Tent Sites
Fires Allowed
Pets Allowed
About Turkey Bayou Campground
Relax and enjoy the seclusion of this 20-acre oxbow lake on the Big Muddy River. Friends of the Bayou say Turkey Bayou is full for the eclipse. ACTIVITIES Boating Camping Fishing Hunting Wildlife Viewing
Operator
USDA Forest Service
Access
Boat In
Features
Alcohol Allowed
No Drinking Water
No Electric Hookups
Fires Allowed
Firewood Available
No Market
Pets Allowed
Phone Service
Picnic Table
No Showers
Toilets
No Trash
No WiFi
+ More
RVs and Trailers
No Sanitary Dump
No Water Hookups
Contact
Location
Turkey Bayou Campground is located in Illinois
Directions
Travel west from Murphysboro on Route 13 to Route 3, the Great River Road. Head south on Route 3 to Forest Service Route 786 leading to the Oakwood Bottoms Interpretative Site. Continue west on Forest Service Route 786 approximately 6 miles to the lake.
4 Reviews of Turkey Bayou Campground
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.
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.
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).
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!
