HARRISBURG – Life is full of choices, and camping in the Shawnee National Forest provides visitors with two great experiences. In the first, you get a campsite for a fee, a fire ring, a nearby restroom and shower, water spigot, and possibly even an electric hookup for your air mattress and iPad charger. But if you want the same great camping experience in the forest, with a few less amenities and the option to forgo an established campground, try the second option, primitive camping, otherwise known as dispersed camping. 

Here in the Shawnee National Forest, there are about a million different places to dispersed camp, and that is a conservative estimate. Amidst the 280,000 acres of rocky bluffs, deep hickory-oak, beech-maple woodlands, meadowland, lowland flood plains, and rolling hill country, one does not need to look far for a place to call home for a night.   

“Some of my fondest memories growing up in Southern Illinois was dispersed camping with my dad,” said Dennis Wilson, Hidden Springs and Mississippi Bluffs Districts Ranger. “We would take fishing and hunting trips to our ‘secret spots.’ I thought back then my dad just needed a break from work, and he just enjoyed being on the water or in the woods. It wasn’t until I was older and had children of my own that [I understood] he was making memories that would last a lifetime. We still reminisce about our trips, and I have passed on that experience with my children.”

Fishing, hunting, or just recreating and relaxing, the Shawnee National Forest offers it all.

“Like many other visitors to the Shawnee, my dispersed camping experience has been around ‘hunting camps,’” said Chad Deaton, Shawnee National Forest Recreation Program Manager. “I have set up primitive camps on the Shawnee and on other national forests across the country while hunting deer, turkey and elk.  Each time creates a memory to last a lifetime.”

It is hard to imagine a more rewarding investment of our time and effort than a weekend trip to Southern Illinois for dispersed camping. Yet many do not even know what dispersed camping is, let alone that they can do it for free on their national forest lands. But what are the rules for dispersed camping?

“Dispersed (primitive) camping is an entirely different level of ‘roughing it’ than camping at a developed campground where all the user comfort amenities like picnic tables, fire rings, lantern posts, and restrooms are provided,” said Deaton. “When you dispersed camp, you are forced to be creative and work with the natural environment to create the comforts you want.”

And the amount of comfort and level of difficulty of dispersed camping is entirely up to the individual.

“As with most anything, there are different levels of dispersed camping, from backpacking into the wilderness for the ultimate ‘roughing it’ experience, to parking your pop-up camper at the end of a forest road.  This is all ‘dispersed camping’ and it’s all perfectly acceptable on the Shawnee National Forest, as long as Leave-No-Trace principles are followed,” Deaton said.

Seven Principles of Leave No Trace

To minimize impacts to your national forest, Wilson says dispersed campers should practice the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace, which are essentially the unspoken rules for any recreational activity on public lands. 

Number One: Plan Ahead and Prepare

“Dispersed camping does pose some challenges but proper planning ahead of time can alleviate potential issues, [so] have a plan,” Wilson said. “Do your homework and know your location of where you want to stay.”

Wilson also says you should prepare a checklist with all your camping gear, proper clothing, food and water, and, depending on the time of year, bug repellant.

“Ensure you’re parking in an area that won’t block traffic and your vehicle is in an approved area. In case of emergencies, let someone know where you will be and the duration of your visit. Portions of the forest lack good cell phone coverage, so you want to be prepared in case of an emergency,” Wilson said.

Number Two: Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

This rule applies to driving too far into the forest with your car or camper. The rule of thumb is to drive no more than 150 feet off any forest roadway to minimize environmental impact to the soil, tree roots, vegetation, and animal life. But the rule can also indicate where else one cannot do dispersed camping. 

You can’t make a dispersed campsite where there are already established official campsites. You can’t do dispersed camping in recreational areas either, or on hiking trails. So, if you see buildings or structures like restrooms, parking lots, or interpretative signs, or trails, chances are you are too close to civilization for dispersed camping, so move on a bit deeper into the wild.

Dispersed camping is also not permitted within view of any water source, be it a creek, riverfront, or lake shoreline. And camping in designated natural areas is also off limits, since environmental impact of humans, though minimal in dispersed camping, can still disturb the vegetation and animal life in these areas, adversely affecting research efforts.  

Apart from these places, the whole national forest is open to the adventurous dispersed camper to escape into and explore.

Number Three: Dispose of Waste Properly

Using the restroom in the wild is using a six-inch hole in the ground and at least 100 feet from any water source. Doing anything else can further contaminate water sources. Further, plastic, paper, and other refuse from your camping excursion came with you to the forest, which means it must leave with you. Pack in, pack out, is the word.

Number Four: Leave What You Find

Part of the mission of the U.S. Forest Service is to take care of the land for the next generation. You can take part in that mission when you respect the land and leave it as you found it.

“We are fortunate to have this wonderful resource in our backyards,” Wilson said. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure we leave it in the same condition we found it so others can have a great experience on the Shawnee National Forest.”

Number Five: Minimize Campfire Impacts

If there happens to be a pre-existing fire ring, use that instead of building a new one. But if you do build a new one, use local rocks and build a ring two feet in diameter, and clear of any low-lying branches. When it comes time to return to civilization or move on from your campsite—dispersed campers may only be at one site for two weeks at a time–be sure that the ashes are cool to the touch by touching them, and scatter the area, returning the rocks back to wherever you found them, and brushing the area with your foot so that it looks like no one was ever there. This will keep Smokey Bear, forest critters, and your district ranger happy.

“The forest does experience times when conditions are suitable for High Fire Danger,” Wilson said. “There is coordination between [local] counties and the Forest Service prior to issuing a burn ban. If you have questions on if there is a burn restriction in your county, contact the local fire department or our office for additional information.”

Number Six: Respect Wildlife

Speaking of forest critters, don’t take, touch, or tickle any of them, not only for their safety, but for your own. Wild animals are wild.  

Number Seven: Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Lastly, consider other campers’ experience as well. When you find that perfect dispersed camping spot, be sure that no one can see you, or at least not easily. Further, consider noise like radios or power tools, and whether these may disturb neighbors. 

“You could almost pick any spot on a Shawnee National Forest map and create a dispersed camping experience,” Deaton said. “Wildlife and scenery are out there for your viewing pleasure whether you are in the Illinois Ozarks or Mississippi Floodplains on the western side of the forest, or in the rolling Shawnee hills and amazing rock formations on the eastern half of the forest. Dispersed camping is allowed anywhere in the Shawnee National Forest, with the exception of developed recreation areas, natural areas, along lake shores, near streams or on trails. The Shawnee website some links to potential dispersed camping locations.”

Abiding by these rules of Leave No Trace will ensure you have a happy camping experience, and you will help to preserve the forest for many generations to come, and you’ll take home memories to last a lifetime.    

The Shawnee National Forest is excited to offer numerous dispersed camping opportunities for the upcoming solar eclipse. Employees have spent the last several months clearing out overgrown vegetation to offer additional camping locations throughout the forest. If you’re looking for a spot to dispersed camp, try checking out the following:

• Johnson Creek Campground Eclipse Loop and Day-use Area
• Oakwood Bottoms Interpretive Site
• Turkey Bayou Campground
• Dutchman Lake
• Tower Rock
• Lake Of Egypt- Buck Ridge
• Pennant Bar Openland
• Ashby Openlands
• Teal Pond

For more information on recreational opportunities on Shawnee National Forest, as well as information about visiting the forest during the April 2024 solar eclipse, please visit the forest’s website.