Shawnee Forest -- One Horse Gap & Lake T ecumseh?

“Illinois camper here...found info online about primitive camping at One Horse Gap Lake and Tecumseh Lake in the Shawnee Forest.

Has anyone ever camped there? Was wondering what to expect, how frequented these sites are, even more specific directions.

Thanks!”

“are they backpacking or car-camping sites?”

“I camped on the top of the bluff overlooking One Horse Gap Lake. Expect nothing--no water, no toilets, no campfire rings, no tent pads. You bring it all with you. I noticed though that they did have hitching posts for horses. Really cool places to camp at the base of the bluffs, too. You can camp anywhere you want in Shawnee, so hike until you find your perfect site. The River-to-River hiking trail runs through Shawnee and is fairly well marked. Just locate a trailhead with parking and hike on in.”

“You can actually get within a mile or two of every backcountry site via unmarked forest roads if you have a good handheld topo gps and possibly a 4x4 for some of the roads. It'd be very easy to slackpack the entire trail.”