A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Army Corps of Engineers campground

Coon Creek

Army Corps of Engineers campground in Lake Shelbyville, Shelby County, Illinois. 665 feet. 3.5 miles from Shelbyville.

Managed by
Army Corps of Engineers Lake Shelbyville
Elevation
665 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
180 168 standard electric, 12 tent only electric
Longest rig
80 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
Electric, Water, Sewer
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Shelby County

Overview

Coon Creek is a large campground that sits on the western shore of Lake Shelbyville in the heart of central Illinois. Families enjoy the playground, swimming area and shaded campsites within the facility. 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/

Recreation

Lake Shelbyville offers a multitude of fishing opportunities for catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, muskie, walleye, white bass and bluegill.

Coon Creek provides a boat ramp, and for those without a boat, several ponds with farmed fish are available around the lake. Hunting areas within a short drive offer numerous game species, including quail, rabbit, pheasant, deer, dove, turkey, waterfowl and woodcock.

Visitors can also explore the lake shore on foot via a 0.7-mile Hide N Seek at Coon Creek nature trail within the Campground. The trailhead can be located across from the amphitheater near the main shower house.

Facilities

Coon Creek Campground is 100% reservable with 181 campsites. All sites are equipped with electric hookups. The facility has flush toilets, showers, a playground, bicycle pump track, basketball court, sand volleyball court, swimming beach, Hide N Seek Nature Tail, dump stations, and boat ramp.

Natural Features

This facility overlooks the lake shore and is heavily forested with plenty of shade.

Oak and hickory are the lake region's dominant tree species, and 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.

Nearby Attractions

Eagle Creek State Park, Little Illini & Chief Illini Hiking Trails, the city of Findlay, and Forrest Park in Shelbyville all provide great opportunities to explore Lake Shelbyville.

The nearby Hunter & Fishermen Parking Lots, Woods Lake Waterfowl Refuge and Okaw Bluff Wetlands Complex are popular locations for wildlife watching, birding, and hunting near Lake Shelbyville.

The description, directions and fees are the Army Corps of Engineers’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • boating
  • camping
  • day use area
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • swimming site
  • visitor center

The land around Coon Creek

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated May 15, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.