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Dispersed Camping

Jackson Falls

20 Reviews

About

National Forest

Shawnee National Forest

Jackson Falls offers many opportunities for technical climbing and is a beautiful scenic area of the Shawnee National Forest. It is in the general forest area located east of the small town of Ozark, IL. This non-developed area has a small trailhead with a vault toilet. A short trail leads from the trailhead to the top of Jackson Falls. There are high dangerous bluffs in the area, visitors should be cautious and aware of their surroundings. Camping is allowed here at no cost, since this is part of the general forest area and not a developed campground. Access: A narrow gravel road leads to the Jackson Falls Trailhead, but then the road becomes dirt and deadends past the trailhead.

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Location

Jackson Falls is located in Illinois

Coordinates

37.50916743 N
88.6830504 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

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WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Dispersed

Features

For Campers

Trash
WiFi
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.

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Contact

General Info

Matt V.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 8, 2024

Love this place!

This is a spectacular place if you are looking for private and semi-private dispersed campgrounds that you can drive up to. Great hiking around the area.

The road to get into the primitive camp area is long, and just a little bumpy but we had no problem in a 4x4, also saw volvos and subarus do just fine. Sprinter vans would be fine. Was pretty dry when we visited, could see the road getting a little sketch after big rain. Definitely not gonna be fun for even small RV's. Tough turnarounds for large trailers or 5th wheels.

Month of VisitMay

Kayaun P.

Traveler

Reviewed Jan. 15, 2023

No Signal, No Problem

Went here in early May of 2022 with two friends. This area is massive; there are a handful of hammock friendly tent sites near the Vault toilet and parking lot, and there are plenty of sites available further up the road. When we went, it was rainy and fairly cool, so there were few bugs. My only complaint was that I had no cell service. I was too busy enjoying being there.

Month of VisitJune

(9) View All

Rebekah

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 4, 2022

Great campground

Off the beaten path and wasn’t sure what to expect but once there it was nice…just a parking lot with a vault lock toilet and a few campsites you see right away… also a few down the path if you want a little remote. The bathroom was stocked with tp but you will want to bring hand sanatizer or water. None available there. Cool views of the Bluffs 1/4 mile down the path and a bridge that would go over a waterfall if it wasn’t so dried up…would probably real pretty to see in the spring. Drove my Hyundai Elantra thru just fine, but it is a rough road and your car will get dirty.

Siteto the right off the path to the right.

Month of VisitOctober

(5) View All

Kandice W.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 11, 2022

Too Cool!

This was our first trust disperse camping and I adored it. FREE is just that FREE. It’s a first come first served basis. Be prepared for random bugs dropping onto you as you’re doing things. If you’re terrified of wildlife this is not the place for you. It’s an interesting thing to hear what nature does when people aren’t around. The sounds in the night, the random howls in the distance …..

Try it out. You may just love it.

OH! By the way, the only negative things are the gravel road on the way down is pothole riddled and you have to hike to your spot. Don’t worry there are close spots .

Sitethe closest to the parking lot

Month of VisitAugust

Jeremy S.

Traveler

Reviewed Mar. 26, 2022

Great place to camp

Great place to backwoods camp. It can be busy on the weekends and can be difficult to find an open site at times. Alot of hiking and rock climbing to do at Jackson falls.

Month of VisitJune

(4) View All

Abraham

Guide

Reviewed Jan. 12, 2022

Good adventure camping

Campsites are up a poorly maintained dirt track from the parking area. A couple water crossings before the sites, the first one being the worst. Everything here accessible to a good 2WD with decent clearance. Only saw 3 vehicle sites and a couple tent sites before the third water crossing, which is as far as I looked.

Month of VisitFebruary

Karen

Guide

Reviewed Dec. 24, 2021

Not recommended for sedans..

Had to cross two rather deep streams and the road has many ruts and is very uneven.

Sitedispersed

Month of VisitJanuary

Jacob T.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 15, 2021

4x4 and tents only

We were hoping to stay there but upon arrival realized that was not to be. The east side of the road is where the camping sites would be but the road was completely washed out. It would be challenging for a jeep to make it back to some of those sites.

On top of that the river feeding Jackson Falls was all but dried up this time of year. Nothing but a trickle going down the cliff.

We headed to Glendale Lake nearby and had much better luck at Oak Point.

Month of VisitAugust

Marta S.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 13, 2021

Unimpressive and crowded

The campsite is considered to be primitive, which is fine, but it is right along the trail without any cover. All the campsites are one on top of the other without any cover in between or from the trail. They were all taken and incredibly packed during the Memorial Day weekend and honestly seemed very messy and unpleasant. I would not feel comfortable leaving my equipment and gear here unattended at all. I'm not sure if it's any better the further along the trail you go, but the areas we hiked it didn't appear there were additional primitive/dispersed camping spots available other than the ones near the trail head. Also, important to note that there are lots of ticks and poison ivy everywhere.

