Turkey Bayou Campground

This free US Forest Service campground requires a drive down approximately four miles of gravel road through Shawnee National Forest, with overhanging branches that pose challenges for taller RVs above 11 feet. The dispersed sites spread along the Big Muddy River and adjacent lake, offering both sunny and shaded options with picnic tables, fire pits, and lantern hangers.

Sites near the water provide direct access for fishing and boat launching, though they offer little privacy between campers. "Grabbed a site on the water and listened to the Canada geese honking," reports Cindy P.. Several sites can accommodate RVs up to 45 feet, while walk-in options work for tent campers seeking spots with trees for hammock setup. The single porta-potty serves the entire campground.

Fishing draws many visitors to the Big Muddy River and lake, with campers reporting fish jumping throughout the night. The area supports diverse bird life including egrets and Canada geese. Some sites offer tetherball for entertainment. Cell service varies by carrier, with Verizon providing stronger signals than T-Mobile, though speeds remain limited for data-heavy activities.

Access conditions depend on recent weather, as the gravel road can develop rough spots. The campground typically sees moderate use, with weekend arrivals finding about half the sites available during peak seasons. Volunteer hosts help maintain the area. Campers seeking additional options in the region can explore campgrounds around Gorham or visit nearby Devils Backbone Park. Plan for slow travel on the access road and bring fresh water, as no spigots are available on-site.

Fee Info

Free - first come first served

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RV Road Trip Guides

Location

Dispersed Camping

Turkey Bayou Campground is located in Illinois

Detail location of campground

Directions

From Murphysboro: Take Highway 149 west 7 miles to Highway 3; then south 5.5 miles on Hwy 3 to Oakwood Bottoms Road. Turn east (left) onto Oakwood Bottoms Rd. and continue 4 miles to the campground. From Jonesboro: Take Highway 146 west 8 miles to Highway 3, then north 8 miles on Hwy 3 to Oakwood Bottoms Road. Turn east (right) onto Oakwood Bottoms Rd. and continue 4 miles to the campground.

Coordinates

37.68475068 N
89.41091197 W

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Connectivity

Presented byT-MobileT-Mobile is introducing T-Satellite to extend coverage in the outdoors
  • signal strength bars
    T-Mobile
    Possible Coverage
    Verified by 20 users
    Last on 4/27/26
  • signal strength bars
    VerizonLTE
    Some Coverage
    Verified by 2 users
    Last on 4/27/26
  • signal strength bars
    AT&T
    No Coverage
    Verified by 2 users
    Last on 4/27/26

Connectivity

Presented byT-MobileT-Mobile is introducing T-Satellite to extend coverage in the outdoors
  • signal strength bars
    T-Mobile
    Possible Coverage
    Verified by 20 users
    Last on 4/27/26
  • signal strength bars
    VerizonLTE
    Some Coverage
    Verified by 2 users
    Last on 4/27/26
  • signal strength bars
    AT&T
    No Coverage
    Verified by 2 users
    Last on 4/27/26

Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • ADA Access
  • Picnic Table
  • Phone Service
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

DISPERSED CAMPING

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.


PERMIT might be REQUIRED

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Drive Time


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Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

15 Reviews

Many campers appreciated this free waterfront campground's beautiful location and peaceful atmosphere. Visitors should expect minimal facilities with only porta-potties and no running water or showers, making it ideal for self-sufficient campers seeking scenic lake and river access.

Reviewed Apr. 19, 2026

Lake Front Quick Stop

We got here pretty late in the night and had no trouble getting into a spot with our Class C. there were plenty of spots and a few other campers. Could be a great fishing spot! We only stayed over night and had to head out the next morning. Long gravel road to get there, but it’s a beautiful cruise to get to the campground. A lot of beautiful birds to view.

SiteSpot 8
Month of VisitApril
Reviewed Apr. 12, 2026

Basic & Free

Basic free USFS campground. One porta potty for the whole place. Only two other campers besides our party on a Sunday afternoon. Grabbed a site on the water and listened to the Canada geese honking. Saw about a dozen egrets on the way to the campsite. Not a destination type place but would camp here again if passing through.

Site14
Month of VisitApril
  • Play button icon
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Cindy P., April 12, 2026
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Cindy P., April 12, 2026
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jul. 22, 2024

Empty

Nobody here. Bring a fishing pole. No services except a porta potty.

Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jun. 10, 2023

Beautiful, roomy, remote

This is a beautiful location. Straight off the main road, it felt like 3 miles, but I'm not sure. It was really late when I rolled in. Porta potty, low bandwidth LTE AT&T service. Lots of people staying but plenty of sites. Most were fishing. Check out the awesome hike a Little Grand Canyon. It was one of the best I've done.

Site16
Month of VisitJune
  • Play button icon
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Tammie C., June 10, 2023
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Tammie C., June 10, 2023
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Mar. 16, 2023

Super Quiet

Stayed a night and loved the quiet. Heavily wooded. 10 mins of gravel, some rough spots but ok for a car. Porta potty only and no running water. 20 mins to town. Would stay again!

Month of VisitMarch
Reviewed Sep. 24, 2022

Nice place - good facilities for free boondocking site

Back in sites along the water, tetherball, lantern hangers, picnic tables, porta potty, fire pits, boat ramp - sites with both full sun, full shade or in between - we took full sun exposure to power our solar panels.

