visitor Tips
Sunrise and sunset offer picturesque views of the refuge landscape and are also a great time to look for active wildlife. A member of our staff is generally available at the refuge headquarters Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding federal holidays.
Activities
More Activities
Get Involved
Whether you want to further conservation, learn more about nature or share your love of the outdoors, you’ve come to the right place. National wildlife refuges provide many opportunities for you to help your community by doing what you love.
Services
The National Wildlife Refuge System uses a wide range of land management tools based on the best science available. Our conservation toolbox includes moist soil management, prescribed fire and wetland restoration to promote wetland-dependent plant communities and wildlife populations by mimicking natural processes.
About
Established in 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge serves as a 4,793-acre sanctuary and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife along the Illinois River. The refuge is managed as part of the Illinois River National Wildlife and Fish Refuges Complex and is recognized as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. It is situated on the traditional homelands of the Illinois people, specifically the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, as well as the Kickapoo and Potawatomi tribes.