Looking for the best McLeansboro tent camping? Find the best tent camping sites near McLeansboro. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
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.
Congratulations! Youve just discovered the perfect place to enjoy a wide variety of activities, events and nature at its best. Even a short visit to Rend Lake will impress you with the versatility of this magnificent area. Whether youre looking for high adventure, a peaceful retreat, or something in between, youll find it here.
North Marcum Day Use Area sits along the banks of Rend Lake in the heart of Southern Illinois. Plenty of shade and a large sandy boat in are, make this day use area desirable for a day on scenic Rend Lake. Rend Lake is made up of 18,900 acres of water and 20,000 acres of land.
Wildlife in the area includes white tailed deer, wild turkey, fox, raccoon, opossum, waterfowl, and others as seasons change throughout the year.
Take a leisurely morning stroll, ski or sail lake waters, spend the afternoon viewing inspiring art exhibits and end your day by the warm glow of a campfire under starry night skies. The fields, forests and waters of Rend Lake provide a natural haven for wildlife and an outdoor wonderland for you. Boat, hike, fish, hunt, swim, and explore at your leisure. If you prefer a little less nature, visit one of the resorts around the lake and delight in superb lodging and dining. Just minutes away youll find golf, trap and skeet, arts, antiques, museums, wineries, and more.
North Marcum Day Use Area features two large picnic shelters with tables, grills, and drinking water. The shelters can accommodate up to 75 guests each, and the area has a boat ramp, playground, and dock all within walking distance.
Turkey Ridge is for campers who want a serene outdoor experience. It is a Class C walk-in campground that includes camp pads, picnic tables, cooking grills and showers. Drinking water and toilets are located near the parking lots.
$18 / night
$8 / night
This campground is the site of an old Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) work camp. Somewhat off the beaten path Camp Cadiz is usually quiet and rarely do the campsites fill up; with the exception of turkey and deer hunting seasons. The campsites are level and each has a fire ring with grill and picnic table. __Equestrian camping is allowed.__Recreation Area brochure/map
Located along the banks of the Ohio River, Tower Rock Campground offers beautiful scenery and close proximity to water activities like fishing and boating. The 1/4 mile trail can be accessed near the boat launch. Be aware this area is prone to flooding when river levels fluctuate.
Backpackers enjoying their commune with nature will appreciate the solitude of the individual campsites in the Class C Backpack campground. Located a half-mile from the Turkey Ridge primitive campground parking lot, these woodland sites have cooking grills, toilets and showers. Water and trash receptacles are available at the Turkey Ridge parking lot. You're reminded to be careful with your fires and to pack out what you pack in.
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.
Scout
Great little spot right off the interstate. Lots of nice scenery and decent fishing.
Scout
Campground was quiet and well kept. Foliage was well trimmed. There was a spot from previous campers that needed cleaned up, but that's more of a reflection of the previous campers and less the camp ground, in my opinion, as it was not an overall theme.
Ranger
This is a little gem of a refuge within the Shawnee NF - about 30min from Marion, down a beautiful country road before nestling among the trees around the lake. The drive is paved/gravel the whole way, so very easily drivable for anyone in anything. Plenty of camp sites, both with electric and non-electric, double and single. Bring bug spray - horseflies and ticks. Beautiful lake, beautiful biking trails, etc. Firepits w/ grates are spacious and nice, fees are online. 1 bar verizon at camp, can get up to 3 bars within the area.
Guide
We had a great experience with the park itself. The grounds were very well maintained with trails, playgrounds, and picnic areas. We were there on a Sunday night and were the only campers in the park.
The star I knocked off was for the pit toilets. They had not been limed in a while as evidenced by the bugs swarming inside the pits and larva swimming in the bottom. If I didn’t have a portable travel potty of my own, I would have not given even four stars. I may not have camped here.
Ranger
Stopped here for the night driving through the area. Nice campground, clean, safe, and right off the interstate.
Guide
We stayed here on the way to and on the way home from The Kentucky Bourbon Trail. It is a fairly new KOA with so many enjoyable amenities, family fun, food, ice cream, mini golf, full hookups and shady spots if you ask for one. We want to go back and stay at a patio lot with a swing. Staff is friendly and helpful. Nearby services, fuel, farm store, etc.
Ranger
Easy to find. Affordable overnight stay with electric. Beautiful lake. Friendly campers and hosts. Pit toilets. Spotty Verizon.
Scout
We stayed 4 days and had a great time. The camp was clean and well maintained. The staff are very friendly and helpful and was more than happy to offer places to visit in the area, places to eat and provide assistance as needed. The trails are paved so we had a nice area to walk (twice around the lake from our site was 3 miles). :) We plan to visit again!
Guide
We were on electric only. Wish we had known we could have gotten a senior discount. Very nice campground.
