About this place

LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond RNA is one of the most unique areas in the world. LaRue-Pine Hills? unique physical characteristics dictate and support a rich biodiversity not found anywhere else in the country. In all, the area covers about 4.5 square miles (3547 acres) and contains 14 natural communities including forests, wetland, prairie, glade and barren ecosystems and geologic features. Please help protect this special place for future generations to enjoy, study and appreciate. Bi-annually the Shawnee National Forest closes Forest Service Road No. 345, also known as Snake Road, to help ensure safe crossing for several species of snakes and amphibians during this critical time of migration. The 2.5-mile-long road is closed September 1 through October 30 to allow snakes and amphibians ? some of them considered threatened and endangered in Illinois and the United States ? to migrate from their summer habitat in the LaRue Swamp across the road to their winter habitat in the limestone bluffs. For the latest on this closure visitors should visit the Forest website or their Facebook or Twitter social media sites. The gradual, two-month migration event attracts people from across the country eager to witness the rich diversity of reptile and amphibian species along this single stretch of road. About 66 percent of the amphibians and 59 percent of the reptiles known to occur in Illinois are found here. Though the road is closed to vehicles, it is open to people traveling on foot. Special regulations apply to the area. LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond is a federally designated Research Natural Area and unauthorized collecting and handling of any of these species is prohibited under federal and state law.