Planning a dispersed camping trip near Belknap? Dispersed camping is an excellent way to get away from it all and to disconnect. From secluded to easily reachable, we offer dispersed campsites near Belknap just for you.
Jackson Falls offers many opportunities for technical climbing and is a beautiful scenic area of the Shawnee National Forest. It is in the general forest area located east of the small town of Ozark, IL. This non-developed area has a small trailhead with a vault toilet. A short trail leads from the trailhead to the top of Jackson Falls. There are high dangerous bluffs in the area, visitors should be cautious and aware of their surroundings. Camping is allowed here at no cost, since this is part of the general forest area and not a developed campground. Access: A narrow gravel road leads to the Jackson Falls Trailhead, but then the road becomes dirt and deadends past the trailhead.
Lake Glendale If you are looking for a place in the center of the Shawnee National Forest, then Lake Glendale Recreation Area is for you. Its central location makes it easy to visit main attractions on either side of the forest or any place in-between. Surrounded by tall pine trees and mixed hardwood forests, Lake Glendale Recreation Area offers a wide range of recreation opportunities including hiking, camping, swimming, boating, fishing and bicycling. The picnic area has a large picnic shelter near the lake with party grills for group gatherings. Recreation Area brochure/map Lake Glendale Campgound Map
$12 - $44 / night
You may camp almost anywhere in Land Between the Lakes (LBL). A Basic Camping Permit is required for each person 18 and over when camping in Basic Camping Facilities. A Dispersed Camping Permit is required when camping in non-designated areas of the recreation area. Both permits currently cost $50 for annual permit and $10 for a three-day permit and can be purchased https://landbetweenthelakes.us/reservationsandpermits or any LBL facility. Please note that these permits do not apply when camping at Self-Service Campgrounds.
The United States Congress designated Panther Den as a wilderness area in 1990. It now has a total of 1195 acres, 1081 acres is National Forest System and other portion is the Crab Orchard Wilderness. The primary trail system is the River to River Trail. This trail is well marked and has several loops are in the system. Several other trails branch off the River to River Trail and support the main trail system.
Primitive camping is allowed within designated wilderness. There is no fee for primitive camping, however visitors are limited to camping a maximum of 14 continuous days. Camp and wash 150 feet away from lakes and streams. Primitive camping is NOT allowed within designated natural areas or research natural areas (boundaries are marked with yellow posts)
Traveler
Love this spot! It's easily accessible by all rig types. Backs up to the open forest and you pull right back onto the highway.
Guide
Pulled in around dusk and there was a deserted camper there, about 4 pull in sites for rooftop campers. The bugs were insane and 40 must’ve flown into my car when i opened the door for a split second. Other than that, good stop for dispersed campers. Bathrooms were vault.
Scout
Great little spot right off the interstate. Lots of nice scenery and decent fishing.
TravelerBeautiful spot with easy access and not far off the highway
Traveler
This is a spectacular place if you are looking for private and semi-private dispersed campgrounds that you can drive up to. Great hiking around the area.
The road to get into the primitive camp area is long, and just a little bumpy but we had no problem in a 4x4, also saw volvos and subarus do just fine. Sprinter vans would be fine. Was pretty dry when we visited, could see the road getting a little sketch after big rain. Definitely not gonna be fun for even small RV's. Tough turnarounds for large trailers or 5th wheels.
Traveler
Surprised to find nice porta potty at our site that was remote from others. Potable water and camper registration (but had a boil water warning but that was not normal). 30 min into Cape Girardeau and 15 min to Anna. Nice picnic table and raised fire ring/ grill.
GuideBeautiful little spots as you come in. Quiet and easy to get too.
GuideWonderful locations all as you head to this particular spot.
GuideThis road is a paved Forest road that leads to a boat ramp. There are multiple dispersed camping spots available along the way (closer to the bay mostly). There are a couple on the water and some in the woods close by. They have fire rings made by stones from previous campers. Just make sure you get a permit for the few that have the requirement. They have a sign once you get to that area by the boat ramp.
Legend
We almost had the entire campground to ourselves because it was February. We stayed here one night while coming back from MO. It had a huge campsite, unfortunately the bathrooms and showers were locked. Also part of the campground road was blocked off. We pulled up and didn't think we were going to be able to stay. We did a self registration and put a check in a slot and didn't otherwise speak to anyone in charge. We were able to walk a small trail by the campground along the lake but it started to rain so only got in about a mile. We packed up and headed out after that.
ScoutMy family stayed here on our way across the country.
TravelerWent here in early May of 2022 with two friends. This area is massive; there are a handful of hammock friendly tent sites near the Vault toilet and parking lot, and there are plenty of sites available further up the road. When we went, it was rainy and fairly cool, so there were few bugs. My only complaint was that I had no cell service. I was too busy enjoying being there.
TravelerOff the beaten path and wasn’t sure what to expect but once there it was nice…just a parking lot with a vault lock toilet and a few campsites you see right away… also a few down the path if you want a little remote. The bathroom was stocked with tp but you will want to bring hand sanatizer or water. None available there. Cool views of the Bluffs 1/4 mile down the path and a bridge that would go over a waterfall if it wasn’t so dried up…would probably real pretty to see in the spring. Drove my Hyundai Elantra thru just fine, but it is a rough road and your car will get dirty.
