The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Thebes. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Thebes campgrounds just for you. Find the best campgrounds near Thebes, IL. Read reviews from campers like you and find your perfect campsite.
$20 - $125 / night
"We're honored that Robyn has chosen to list her property on our platform. Come here to find peace and embrace nature. Surrounded by greenery, this is the perfect spot to relax, unwind, and reconnect."
$18 / night
"There are a lot of hiking trails and we really enjoyed them all! The tent camping accommodations were less than stellar, simply because of the “outhouses “."
"It was easy to find firewood with out having to go very far, becareful there is a good amount of poison ivy. The only trail I hiked was Happy Hollow."
"Nice little primitive campground with about 8 small spots. Has a nice sized lake good fishing if you are using a boat, or kayak. Spots have a table and a fire pit."
"Small lake. Has tent camping or cabins. All roads are gravel. We have stayed in the cabins. It was a double bed and also had a set of bunks. So plenty of room. Lake has sandy beaches."
"Not a lot of tent sites, but enough. Nice wooded primitive sites with easy access to water and toilets. Had my pups with, and no problems at all. Nice trails for different hiking skill sets."
"Ferne Clyffe State Park is in the Shawnee National Forrest near Goreville, IL., south of Carbondale."
"Beautiful spot with easy access and not far off the highway"
"Lots to do nearby if you don't like fishing! Ranger came through and was very friendly & helpful."
"Good primitive"
GuideSo first of all- I think it’s fair to state before I leave a review that my husband and I prefer primitive and private camping. The fewer people we see while we’re out, the better. We live in a city so when we camp, we want the opposite. If you enjoy RV camping or don’t mind not so Private spots, this is a decent spot to spend the night. If you like primitive/private camping- il fill you in below!
We do tent camping and Saw there were walk-in sites and hike in sites at this campground. Usually walk-in sites are pretty private and dispersed well - atleast where we’ve been before. The 14 “primitive” camping sites were right next to eachothwr with little to no privacy at all. Good tree cover for shade but otherwise you’re basically setting up your tent and area in an open field. That was a little disappointing to us because it wasn’t what we thought we would find. The RV spots also seem super close together but again- we like things spread out so maybe it would be an OK place for some.
The vault toilets near the tent sites were...as clean as vault toilets get! And we did not use tje shower facilities so can’t speak on that.
If we had been just the 2 of us, we would’ve hiked in to do our camping along one of the hiking paths but we were meeting two other friends and were unsure if they would want to hike miles to a spot so we opted for the tent spots just after the RV campground. If you want more privacy for an evening of camping, you’ll need to come with your gear packed up decently enough to hike it out atleast a mile onto the trails. There is camping allowed along the trails as long as you are 100 ft from the trail so that was an option, but in certain spots along the trail it’s challenging to find a clearing (hammocks would be great along the trail). There is also an official primitive camping site halfway through the 12 mile loop of the Red Ceder Trail. We day hiked almost the whole loop but made a Weird little detour so we didn’t get to check these spots out.
We were hoping to find a campsite that- as get as difficulty of accessibility level- was in between a 6 mile hike and the tent spots in the field but there isn’t any official spot like that even tho there’s tons of space and potential for it. Rant over about the campground. Let’s talk about the hiking! The hiking was truly awesome and felt like it balanced out my disappointment with the campground. Doing the whole 12 mile loop of tje Red Cedar Trail was a challenge for us! We really enjoyed it. In some spots, the trail markers are a little confusing, but overall it’s decently marked and the map is somewhat helpful just to kindve know vaguely where you are. The 2nd day, we went back and did about half rhe loop and also checked out the more popular section of the trails back there that include Giant City Nature Trail, Devils Stand Table, and a few others. Very cool rock formations. Pretty busy in the weekend over there but the test of the trails away from that area with those big landmarks was completely deserted and there are some super cool rock formations not on the map at all.
Over all, this was a fun 4 days. We would return and plan on hiking out into the trails to camp for our evenings. If you like privacy around your campfire at night, I can’t recommend the campground.
