Back

Reviews

Shawnee/Johnson Creek


User Reviews

Gordon Billingsley

October 17, 2025

Self serve. Open to all. Terrific horse camping. Almost ON Kinkaid Lake. A little bit of traffic noise with highway 151 nearby. Great sites in the woods. Drive up camping.

toondebt11

September 28, 2025

I have been bringing my family to this campground for 30 plus years. It is a bit of a drive from the St. Louis area, but worth the drive IF: You are not afraid of bugs. You can survive without electric and water service. Sketchy cell service (or none) You don't mind having most of the campground to yourself. You aren't afraid of the dark or the sound of natures creatures in the night. You will LOVE this place IF: you love walking in the forest. you can be happy laying a blanket on the ground in a clearing and watching the sky full of stars, satellites and owls. a hot campfire with or without a cold drink. (with for me!) you can cook you own food and pack a cooler. Bring some off for the bugs and enjoy some of the darkest night sky's in Illinois ! Don't let them Coyotes howling scare you off!! ENJOY!

Kelly Robertson (Ellymay)

January 28, 2025

The area was beautiful this winter and took advantage of the wonderful ice crystals with snow freshly laid from the night before. This place has always been my sanctuary to go to when things are just too much and I have to get away and unplug where no service can find me.

Beefie Inman

October 12, 2024

Great area, quiet single, double, and triple spots. No power or water, but vault toilets are pretty frequent. Bring a generator and read the rules. Pretty simple. Sites have fire rings and picnic tables.

Sarah Mcbride

October 13, 2021

I've been going here since childhood, always beautiful and clean . A true gem in southern Illinois.

Randy Dolin

September 08, 2021

Absolutely fantastic campground. Facilities are great tons of room for activities and really cool stuff just a short drive away. There was literally only one campsite taken up from each loop laborday weekend. The double sites are huge! If you tend to be a tiny bit loud/party when you go camping this is the spot. Highly recommend kinkaid spillway as an activity. Beautiful waterfalls and swimming area about 15 min away. No potable water so be prepared and dumpster at front, so no reason to leave any trash behind.

Kerry Burns

July 25, 2021

Quiet, cheap.. 10 bucks self pay, vault toilet bathrooms, no potable water...bring your own. Trails, horses welcome....not far from town and Crazy Joe's Fish House...a must!!

Dan Miles

June 13, 2021

Beautiful, good fishing, friendly people...

michael winch

May 29, 2021

Gather let this place go... it used to be so fun... everything is grown up..the swimming area is closed and has been for years... its really sad to see this place the way it is... I will volunteer to help clean it up and mow it for the re-opening.. #johnsonscreek

Brenda Cordray

October 02, 2020

$5 per night with the National Parks Access Pass. Vault toilets, non-potable water, autumn leaves falling, no one camped nearby for 4 nights-perfect!

Brian M

September 07, 2020

This is a nice campground for primitive camping only sites are very large, lots of parking, nice fire rings nothing more. It is not maintained however there is not a park ranger, the water spigots do not work in the campsites, check in is self check in self pay, the one spigot that is available labeled drinking water has a sign on it that says do not drink not potable, there is not a shower house. The dump station is long abandoned and filled to the rim with sewage. The beach we all remembered as kids although it is on the parks map in the campground does not exist anymore just a long lost memory overgrown with weeds and trees. There is not good lake access from the campground anymore. The hiking trails need cleared also not maintained. Use this camp as your base campground, a family reunion, scout outing or a place to just get away and bring everything with you. You will mostly have the entire campground to yourself as it appears abandoned and not well known.