LegendDenumbers is considered a back country campground in Land Between the Lakes. The road going back into the campground is paved, and the roads in the campground are compacted gravel. This is a well maintained campground whose only amenity is a vault toilet, and trash dumpster. The views of the lake are amazing, and this is a quiet area that allows for easy kayaking or other small water craft. There is a boat ramp, and zero entry areas into the water for launching.
A Dispersed Camping (Basic Camping) permit is required to camp here and you must purchase these at any of the three Visitor's Centers PRIOR to coming out! I've been told (by LBL LEO) that if you arrive after the centers are closed, but go get the permit first thing in the morning when they open, you will be good...
GuideWe stayed there 1 night after the other place we stayed was a disaster. Very nice park. Very well maintained and taken care of. Lake was nice with large clean and well kept sand beach for $5 a person. They had paddle boats, kayaks for rent as well. $22 for electric sites, a little pricey at $12 for nonelectric primitive sites. They have firewood available for $4 a bundle and ice at $5 a bag. VERY VERY clean and well taken care of bathroom/shower house. Flush toilets and hot water showers. Was very impressed with them, honestly cleaner than most gas station bathrooms! Nicely located with lots of other parks and activities within driving range, like cave-in-rock and the Ohio river. Paducah Kentucky is only about a 30 minute drive where you can get anything you’d need from shopping to eating. The only bad is they only had 1 very small playground located centrally in the campground. We will definitely be staying there more often when we head down to Shawnee National Forrest.
ScoutThis was our first trust disperse camping and I adored it. FREE is just that FREE. It’s a first come first served basis. Be prepared for random bugs dropping onto you as you’re doing things. If you’re terrified of wildlife this is not the place for you. It’s an interesting thing to hear what nature does when people aren’t around. The sounds in the night, the random howls in the distance …..
Try it out. You may just love it.
OH! By the way, the only negative things are the gravel road on the way down is pothole riddled and you have to hike to your spot. Don’t worry there are close spots .
TravelerClean sites and great location.
TravelerGreat place to backwoods camp. It can be busy on the weekends and can be difficult to find an open site at times. Alot of hiking and rock climbing to do at Jackson falls.
GuideCampsites are up a poorly maintained dirt track from the parking area. A couple water crossings before the sites, the first one being the worst. Everything here accessible to a good 2WD with decent clearance. Only saw 3 vehicle sites and a couple tent sites before the third water crossing, which is as far as I looked.
GuideHad to cross two rather deep streams and the road has many ruts and is very uneven.
TravelerMost sites are great size. Lots of trees for shade. Decent price. Lots are first come first serve. My only complaint is that the shower house only had one shower and the door wouldn't shut. Also it is not a super quiet place during the day, lots of dogs barking and loud music.
GuideWe were hoping to stay there but upon arrival realized that was not to be. The east side of the road is where the camping sites would be but the road was completely washed out. It would be challenging for a jeep to make it back to some of those sites.
On top of that the river feeding Jackson Falls was all but dried up this time of year. Nothing but a trickle going down the cliff.
We headed to Glendale Lake nearby and had much better luck at Oak Point.
GuideThe campsite is considered to be primitive, which is fine, but it is right along the trail without any cover. All the campsites are one on top of the other without any cover in between or from the trail. They were all taken and incredibly packed during the Memorial Day weekend and honestly seemed very messy and unpleasant. I would not feel comfortable leaving my equipment and gear here unattended at all. I'm not sure if it's any better the further along the trail you go, but the areas we hiked it didn't appear there were additional primitive/dispersed camping spots available other than the ones near the trail head. Also, important to note that there are lots of ticks and poison ivy everywhere.
I have camped in backcountry locations and have done dispersed/primitive camping and enjoy it quite a bit, but I would have been miserable at this location.
TravelerEasy check in, camped in the tent sight. Unfortunately there was a lot of glitter pieces, plastic kid’s pieces and my self along picked up 34 cigarette butts. Besides the the people that don’t care about using a garbage can. Everything else was wonderful. Trail around lake just beautiful, bathroom clean and fun paddling on the lake. Would given 5 starts if it was not for such a messy camp sight.
TravelerCar camped without any issues but it’s worth mentioning that I didn’t have T-Mobile cellphone reception and the bathroom was a bit dirty. Also there was a shallow creek crossing right before the camping areas that I was worried about when I arrived at night, but I realized in the morning that it was not a big deal even for 2WD vehicles. It’s also very secluded so chances are you may only run into one or two other campers. Overall, solid spot!
ScoutBeautiful location. Definitely off the beaten path. There was another group of campers but they camped on the trail. Grave Road getting there was a bit rough for my Ram Promaster. Hill down to trail head could get slick if wet weather. Was alittle nervous getting out after it had rained. But luckily it wasn't to much rain. Definitely coming back when warmer.
GuideWas able to find the camping right away. There was one other group set up. Nice roomy sites with fire rings. After setting up I took a great hike on the nearby trails connected to Jackson falls. Some wonderful hiking and an abundance of climbing! I did some free climbing on small boulders and managed to climb my way back to the top of the gorge. Upon returning i noticed the other camp had left the grounds to myself. Rain came over night and eventually forced my hand to leave the next day and dry out. Definitely going back. Careful with the rain, the camp is right on the stream so I woke to being surrounded by streams. The path out is also very steep. I was able to handle it with a small car but any more mud or rain I would have been stuck. good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Belknap, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Belknap, IL is Jackson Falls with a 4.2-star rating from 20 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 8 dispersed camping locations near Belknap, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
