Turkey Bayou Campground in IL -- Campground & RV Camping in Illinois

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Turkey Bayou Campground in IL

Public Land
354 ft
Maps
EASY
VerizonWEAK
AT&TNONE
T-MobileUNMEASURED
StarlinkFAIR
Signed for designated sites only

Overnight stays are allowed only at the designated sites here.

Our source here is thin -- confirm on the ground before you commit.

Free camping in Oakwood Bottoms near Big Muddy River in Shawnee National Forest. Adjacent to 20-acre Turkey Bayou Lake; electric-motor watercraft only. 14-day maximum stay. No restrooms, no potable water. Picnic tables provided. Maintained by Friends of Turkey Bayou. Site frequently floods during heavy rain. Fishing, waterfowl and deer hunting, nature watching, bird watching available.

Grounded in fs.usda.gov · read August 24, 2026

Road difficulty 1 of 5 -- an easy drive in. Recorded as maintained for passenger cars, paved, pitching to 0%. Sits on broad, near-level ground.

Turkey Bayou lies 0.1 mi off. Private here -- the nearest through road is 0.9 miles off. Night skies measure Bortle 2 -- true dark-sky territory. The nearest town, Murphysboro, is 7.2 mi off.

September normals 59–82°F, 3.1″ rain. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.

NSWE
Starlink Radar
Est. Tree Cover81%30m sat. est.
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Sources checked August 2026Something wrong here?