2
Pull-thru
USACEMississippi River - Pools 11-22 · Illinois
Thomson Causeway
Overview Thomson Causeway provides the unique experience of island camping on the great Mississippi River and it's well worth a try! The western edge of the recreation area offers visitors an unobstru
Sites133128 reservable
Elev.607ft
Comf.Apr-Oct7 months
Max rig99 ft2 pull-thru
Electric128126×50-amp
From Chicago3h04real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 607 ft, Thomson Causeway has a 7-month comfortable window (Apr-Oct). Winter nights average around 15°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 133 sites total: 128 reservable and 5 first-come, first-served. Of the sites, 2 pull-through, 126 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 99-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Nov
Apr-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
77%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 25
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 28.
68°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Chicago
149 mi
3h04
02
Springfield
198 mi
3h56
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 0.6 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 133 SITES
Color byShow only
133 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
126
50-amp
2
Accessible
1
Prime
133
Sites
★ The standout
Site 130
TENT · shaded.
To neighbor
95 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
61
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
0.6 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.