LegendPRO
Senior discount saving $6
Able to reserve on-line 365 days prior to arriving
Very friendly and helpful camp host
Unobstructed view of the Mississippi River
Great dark sky viewing
No highway/road noise, but...
Asphalt parking pad surrounded by grass
Metal fire pit with cooking grate
One hook lantern pole
Moveable wooden picnic table in the grass
Toilet/shower building.35 miles from campground very nice and very clean with ample TP and hand soap
Firewood for sale by camp host $5
Mississippi River Scenic Overlook was very nice V
Visitor Center has small museum (no admission fee) on the Trail of Tears Native American tribal migration
Coin-operated laundromat on South Hope Street Jackson after the roundabout 12 miles from campground
Tractors Restaurant Main Street Jackson very good diner type restaurant
CONS
$8.50 reservation fee for online self made reservation
Sites that back to the river very close to each other. We stepped out our door onto the neighbors stinky slinky. Insufficient space to deploy awning.
Electrical utility connection is on passenger side of the campsite#6
Sewer connection was high above ground so drainage was up hill. Camp host warned us upon arrival we may need to use dump station to get tanks totally drained.
Site 6 not level side-to-side
Lots of trains, day and night with train horn blaring due to road crossing at campground Lots of river barge noise
Only one single unisex pit toilet in campground
No park headquarters or entrance gate office for check-in. Sign in campground informing how to conduct virtual check in.
No security gate closed overnight
No ranger patrolling campground
No WiFi
2 bars Verizon LTE
Legend21 campsites with a fire ring/barrel, lantern post and picnic table. A couple of the campsites had damaged fire rings. Most sites should be able to fit medium size trailers, other sites have trees in the way. Vault toilets and a water station. Very quiet, clean and peaceful. Trail system is about 8 miles and has great views. Don’t forget to bring your swimming suit!
GuideGot here on a Saturday night in late September and both of the campsites were available. Campsites consist of a clearing with a fire pit and a picnic table. No litter. No toilets. Very slow and spotty AT&T service: I was able to text but not access the Internet. The area is very pretty. Soft ground for staking a tent. Bugs were alright, no need for bug spray. There’s water access at the pond, but it’s obviously stagnant and very brackish. Big downside was a convoy of Jeeps full of partiers rolled down to the pond at 12:30am and hung out down there blasting music for an hour, which is a real sleep ruiner. This might be a local party spot, so be aware and maybe pack earplugs if you’re coming on a weekend. Upside is that it’s in a National Forest, so if both sites are taken, you can always dispersed camp
GuideThis is a very basic campground with some shade. No hookups, really good for tent camping. The new picnic shelter is beautiful and there is seating around a fire pit. This forest does a great job of keeping restrooms very clean.
GuideThe sites are nice and level. Quiet in the area. Picnic table and fire ring at every site. Park offers firewood. Pond for fishing so bring your poles. It's catch and release. Manager is very friendly and accommodates you as possible.
GuideI actually didn't end up camping here because it looked like a rock site. I maybe saw two tents, everyone else in big RV's. If you are doing tent camping I would look elsewhere. I might've missed an area that was more tent friendly but I didn't see it. I would do primitive with a tent probably.
GuideCamped here for a weekend and was not disappointed! There are multiple easy to get to "primitive" campsites for tent camping but all are within an easy walk of the outhouse, water hydrant, and parking lot. There are several easy hikes within a short drive to other areas of the park. The park also has a 6 mile hike-in campsite for backpacking and a lot of electrical hookups for RV camping. The trails are over cliffs and through gorgeous boulders.
Travelersingle, double, and triple camping spots set up on three loops in this small campground nestled in the corner of shawnee national forest. there's a central bath house located near check in. only amenities there are a pit toilet, so come prepared. drinking water available right outside the camp and most sites have a non-potable water spigot, horse hitch, and fire ring. close to lake kinkaid and johnson creek. there are a few trails that connect to this spot.
if you have a golden pass then you can receive a discounted stay.
Tent camping near Thebes, Illinois, offers a variety of scenic spots perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With options ranging from secluded sites to well-equipped campgrounds, there's something for everyone.
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