Free Camping Collection
Established Camping
Turkey Bayou Campground
About
USDA Forest Service
Turkey Bayou Campground
Located in Oakwood Bottoms, Turkey Bayou Campground is a great location outdoor activities including waterfowl hunting, deer hunting, trapping, fishing, nature watching and bird watching. The campground is next to a 20-acre lake on the Big Muddy River with close proximity to the Big Muddy boat launch and the Oakwood Bottoms Greentree Reservoir. There is no charge for camping at Turkey Bayou, but there is a 14-day maximum stay. The campground does not have water or toilets. The site frequently floods during heavy rain periods.
Our partner, Friends of Turkey Bayou helps maintain Turkey Bayou Campground.
A favorite with waterfowl hunters, Oakwood Bottoms offers so much more from excellent bird watching to fishing opportunities and primitive camping at Turkey Bayou Campground. Picnic with your family or youth group at Oakwood Bottoms picnic site and take a short walk into the bottoms on the wooden boardwalk trail that loops back to the picnic area. The site also has a large picnic shelter next to a large pond, where you can enjoy watching ducks and other birds visit the pond in search of food.
Fee Info
Free - first come first served
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
Stay Connected
- WiFiPoor
- VerizonFair
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileAvailable
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
Features
For Campers
- Picnic Table
- Phone Service
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
GuideBeautiful, roomy, remote
This is a beautiful location. Straight off the main road, it felt like 3 miles, but I'm not sure. It was really late when I rolled in. Porta potty, low bandwidth LTE AT&T service. Lots of people staying but plenty of sites. Most were fishing. Check out the awesome hike a Little Grand Canyon. It was one of the best I've done.
- (10) View All
TravelerSuper Quiet
Stayed a night and loved the quiet. Heavily wooded. 10 mins of gravel, some rough spots but ok for a car. Porta potty only and no running water. 20 mins to town. Would stay again!
ScoutNice place - good facilities for free boondocking site
Back in sites along the water, tetherball, lantern hangers, picnic tables, porta potty, fire pits, boat ramp - sites with both full sun, full shade or in between - we took full sun exposure to power our solar panels.
The only downside is the drive in - 4 miles of gravel road that was slow going in our 36’ class A - lots of overhanging trees that will rip a TPO roof (ours was ok with a fiberglass roof). We are 11’8” at the roof.
Well worth the drive in just plan for going slow if you have a large rig (especially tall)
We had 2 bars of service with Verizon 4g and 2 bars on T-Mobile 4g service. Speeds were 12 down/3 up and 3 down/.5 up respectively.
Last week of September, arrived on a Saturday and half the sites were open (most folks chose shaded spots)
Noise will all depend upon who your neighbors are when you stay (like most places). Sites have adequate space between them so you feel like you are camping and not overhearing eighties talking.
Several of the sites can fit a 45ft RV
Would return again.
Location
Turkey Bayou Campground is located in Illinois
Directions
From Murphysboro: Take Highway 149 west 7 miles to Highway 3; then south 5.5 miles on Hwy 3 to Oakwood Bottoms Road. Turn east (left) onto Oakwood Bottoms Rd. and continue 4 miles to the campground. From Jonesboro: Take Highway 146 west 8 miles to Highway 3, then north 8 miles on Hwy 3 to Oakwood Bottoms Road. Turn east (right) onto Oakwood Bottoms Rd. and continue 4 miles to the campground.
Coordinates
37.68475068 N
89.41091197 W