Although most refuge lands and outdoor spaces have remained open for the public to enjoy, we ask that you recreate responsibly.
- Check alerts and local conditions on this website and call ahead for current information. Mask requirements vary by facility location. Check your state and county levels.
- Consistent with CDC recommendations, all visitors (age 2 and older), who are fully vaccinated are required to wear a mask inside of federal buildings in areas of substantial or high community transmission. Masks are still required on all forms of enclosed public transportation.
- Most importantly, stay home if you feel sick and continue to watch for symptoms of COVID-19 and follow CDC guidance on how to protect yourself and others.
Visit Us
While there are a number of activities for visitors at Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, the most popular are wildlife watching and hunting for deer and turkey. Visitors may also find photography opportunities in the grasslands and woods.
Location and Contact Information
Our Species
The riverine wetlands and oak savanna of Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area are home to a variety of resident and migratory wildlife. Black-crowned night herons use the area’s wetlands, rivers and wet agricultural fields as resting and feeding places. Red-headed woodpeckers, rare in most of the midwest today, are more common on the refuge where the insects and nuts they eat are abundant. The regal fritillary, a beautiful bright red-orange and black butterfly, is often found in the refuge’s larger open grasslands, wet fields, remnant tallgrass prairie, damp meadows and marshes.