Crab Orchard Lake
About
Crab Orchard Lake is a boat launch in southern Illinois, set within Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The nearest town is Cambria, about 3.5 miles away. Fall is the most comfortable time to be on the water. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show October highs around 70°F with lows near 44°F, while July highs climb to about 88°F. Short walks are close by at Green Earth's Brush Hill Preserve Trail and Green Earth Pyles Fork Preserve Trail, both a little over 3 miles away, and at Campus Lake Trail at about 4.7 miles. For climbing, Shelter 1 Bluff sits roughly 8 miles from the launch.
Launch Details
Managed by
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Location
Carbondale
Illinois
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). View or edit on OpenStreetMap.
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Apr–Jun. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 68–85°F and lows of 44–64°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Carbondale Sewage Plt, IL weather station, 1 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan41° high23° low
- Feb46° high26° low
- Mar56° high34° low
- Apr68° high44° low
- May77° high55° low
- Jun85° high64° low
- Jul88° high68° low
- Aug87° high65° low
- Sep81° high56° low
- Oct70° high44° low
- Nov56° high35° low
- Dec45° high27° low
Where it is
- Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge · Public land
- Nearest town
- Cambria, Illinois · 3.5 mi
Source: NIFC Jurisdictional Units; USGS GNIS populated places
Nearby
- Green Earth's Brush Hill Preserve TrailHiking3.1 mi
- Green Earth Pyles Fork Preserve TrailHiking3.2 mi
- Attucks Park Walking TrailHiking3.3 mi
- Campus Lake TrailHiking4.7 mi
- C: Park BoulderingRock climbing8 mi
- Shelter 1 BluffRock climbing8 mi
A: Gill RoofRock climbingPhoto: Kbh3rd, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)9.5 mi- B: The AmpitheaterRock climbing9.5 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Best time to visit Crab Orchard Lake
Best months: March–April, June and September–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
41° / 23°
10 wet
Feb
46° / 26°
9 wet
Mar
56° / 34°
12 wet
Apr
68° / 44°
12 wet
May
77° / 55°
13 wet
Jun
85° / 64°
10 wet
Jul
88° / 68°
9 wet
Aug
87° / 65°
9 wet
Sep
81° / 56°
8 wet
Oct
70° / 44°
9 wet
Nov
56° / 35°
10 wet
Dec
45° / 27°
11 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Carbondale Sewage Plt, IL, 1 mi away at 390 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