TravelerBeautiful spot with easy access and not far off the highway
Scout
1 side is directly on the freeway VERY loud, the other is in between the sewer treatment plant and municipal airport. If you're a light sleeper might want to stay away Full video review on YouTube https://youtu.be/QpuNpA7UVZI
ScoutI stayed here and camped for a bike rally. I think you can only camp during an event. And cost is different from each event. Nice place
Traveler
We stayed here for the eclipse in April. No real issues. Kids had plenty of room to run around, hike and safely ride bikes around the campground. Showers and bathrooms were typical for a state park.
There were heavy storms the night before the eclipse and everyone in tents were completely soaked. The area around our site had really poor drainage. We had noisy neighbors that were up until at least 2 or 3 with zero regards for anyone else trying to sleep.
ScoutGreat little stop, everything is clean and a fresh shower was refreshing.
Traveler
Only $26 a night for full-hookups is amazing. Cell service for AT&T is marginal at 2 bars LTE. Only issue that I have is that site 49 is very hard to get level in, make sure that you bring extra leveling blocks if possible
Guide
Was the only one there $ 20 with Electricity, what a Deal Steve is a great Host Also had free Music….. Cicadas
GuideWe camped here during the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse and it was also the overflow site which at that time was the side of the camp entrance road. Fast forward to April 7,8 & 9 2024 We are again on overflow campground where this time was their group camping site which was much better than the side of the road. The overflow site has 4 unisex bathrooms but no showers (showers are at the main campground) there is dining (open) pavilion with a fireplace and a filtered well water system. We had a blast watching the Total Solar Eclipse.
Traveler
Sites are nice, although all sites face each other meaning you will be 5-10 feet from your neighbors if you are sitting out front. Full-hookups with only a 50amp connection so if you are using 30 make sure you have a 50/30 adapter. Overall very nice campground, well maintained.
Scout
Location is everything and this is well in the middle of a great area in Shawnee National Forest. Garden of the gods, Bell Smith springs, Ferne State park, and on and on. You can spend a week here and not see everything.
There are primitive and electric (with water) sites. There are no sites with sewer hookup. There is a dump station at the entrance.
Sites are generally level and well kept. Very large rigs (35+) will be challenging, but I've seen them - more towards the front. There are some lake front spots that can be had. Sites are first come and there are no reservations taken. During the week, no problem. Weekends would be iffy.
Large lake with swimming, fishing, kayaking. Also has a bike trail around it - maybe 2 miles.
Shower houses are kept clean, but as of this posting, they need some maintenance work.
All in all, this is a must stop if you want to enjoy what the area has to offer.
Ranger
Love this state park! Clean, quiet, water views and lots of bike paths to ride.
Legend
Getting there: Easy access off Illinois 13 East of Carbondale
Check in and staff: Campground is now under the egis of recreation.gov& reservations through them are a must. This is new& when planning the trip the website said“first come first serve” so we arrived on a Friday evening(4pm) with no reservation. The sign said RV sites all taken. The host was wonderful! He has been here 9 years and steered us to a nice site for the one night we will be here. The online experience with recreation.gov was not pleasant, impossible in fact. So I had to call. This took quite awhile. Once I got a real live person it was great, and we got our site with no problems.
Amenities: Bathrooms: clean, paper towels& air dryers.
Site: A-35. In the middle of the A loop and therefore not on the water. Still, very nice. After all, beggars can’t be choosers! Sites are somewhat spacious, but not terribly private.
Guide
Smaller campground with many older run down campers that are likely full time living here. All sites are pull through, and within 2 feet of the drive. Good spacing between sites, I didn’t feel like I was right up on my neighbors
GuideBeautiful little spots as you come in. Quiet and easy to get too.
GuideStayed here on the way to and from Florida (home in Minnesota). Very nice campground. Well maintained, big sites for our 40ft fifth wheel, great sunrise/sunset views, and the bathrooms are very clean and well lite. The gentleman/host that greeted us at the office upon arrival was polite and helpful. Will definitely stay again!
Guide
We stayed at Giant City in February on a very cold weekend. It was still a fantastic trip! The campsites, fire pits and pit toilets were well maintained. The shorter trails in the park were beautiful even in the winter. The Lodge also had excellent food and a very cozy feel. Definitely visit the Lodge!!
Guide
We stayed at the campground on the north end of Pyramid. The campsites were close together but we visited in February so we were the only campers. The fire pits were a little run down but the sites were nice and level with a table. No lantern posts. Pit toilets that were decent. The park office is a pretty long drive from the north end campground. The hiking is limited but the campground was peaceful and close to the lakes. Probably covered in bugs in the summer. Overall pretty nice stay
Camping near McLeansboro, Illinois, offers a variety of beautiful spots for outdoor enthusiasts. From serene lakes to scenic trails, there’s something for everyone in this area.
Camping near McLeansboro, Illinois, has its perks and quirks. With the right preparation, you can enjoy a fantastic outdoor experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near McLeansboro, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near McLeansboro, IL is Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife with a 5-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near McLeansboro, IL?
TheDyrt.com has all 15 tent camping locations near McLeansboro, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