The only downside is the drive in - 4 miles of gravel road that was slow going in our 36’ class A - lots of overhanging trees that will rip a TPO roof (ours was ok with a fiberglass roof). We are 11’8” at the roof.

Well worth the drive in just plan for going slow if you have a large rig (especially tall)

We had 2 bars of service with Verizon 4g and 2 bars on T-Mobile 4g service. Speeds were 12 down/3 up and 3 down/.5 up respectively.

Last week of September, arrived on a Saturday and half the sites were open (most folks chose shaded spots)

Noise will all depend upon who your neighbors are when you stay (like most places). Sites have adequate space between them so you feel like you are camping and not overhearing eighties talking.

Several of the sites can fit a 45ft RV

Would return again.

Site16
Month of VisitSeptember
Reviewed Aug. 15, 2022

Huge site, only 3 others there

We pulled in to see many of the large sites available and picked the one with a tree for shade looking over the river. We pitched our tents and then drove to the Little Grand Cayon for a quick hike before dusk.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Bernadette H., August 15, 2022
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Bernadette H., August 15, 2022
Reviewed Apr. 4, 2022

Feels criminal this is free

Perfect campground. Clean, right next on the water, only 2 other groups (~20 sites total), and FREE. Though no trash or showers--only porta-potty.

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Kevin , April 4, 2022
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Kevin , April 4, 2022
Reviewed Sep. 11, 2021

Peaceful

I went camping alone and there weren’t too many people here but I know if I screamed there would be people that heard me lol spectrum Mobile works out here and the lake is beautiful.

Site14
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Elisha S., September 11, 2021
Reviewed Sep. 14, 2020

Great place to stay

I enjoyed turkey bayou a lot. Was not expecting such a great place, for free none the less. Definitely be coming back.

Reviewed Jun. 27, 2020

Beautiful Site for Primitive Camping

We took a chance camping here since we hang hammocks but we found a site that had some trees nearby. We were pleasantly surprised to see a port-a-pottie at the campground. It was clean and had toilet paper.  Middle of the week in June and the campground was about half empty. Very peaceful place. We could hear the fish jumping all night.

Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Sep. 20, 2017

Beautiful and accommodating despite eclipse crowds

A few miles down a dirt road this is a beautiful campsite with great volunteer hosts. Stayed during the eclipse so crowds were intense but the hosts lets us camp where we could find room, the site was clean and the pond was beautiful (as always bring the bug spray when camping near the water).

Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Jun. 30, 2017

Simple & Free

This simple, FREE campground is in a beautiful location by the Big Muddy River. It is volunteer run and relatively well-kept up, but there are not many amenities. It's like front country, back country camping. There is no toilet and or water spigots, so bring your back country shovel and fresh water.

What this campground does have is beauty, a lake, and the Big Muddy River nearby. There are wooded areas in the campground, but the sites near the water are wide open with not much privacy. Many fisherman and hunters use this campground during the season, but when we camped in the early spring, there were only 2 other campers in the whole campground.

My husband and I camped here on a whim while traveling through southern Illinois. While cooking dinner over the campfire, the sun was setting over the lake and caused us to stop what we were doing just to enjoy the show that Mother Nature was providing for us!

SiteNo site numbers, just pick a spot and pitch your tent.
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Shari  G., June 30, 2017
  • Review photo of Turkey Bayou Campground by Shari  G., June 30, 2017

Frequently Asked Questions

What amenities and facilities are available at Turkey Bayou Campground?

Turkey Bayou Campground offers basic amenities for a more rustic camping experience. Facilities include porta-potties that are generally well-maintained, picnic tables, fire pits, and lantern hangers at the campsites. There's no running water, so campers need to bring their own fresh water supply. The campground features both sunny and shaded sites, with some offering river views. Several sites are located along the water, and there's a boat ramp available. While the amenities are minimal, the campground is clean and well-kept by volunteer hosts.

Where is Turkey Bayou Campground located in Illinois?

Turkey Bayou Campground is nestled along the Big Muddy River in southern Illinois. The campground is accessed via a 3-4 mile gravel road off the main highway. It's approximately 20 minutes from the nearest town, making it a secluded retreat. The campground is also near Little Grand Canyon, which offers excellent hiking opportunities within a short drive. The remote location provides a peaceful camping experience while still being accessible for most vehicles, though the gravel road can be slow-going with some rough spots.

Is Turkey Bayou Campground free to camp at?

Yes, Turkey Bayou Campground is completely free to camp at. There are no entrance or overnight fees charged, making it an excellent option for budget-conscious campers in Illinois. Despite being free, the campground is well-maintained by volunteer hosts and offers approximately 20 total sites.

What outdoor activities can you do at Turkey Bayou Campground?

Turkey Bayou Campground offers several outdoor activities. Fishing is the most popular pursuit, with many campers taking advantage of the access to the Big Muddy River and adjacent lake. Hiking is available nearby at Little Grand Canyon, which makes for a perfect day trip from the campground. The campground also has tetherball for recreation. Boating is accessible via the on-site boat ramp. With both wooded areas and water access, the location provides opportunities for wildlife viewing and nature photography. The peaceful setting is also ideal for relaxation and enjoying the natural surroundings.