Best Dispersed Camping near Hardin, KY

This campground is an absolute gem and is by far our favorite in Illinois.Tucked into the tall pines of the Shawnee national forest, this park offers a handful of gorgeous sites for campers to enjoy, many that back right up to Lake Glendale. The sites are mostly private and have water hookups as well as electric. A nearby beach is available to enjoy during the summer as well as hiking trails. While this campground is certainly off the beaten path it is perfect for those that want to get away and enjoy some quiet time. No reservations though so you’ll want to get there ahead of time to ensure yourself a spot If you enjoy a very

This was a fantastic dispersed camping spot! A few cars went by looking for whatever, but the road dead ends at Energy Lake. It was quiet most of the time. Occasionally heard some obnoxious people across the lake where I believe a campground is located. Also heard a sound during the night, possibly coyotes. Otherwise, I felt safe and had a great time here!! The ground was flat and there was a lot of room. We were just passing through and needed somewhere quiet to sleep after two days of driving. There is a lot to do in this area! I hope I got the location right… it wouldn’t let me add the exact coordinates I saved when I was there.

Lake Glendale Recreation Area, _Shawnee National Forest, I_l is not to far from Harrisburg, Il if you need to stock up on supplies enroute to your camping excursion.

 If you enjoy sampling at local wineries while you visit different areas there is a short tour in this area, one of the wineries is Hogg Hollow. We stopped in while we were in the area. You will see the signs on your route between Harrisburg and Lake Glendale. Nice little winery with a tick covered Lab to greet you in the parking area. There is a longer wine trail further west in Shawnee National Forest.

When I entered Lake Glendale, Cardinal Bay boat launch was the first area I visited. It’s across the lake from the beach and has its own parking area. There were people fishing near the launch and you can access the lake trail from this area. Electric motors only on the lake.

The picnic area is a large area with a nice size pavilion and single tables sitting in several different locations near the lake and trail. The walk from the picnic area to the beach is not far either by road or lake trail.

You have the option of two different camping areas in Oak Point Campground, with several double sites that are ideal for family and group camping. There are electric and non electric sites with plenty of room for the bigger rigs. If you pick a water side site it is a short walk to the lake trail and I saw several personal watercraft sitting on the shore for use. 

There is a group camping area , Duck Campground that is at the very end of the road, so it’s nice and secluded. It has its own pavilion and facilities . I’m not sure if it’s open or closed. The CCC pavilions fire place was closed up but a grill at the pavilion had been used recently. The road in had a gate closed across it but a sign that said you could walk in.

While we were at the lake it was very quiet and peaceful even with the expected noise from the beach. Dark nights with star gazing and even a little bit of that eerie scary movie vibe at the far end of the lake where it’s a little too quiet......just sayin ;) We thoroughly enjoyed floating and hiking.

Located in the Shawnee National Forest, this sweet little campground has it all. Wooded, semi private sites (at least for tents), full hook ups for RV’s, great campground hosts, CCC buildings, new shower house, amazing trails at Lake Glendale and other nearby areas. Even on a rainy afternoon, there were plenty of campers at Lake Glendale, which resulted in us not getting a preferred site (46) but a perfectly good site instead (49). The sites were spotless and well maintained, with some having space under the trees for tents and some having just gravel pads. Our site was close to, but not on, the lake with easy access via trails. There were a few sites with good lake views, with the majority of those in the RV loop. The trail around the lake is about 3 miles; a nice hike that really gives you a good look at the park. On the hike you pass two large shelters built by the CCC as well as the boat ramp, damn, and swimming beach. For more wild hiking, go down the road 15 minutes to Bell Smith Recreation area (which has its own campground) and hike to the natural rock bridge (and climb the steel ladder), springs, or Devils Backbone.

Rom Outdoors Vertical Limits Ski Pant

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, from time to time I get gear to test and review. On this trip I tested out Rom Outdoors Vertical Ski Pant. In the midwest we rarely get snow before Thanksgiving, and our little ski hill usually doesn’t open until close to Christmas (when they have been able to make enough snow for skiing), so I felt really challenged with this product. However, with a full day of cold rain and overnight temps in the low 30’s, I gave it a real go. A few weeks later we had a sizable snow (for early November and the St Louis area) and was able to further test these out. Here’s what I found: The pants are really waterproof! I didn’t get wet at all even after setting up and taking down a tent in the rain, hiking through tall grass in the rain, and later, hiking several miles in the snow. At first I thought the pants were a bit short and almost exchanged them for a larger size. But then I realized that they are designed with length in mind for wearing ski boots. And I could adjust them a bit by adjusting the suspenders. Overall I was very happy with the ski pants, if only we could have real snow and real ski hills.

Pro’s:

• Waterproofing is solid
• Tons of storage pockets that have double closures (zippers and velcro) to protect your stuff; side pockets are deep and large
• Cuff zippers to help with putting on/taking off ski boots and to vent
• Zippered vents on insides of the thigh area
• Adjustable, removable elastic suspenders
• Fleece lining is super warm and removable if too warm
• Adjustable waist with velcro as well as belt loops

Cons:

• Unisex sizing (women are shaped different from men!); no tall sizes for slim builds
• Only comes in one color, black
• No reflective areas
• The adjustable waist is only adjustable by two inches overall

This site is quite remote feeling, but for a dispersed site, it is absolutely the BEST, which is why it is sometimes difficult to secure it, being it is first come first served. Be sure to have your dispersed camping permit before coming out! They are available online, and at any of the Visitor's centers. The roads coming out to this site are graded graveled roads, and do not require 4WD, however some of the roads are still blocked by trees felled (probably during December 2021 tornados), so you won't want to be dragging a trailer behind you when you turn a curve to see a fallen oak.  I traveled in on FS-154 and turned left onto the road that runs next to the site. When leaving, I attempted to continue traveling down the unnumbered road toward FS-134, but both directions in the fork were blocked by trees. This campsite is very popular, even though there are ZERO AMENITIES, which means you need to know and understand sanitation ("cat holes") as there are no port-a-johns or vault toilets, there is also NO POTABLE water, so you either pack it in or bring your filter and drink lake water. 

The campsite itself is on a small peninsula, just big enough for a large two room tent, a makeshift fire ring, and a vehicle. I was there during the lake's winter pool, so the water was very low, leaving a lot of easy walkable entry areas into the bay or inlet area.  Forrest service checks in with dispersed campers often, so staying longer than the time allowed is usually not an option, but there are also other really nice dispersed areas near by to move to,

We 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.