Free camping near Carbondale, IL
Yes. 5 of the 20 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Carbondale, IL are listed as free; 13 charge a fee and 2 have no price on record. The closest free one is Johnson Creek - Primitive, 17 miles northwest, on U.S. Forest Service land. The closest camp of any kind is Turkey Bayou Campground, 11 miles west, with no price on record.
The circle crosses a state line: IL and MO.
All 20 camps near Carbondale, IL
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey Bayou Campground | 11 | Unpriced | Turkey Bayou (water) | 2.5 mi to Poplar Ridge | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 1 | 16 | Fee | — | 4.5 mi to Alto Pass | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 2 | 16 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to Alto Pass | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 5 | 17 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to Jonesboro | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 6 | 17 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to Jonesboro | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 3 | 17 | Fee | — | 5.4 mi to Alto Pass | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 7 | 17 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Jonesboro | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 4 | 17 | Fee | Clear Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Kaolin | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 8 | 17 | Fee | — | 4.7 mi to Jonesboro | — |
| Johnson Creek - Primitive | 17 | Free | — | 2.8 mi to Dry Hill | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 9 | 18 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Jonesboro | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 10 | 18 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Jonesboro | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 11 | 18 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Jonesboro | — |
| Johnson Creek Cg | 18 | Fee | — | 4.0 mi to Ava | — |
| Pine Hills Campground | 18 | Unpriced | — | 1.1 mi to Wolf Lake | — |
| Trail of Tears State Forest - Campsite 12 | 18 | Fee | — | 5.6 mi to Jonesboro | — |
| Lake Of Egypt - Buck Ridge | 21 | Free | Bethlehem Bay (water) | 0.8 mi to Egyptian Hills | — |
| Seventy-Six Conservation Area | 21 | Free | Mississippi River (river) | 0.3 mi to Seventysix | — |
| Apple Creek Conservation Area | 23 | Free | Lovejoy Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to New Wells | — |
| Red Rock Landing Conservation Area | 24 | Free | Omete Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Grand Eddy | — |
Who manages the camps near Carbondale, IL
Who manages them: 12 on Illinois DNR; 5 on the Forest Service; 3 on MDC.
- Shawnee National Forest — 17 camps: 2 free, 13 fee, 2 unpriced
- MDC — 3 camps: 3 free
Season read for these camps, today
Our record has no season word for any of these 20 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Carbondale, IL
This is the Weather Service forecast for the town, fetched when the page opens. It is not a forecast for any camp in the table; ground higher up or in a canyon can run colder or windier. It needs JavaScript; without it, see weather.gov.
Camping near other towns close by
The nearest towns that have their own page, with the straight-line miles between the towns.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Carbondale, IL, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.