Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · IL · 37.57859, -88.88062
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at the elevation shown above.
Fire & smoke — around Lake Of Egypt - Buck RidgeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge · Shawnee National Forest · IL
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- RxPharmacy5 mi
- ShShower8 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- +Urgent care13 mi
- DDump16 mi
- WWater17 mi
- PPropane26 mi
- AAir-up29 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
State
IL
Coordinates
37.57859, -88.88062
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge · Shawnee National Forest · IL (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBethlehem Bay (water) · nearby
- Nearest townEgyptian Hills · ~0.8 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~8.1 mi
- FuelFuel · ~5.3 mi
- Propane / LPGRoc Stop Fuel · ~11.4 mi
- Dump station~15.8 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~5.3 mi
- PharmacyBode Drug · ~10.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicMarion VA Medical Center · ~11.0 mi
- HardwareHarbor Freight Tools · ~11.7 mi
EV charging — from Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge · Shawnee National Forest · IL — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.2 mi straight-line S — Acees BP Vienna (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach15 within 25 mi · 27 within 50 · 123 within 100 · 316 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)12.3 mi — Marion, IL - Tesla Supercharger, Marion
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO36.4 mi — Walmart 491 (Paducah, KY), Paducah
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)11.7 mi — Watermark Hyundai of Marion · Blink Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 429736 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge · Shawnee National Forest · IL — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomLake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomHickory Point - Lake Of Egypt · ~0.5 mi NE · USFS
- RestroomDutchman Lake · ~5.8 mi S · USFS
- RestroomDutchman Lake Rec Area · ~6.4 mi S · USFS
Open Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge elsewhere
Other camps near Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Pope County~11.8 mi
- Redbud - Bell Smith Springs~12.9 mi · fee
- Oak Point - Lake Glendale~16.8 mi · fee
- Duck Bay - Lake Glendale~16.9 mi · fee
The unit that manages Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge are set by Shawnee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Gear & rig loadout →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →