Agency-listedUSFSFree
Tower Rock Cg
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · IL · 37.45862, -88.23278
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 Tower Rock Cg
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 354 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Tower Rock CgNIFC · 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 Tower Rock Cg · Shawnee National Forest · IL
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- AAir-up3 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- ShShower4 mi
- WWater4 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- +Urgent care6 mi
- RxPharmacy7 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- PPropane12 mi
- OOutfitter25 mi
- LLaundry25 mi
- EVEV fast charger27 mi
- DDump52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, 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 — Tower Rock Cg
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
354 ft
State
IL
Coordinates
37.45862, -88.23278
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Tower Rock Cg · Shawnee National Forest · IL (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureOhio River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townTolu · ~1.9 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~4.3 mi
- FuelMarathon · ~11.8 mi
- Propane / LPGFortner LP Gas Company · ~29.4 mi
- GroceriesHillside Discount Grocery · ~6.4 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~6.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicSouthern 7 Health Department · ~6.5 mi
- HardwareTrue Value · ~11.8 mi
EV charging — from Tower Rock Cg · Shawnee National Forest · IL — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger27.3 mi straight-line S — Kuttawa, KY - Tesla Supercharger (at a hotel) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 19 within 50 · 103 within 100 · 359 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS32.4 mi — Acees BP Metropolis, Metropolis
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO34.7 mi — LARRY STOVESAND STATION 1, Paducah
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)24.7 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
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Shawnee Forest Cabins - Tesla Destination, Herod, 11.2 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 102185 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Tower Rock Cg · Shawnee National Forest · IL — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletTower Rock Cg · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletIllinois Furnace · ~5.9 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCamp Cadiz · ~8.3 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRim Rock (Indian Wall) · ~10.3 mi N · USFS
Open Tower Rock Cg elsewhere
Other camps near Tower Rock Cg
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Camp Cadiz~8.3 mi · fee
- Pine Ridge-Pounds Hollow~11.0 mi · fee
- Pharaoh-Garden Of The Gods~12.8 mi · fee
- Higginson-Henry WMA - Designated Camping Area (north)~23.4 mi
The unit that manages Tower Rock Cg
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Tower Rock Cg are set by Shawnee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Tower Rock Cg
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Tower Rock Cg
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 — Tower Rock Cg
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Reading your camp 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 →