Opossum Creek

Summary

Opossum Creek Recreation Area is a quiet campground on Lake Shelbyville in central Illinois, providing ample outdoor activities such as fishing, swimming, picnicking, and more. It offers fishing for several species, a fishing pond for children, hunting areas, and campsites with electricity and flush toilets, showers, and a playground. The area has abundant shade, foliage in the fall, and a variety of wildlife. Nearby attractions include Wolf Creek State Park, Woods Lake Waterfowl Refuge, and Okaw Bluff Wetlands Complex.

Overview

Opossum Creek Recreation Area has a quiet campground that sits on the western 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.

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Recreation

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

Opossum Creek provides a fishing pond for children age 12 and under with an accessible fishing dock. There are also several other ponds with farmed fish 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.

Facilities

Most of the campsites have electricity and accommodate both RVs and tents, though there are several tent-only non-electric sites as well.

Flush toilets, showers, a playground and dump station help create a comfortable camping environment.

Natural Features

Opossum Creek overlooks the lake shore and provides plenty of shade. Oak and hickory are the lake region's dominant tree species.

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

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.