Overview

Wilborn Creek Primitive Camping sits on the northern shore of Lake Shelbyville in the heart of central Illinois.

The lake and surrounding land offer outdoor activities for people of all ages, including fishing, swimming, picnicking and simply relaxing.

Visit the Lake Shelbyville, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for News Releases, Event Information, & Emergency Updates. https://www.facebook.com/LakeShelbyvilleUSACE

Visit it our USACE Lake Shelbyville Website for more information on Lake Shelbyville. https://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Lake-Shelbyville/

Facilities

The primitive camping area has 6 campsites. Each campsites comes equipped with a picnic table, lantern hook, & grill. The boat ramp area offers a comfort station as well as a fish cleaning station. The nearby beach offers a shower house, outdoor shower, playground, and life jacket loaner station.

Plenty of outdoor activities for guests: kayaking, canoeing, paddling, shoreline fishing, walking, and more.

Natural Features

Wilborn Creek Recreation Area is heavily forested with plenty of shade. Oak and hickory are the dominant tree species in the lake region. Foliage turns a variety of red, orange, purple and yellow each fall, while prairie flowers dot the landscape in spring and summer. Numerous species of songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors inhabit the lake area, as do mammals such as cottontail rabbit, white-tail deer, gray and fox squirrel, muskrat and mink.

Recreation

Lake Shelbyville offers a multitude of fishing opportunities for catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, muskie, walleye, white bass and bluegill. A boat ramp, courtesy dock and fish cleaning station are just across the large parking lot from the primitive tent sites, and for those without a boat, several ponds with farmed fish are available around the lake. Hunting areas located within a short drive offer numerous game species, including quail, rabbit, pheasant, deer, dove, turkey, waterfowl and woodcock.

Nearby Attractions

Wolf Creek State Park, Woods Lake Waterfowl Refuge and Okaw Bluff Wetlands Complex are popular locations for wildlife watching, birding and hunting near Lake Shelbyville.

Important Notices

• No alcohol permitted in beach area.

• Four tents per campsite.

• Facilities in this recreation area are seasonal. Comfort stations and shower houses are available late spring to early fall.

• No outside firewood allowed; obtain or purchase firewood at or near your camping destination and burn it on-site; firewood can carry invasive insects and diseases that destroy forests; learn more

  Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.

• $5 per day for day use fees when launching a boat or utilizing the beach; no day use fees charged for children under 16 years old or for those camping in an Army Corps campground or possessing applicable passes

Available Activities

• Boating - Boating
• Biking - Biking
• Swimming - Swimming
• Fishing - Fishing
• Ice Fishing - Ice Fishing
• Canoeing - Canoeing
• Birding - Birding
• Camping - Camping
• Day Use Area - Day Use Area
• Hunting - Hunting
• Kayaking - Kayaking
• Paddling - Paddling
• Photography - Photography
• Picnicking - Picnicking
• Star Gazing - Star Gazing
• Swimming Site - Swimming Site
• Water Access - Water Access
• Wildlife Viewing - Wildlife Viewing

Directions

<p>From Sullivan, Illinois, go west on State Route 121 for 5 miles. Turn left on County Road 5 and drive 3.5 miles, then make a right on County Road 18 and drive 0.75 miles to the campground.</p>

Contact Information

Phone: 217-774-3951

Rental Options

Learn more about gear rental options for your trip