Johnson Creek

Let’s start with the good. The outhouses were clean and it was pretty cheap. Ok,on to all of the not so great. The trails were VERY unkept and there was poison ivy at nearly every step, the entry map shows a beach- there might have been 5 years ago but now absolutely nothing that even resembled a place to swim. If I hadn’t been tricked into thinking it was a decent campground, I might not have been as disappointed but we were looking for a specific type of camping experience and this place failed to meet even the lowest of expectations.

Located on Kincaid Lake in the northwestern edge of the Shawnee National forest. The campground has three small loops. Two are more forested with smaller sites and one is more open on the edge of the forest, and geared up for equestrian camping. There are very basic pit toilets that were fairly new and clean. You can get potable water at the entrance. We camped here mid-April and the campground water spigots had not been turned on yet. Camping is $10 a night - self check in. No need to worry about finding firewood, as it is plentiful within the forest. Listened to owls at night before bed.

We took a short ride to nearby Ava and checked out Scratch Brewery. Delicious and unique little place that is off the beaten path. Only open on weekends, but highly recommend.

My wife and I camped here one weekend in early fall. The site was fairly secluded, and right on Kincade lake. The campground is in the Shawnee National Forrest, and We heard several owls calling in the trees around us when we went to bed, so we stayed up listening for awhile. In the middle of the night we were startled awake by a pair of owls in the tree right above us. We were not sure if they were fighting or mating, but it sure was loud! The campground is scattered throughout the woods, with pit toilets and there is no shower. Water is available at the entrance. But, for $10 a night it is pretty good.