Agency-listedUSFSFee
Redbud - Bell Smith Springs
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · IL · 37.52334, -88.65640
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Redbud - Bell Smith Springs
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 638 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Redbud - Bell Smith SpringsNIFC · 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 Redbud - Bell Smith Springs · Shawnee National Forest · IL
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- WWater8 mi
- FFuel11 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- HHardware13 mi
- LLaundry14 mi
- PPropane14 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- RxPharmacy14 mi
- MMechanic14 mi
- +Urgent care15 mi
- OOutfitter16 mi
- AAir-up18 mi
- DDump29 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 11 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 — Redbud - Bell Smith Springs
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
638 ft
State
IL
Coordinates
37.52334, -88.65640
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Redbud - Bell Smith Springs · Shawnee National Forest · IL (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townEddyville · ~4.2 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~7.5 mi
- FuelFuel · ~10.7 mi
- Propane / LPGHarbison's County Market · ~13.8 mi
- Dump station~28.6 mi
- GroceriesMitchellsville Country Store · ~10.7 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~14.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicHMC Clinic · ~15.4 mi
- HardwareDeNeal Building Supply · ~12.6 mi
EV charging — from Redbud - Bell Smith Springs · Shawnee National Forest · IL — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger14.1 mi straight-line SW — 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 reach6 within 25 mi · 24 within 50 · 93 within 100 · 340 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)22.7 mi — Marion, IL - Tesla Supercharger, Marion
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO30.4 mi — LARRY STOVESAND STATION 1, Paducah
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)16.1 mi — WARREN TUTTLE STATION 1, Harrisburg, IL · ChargePoint 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 Redbud - Bell Smith Springs · Shawnee National Forest · IL — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletRedbud - Bell Smith Springs · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomHunting Branch · ~0.2 mi W · USFS
- RestroomHunting Branch - Bell Smith Springs · ~0.3 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBell Smith Springs Interpretive Site · ~0.3 mi S · USFS
Open Redbud - Bell Smith Springs elsewhere
Other camps near Redbud - Bell Smith Springs
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Pope County~1.5 mi
- Duck Bay - Lake Glendale~7.9 mi · fee
- Oak Point - Lake Glendale~7.9 mi · fee
- Dixon Springs State Park - Tent Camping Area~9.5 mi · fee
The unit that manages Redbud - Bell Smith Springs
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Redbud - Bell Smith Springs are set by Shawnee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Redbud - Bell Smith Springs
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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
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 Redbud - Bell Smith Springs
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 — Redbud - Bell Smith Springs
What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →How to read this page →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 →