Jo Daviess County. Our own 3DEP reading at the USGS point is 1,234 feet. The low point is 279 feet where the Ohio joins the Mississippi at Cairo, a Corps of Engineers figure in the USGS table
Against under 32 inches in the north. Snow runs the other way, 36 inches a year up north and under 10 in the far south
Sleeping above a wet state
A roof tent suits Illinois well, because it keeps you off ground that is often saturated and it fits the two-vehicle, eight-person site limit in the Shawnee without argument. It also solves the humidity problem better than a ground tent: this is a state where the south takes more than 48 inches of rain a year and May and June are the wettest months.
Two things to plan around. Primitive camping in the Shawnee must sit at least a quarter mile outside developed areas and 150 feet from water, so the pretty lakeside pitch is out, and state ground allows no dispersed camping at all, which means a roof tent in Illinois is mostly a campground tool.
A roof tent gets you off the ground and sets up in minutes. It also puts weight on the highest point of the vehicle, and the rack underneath matters as much as the tent. A dealer who installs will check your roof's load ratings before anything else.
What they sell and install
01Hard-shell and soft-shell roof tents
02Awnings, annexes and insulation
03Racks and crossbars rated for the load
04Installation and removal
05Parts: covers, zippers, struts and poles
How to choose a roof tent
Open it, climb into it and close it before you buy it.
01Know your two roof numbers: the dynamic rating for driving and the static load for camping with people inside. They are different, and the rack has its own.
02Hard shells open fastest and cut through wind. Soft shells give more space for the weight and the money.
03Check the mattress, the ladder angle at your vehicle's height, and whether it closes with bedding inside.
04Ask about parts and repairs before you need them.
05Measure your garage door.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
The roof decides what is possible.
01Vehicle, and what is on the roof or bed now
02How many people sleep in it
03The weather you camp in
04Garage height, if it lives indoors
05A budget range for the tent and the rack together
Questions people ask
Will a roof tent fit my vehicle?
Almost any vehicle can carry one with the right rack, but check the roof's dynamic load rating in the owner's manual and the rack's rating. The lower number is your limit while driving.
Hard shell or soft shell?
Hard shells are quicker, quieter in wind and better in rain and snow. Soft shells sleep more people for less money and weight, and take longer to pack. If you move camp every day, speed matters more than you expect.
Does a roof tent hurt fuel economy?
Yes, some, and you will hear it on the highway. Lower-profile tents and a fairing help. It is a trade most people accept for the sleep.
How high is Illinois?
From Cairo at 313 feet to Charles Mound at 1,235.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
ShelbyvilleShelby County seat at Lake Shelbyville, six federal campgrounds and two state parks on one reservoir, with Hidden Springs State Forest ten miles southeast.646 ft
JonesboroUnion County seat. Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District office, Trail of Tears State Forest five miles northwest, and the LaRue Pine Hills loop starts here.570 ft
OquawkaHenderson County seat on the Mississippi. Big River State Forest and its 60 miles of firebreaks are eight miles north on the Oquawka to Keithsburg road.553 ft
WilmingtonOn State Route 53, the old Route 66 alignment, two miles south of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie headquarters and welcome centre.543 ft
Forest CityMason County village that is the headquarters address for Sand Ridge State Forest, the largest state forest in Illinois and its main backcountry camping.494 ft
BentonFranklin County seat off I-57. Rend Lake and its five public campgrounds sit west of town, with the Corps office on Rend City Road.473 ft
CarlyleOn US 50 fifty miles east of St. Louis at the largest lake in the state, with the Corps visitor centre on the shore and camping all round it.460 ft
MurphysboroJackson County seat on Route 149. Johnson Creek Recreation Area on Kinkaid Lake, one of four Shawnee campgrounds rated for a 40-foot rig, is northwest.419 ft
CarbondaleLargest town in southern Illinois and the working base for the western Shawnee. Giant City State Park is near town and the Mississippi Bluffs district office is south at Jonesboro.416 ft
ViennaJohnson County seat on Route 45. Hidden Springs Ranger District office, one of the forest’s two districts and the office that issues its own motor vehicle use map.412 ft
Carrier MillsAddress of the Sahara Woods site office and the nearest town to the only state-run off-highway vehicle trails in Illinois.395 ft
HarrisburgSaline County seat on US 45. Shawnee National Forest supervisor’s office is on Highway 145 south of town, the Garden of the Gods road leaves Route 145 for Route 34, and the state OHV park is five miles west.394 ft
Cave-in-RockOhio River village at the state park with the 55-foot cave. The free Cave-In-Rock Ferry crosses to Kentucky here, supported jointly by both states.375 ft
ElizabethtownHardin County seat on the Ohio River Scenic Byway, between the Garden of the Gods road and the river, with Tower Rock’s free campground east on Route 146.361 ft
GolcondaPope County seat on the Ohio River Scenic Byway, on the eastern side of the Shawnee in the Hidden Springs district.354 ft
CairoThe southern tip of Illinois where the Ohio meets the Mississippi at 279 feet, the state low point, and where the Illinois stretch of the Ohio River Scenic Byway ends.313 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Charles MoundThe highest point in Illinois, in Jo Daviess County in the far northwest corner. Our own 3DEP reading at the USGS point is 1,234 feet1,235 ft
Williams HillPope County, high ground in the Shawnee Hills on the eastern side of the national forest. The figure is our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, because no agency publishes one1,062 ft
Bald KnobUnion County, in the hills behind the Mississippi bluffs on the western side of the national forest. The figure is our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, because no agency publishes one1,028 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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