Camping At Tower Rock Campground In The Shawnee National Forest

Tower Rock Campground is located in The Shawnee National Forest near Elizabethtown, Illinois.

This is a free camping area run by the US Forest Service with a 14-day stay limit. Campsites are on a first come, first served basis.

 

The campground is situated on the banks of the Ohio River and is prone to flooding so may occasionally be closed. Call ahead if you’re worried about current weather conditions.

This is dry camping so no water or hook-ups can be found here. There are also no trashcans so please pack out what you pack in.

There is one clean vault toilet for campers to use.

 

There are only four designated sites here and each has a lantern post, picnic table, and firepit. The sites are well spaced out so you’re not on top of your neighbors.

A couple of nights during our stay some people did park in random spots and slept.

 

A couple of the spots were perfect if you’re powering up your rig with solar, but if you like the shade you can find that too.

Place campfires in rings only and please make sure every spark is out before leaving camp or going to bed. Always check fire restrictions for the area you are in when camping.

 

Collection and burning of dead wood found on the ground is permitted. We burnt a lot of driftwood we collected from the river bank during our stay.

 

Quiet hours are from 10 PM to 6 AM.

Pets are allowed as long as they are leashed and please pick up after them.

 

I believe we had both Verizon and AT&T service here, but AT&T worked much better. I should really start writing that info down while still camping in the spot so I don’t forget.

If the campground is full you can head down to the boat ramp and find multiple boondocking options there. Bigger rigs will fit better in this area.

There are also a couple of tent camping spots right on the river there.

 

Near the boat ramp is the Ohio River Overlook trail. It is a 1/4 mile out and back trail that takes you to a great view of the river.

 

From the campground, you can walk down to the river to gather driftwood, fish or just admire the view. Barges are constantly traveling up and down the river and are always fun to watch.

 

Cave-In-Rock State Park is about fifteen minutes away from the campground and is worth checking out. The cave is massive and you can walk inside.

We stayed the full two weeks here and really enjoyed it. We did a lot of walking on the roads and along the banks of the Ohio River and saw some amazing sunsets.

We also had a ton of campfires which always makes me happy.

 

All the spots were full the whole time we were there. There were multiple people who stayed for 3-4 nights and as soon as they left someone else would quickly take their place.

We got really lucky getting a site when we did because this is a popular spot.

I would come back here for another stay in a heartbeat.