I have camped in backcountry locations and have done dispersed/primitive camping and enjoy it quite a bit, but I would have been miserable at this location.

Month of VisitJune

Mark F.

Traveler

Reviewed Mar. 10, 2021

Quick and Easy Primitive Camping

Car camped without any issues but it’s worth mentioning that I didn’t have T-Mobile cellphone reception and the bathroom was a bit dirty. Also there was a shallow creek crossing right before the camping areas that I was worried about when I arrived at night, but I realized in the morning that it was not a big deal even for 2WD vehicles. It’s also very secluded so chances are you may only run into one or two other campers. Overall, solid spot!

Jeremy R.

Scout

Reviewed Jan. 15, 2021

Beautiful secluded spot. Careful if wet.

Beautiful location. Definitely off the beaten path. There was another group of campers but they camped on the trail. Grave Road getting there was a bit rough for my Ram Promaster. Hill down to trail head could get slick if wet weather. Was alittle nervous getting out after it had rained. But luckily it wasn't to much rain. Definitely coming back when warmer.

Joe L.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 29, 2020

Nice secluded spot

Was able to find the camping right away. There was one other group set up. Nice roomy sites with fire rings. After setting up I took a great hike on the nearby trails connected to Jackson falls. Some wonderful hiking and an abundance of climbing! I did some free climbing on small boulders and managed to climb my way back to the top of the gorge. Upon returning i noticed the other camp had left the grounds to myself. Rain came over night and eventually forced my hand to leave the next day and dry out. Definitely going back. Careful with the rain, the camp is right on the stream so I woke to being surrounded by streams. The path out is also very steep. I was able to handle it with a small car but any more mud or rain I would have been stuck. good luck!

(7) View All

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 14, 2020

Fall time

Beautiful fall foliage. No falls since it hasn't rained in a while. Great hike around. Campsites were plentiful, alot of cars driving in late at night. Toliet was clean and open. Bring everything you need, there is no water source and bring lots of wood. We scavenged wood from the hills around but ultimately had to leave and purchase wood.

(5) View All

Casie A.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 8, 2020

Fun Even when Dry

Lost cellphone service immediately upon entering reserve, FYI. The place is beautiful; forests and great big, moss covered boulders. It was fun climbing down to the bottom of the falls, even with small kids. The site is popular and there was a good amount of people on Labor Day weekend, however secluded camp sites were easy to find, isolation was achieved, garbage was very minimally found (occasional broken glass or bottle caps near camp sites), and the trails were long and winding. We went during a dry spell and there was no running water at the falls! Still had a blast there though!

GoWhereYouAreDraw N.

Legend

Reviewed May. 16, 2020

Waterfalls, hiking, climbing, and FREE camping

Jackson offers some of the best rock climbing in southern Illinois. There are about 60 climbing areas along the sandstone bluffs and freestanding boulders, with multiple routes. Most of the routes here are sport routes, though there are a number of trad routes.

There are primative campsites on both sides of Glen Street Falls Road near the trailhead. You can drive right up and park next to your campsite. If those campsites are full, there are additional campsites further down the road.

Most campsites have fire rings. There are no picnic tables or campfire grills there. There are also no garbage cans. You must pack out all of your garbage. You also need to bring your own drinking water as there is no fresh water there.

There's a single outhouse at the trailhead that is well maintained and pretty clean.

Layton F.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 12, 2019

Fun terrain

Fun hiking trails and beautiful sites! Hidden away gem for a fun afternoon of hiking. Can be hard to navigate at times but easily worth the climb up and down.

(8) View All

Stacia R.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 27, 2019

Popular dispersed camping area

This is dispersed camping within the Shawnee National Forest. The area can be tricky to find if you are unfamiliar with the area. It can also get very crowded on nice days due to its proximity to the college campus. It is also very popular with rock climbers and people on horseback. I found the trails to be somewhat confusing and not well marked. I was here Easter weekend and the weather was great, so there were a lot of tents set up right near the parking area. If you don’t mind hiking in a bit, peace and quiet can be found.

Tyler S.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 24, 2019

Primitive camp site but super quiet

Bring your own firewood. From inside the state of IL of course. The hiking is incredible.

Month of VisitJuly

(4) View All

Shawn M.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 21, 2018

Gorgeous Winter hiking

Jackson Falls is popular with climbers and has many marked routes. You are able to camp right along the water near the parking pull out and if you don't mind hikers passing by, it is a beautiful location. We were out in spring after a mid-march snow fall and melt which meant good water. I would love to come back in warmer weather to get wet. I would imagine warmer weather brings crowds.

(6) View All

Shelby B.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 20, 2018

Amazing, if you can find it

This place is popular with climbers, but I’m not one and had a rough time locating this place. The roads weren’t marked the same way they are on the website’s map, and the trailheads are confusing as well. I’m not sure how or if families manage to reach the bottom of the falls since there’s no clear way to climb down on either trail. We still had a great time, there are great campsites, and the whole surrounding area is awesome.

Month of VisitAugust