Fall camping around Illinois

[DieselDrax]

Hi all,


I'd like to get some fall camping in before the weather gets really cold but I'm not sure where some good places to go are that are within, say, 4 hours of Champaign, IL.


We've camped at Indiana Dunes, Turkey Run, Raccoon Lake, Lake Shelbyville... Really love Turkey Run but would like to try someplace new. I hear Redbird is supposed to be great as is Starved Rock.


Not looking to stay long, likely just a Fri-Sun type of deal.


Electric hookups a must, water/sewer are optional. Mainly want to make sure we have juice to run heat when needed.


Anyone have some suggestions for great fall camping locations?


Thanks!

[Tip10]

Depends upon what you are wanting to do.
Do you need “activities” or “sight seeing”, etc.?

If it’s just camping in a nice, quiet, pretty area you might try Boulder Rec Area on Carlyle Lake (or Coles Creek or McNair as all are nice). Should be about 2 1/2 hours from Champaign.



These were at Boulder a couple of weeks ago. You get some gorgeous sunsets across the lake.

Or, head a wee bit further south to Rend Lake or Giant City or Ferne Clyffe...

Lots more to be had in Southern Illinois than Northern IMHO.

[BehindBars]

You might want to try Lincoln Trail State Park near Marshall, IL. We discovered it two years ago and enjoyed a couple stays there. There is a large, level campground with large sites, some pull throughs. There is a small lake there, and a road around the lake that’s about 3 or 5 miles long. The park is nice for walking or bicycling, and I guess fishing (but I’m no expert on that). There is a good family style restaurant on site but I’m not sure how late in the season it’s open. You can stop by Casey and see the huge wind chimes, rocking chair and other big stuff they have. It’s also not far from Moonshine, population 2, where you can get a good burger (before 12:30, and not on a Sunday).

Not quite as far is Fox Ridge State Park near Charleston. It’s smaller than Lincoln Trail, but it has some nice hiking trails through the woods.

And of course, right in your neighborhood is Clinton Lake. We always like it there. Boondocks restaurant will be open on until 2 pm Columbus Day. Not that it probably matters, but the power plant is temporarily off at the moment so the lake water has fallen to around 70 degrees.

Starved Rock is pretty beat up from having way too many visitors.

[Jim34RL]

How about Rend lake in southern Il., in Benton, South and North Sandusky C.O.E. parks. Than Sunset Lake in Hillsdale, also Double J in Chatham, these are all in IL. If you want to travel to KY there are several campgrounds in the Land Between the Lakes and a couple of C.O.E. parks such as Hillman Ferry C.O.E..

[dbarr]

Any State Park or C. O. E. will do.
I like going to Galena this time of year.
https://www.galenacountryfair.com

[bweigele]

If you liked the hiking at Turkey Run you would probably like Ferne Clyffe or Giant City. Great trails. We sometimes hike the trails in both over a weekend since they are so close to each other.

[mad.dog]

As noted elsewhere Rend Lake is nice, but be sure and book well ahead of time!

Originally Posted by DieselDrax

Hi all,


I'd like to get some fall camping in before the weather gets really cold but I'm not sure where some good places to go are that are within, say, 4 hours of Champaign, IL.


We've camped at Indiana Dunes, Turkey Run, Raccoon Lake, Lake Shelbyville... Really love Turkey Run but would like to try someplace new. I hear Redbird is supposed to be great as is Starved Rock.


Not looking to stay long, likely just a Fri-Sun type of deal.


Electric hookups a must, water/sewer are optional. Mainly want to make sure we have juice to run heat when needed.


Anyone have some suggestions for great fall camping locations?


Thanks!

[BriaBeck]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

How about Rend lake in southern Il., in Benton, South and North Sandusky C.O.E. parks. Than Sunset Lake in Hillsdale, also Double J in Chatham, these are all in IL. If you want to travel to KY there are several campgrounds in the Land Between the Lakes and a couple of C.O.E. parks such as Hillman Ferry C.O.E..

I can vouch for the Rend Lake CG's as well. The COE North and South Sandusky parks are nice, and also South Marcum on Rend Lake is nice as well. South Marcum does have some skunks running around, but they're used to people, so if you don't bother them, they won't bother you. All sites at these 3 CG's have electric, and several are FHU I think especially at the 2 Sandusky's. All are close to the South Sandusky Day Use area, which has a nice beach and swimming area. Highly recommended!

[mad.dog]

Any camping spot you'd recommend near Galena? We'd like to go in June

Originally Posted by dbarr

Any State Park or C. O. E. will do.
I like going to Galena this time of year.
https://www.galenacountryfair.com

[richp]

Hi,


Thomson COE is right on the Mississippi, and not all that far south of Galena.


Nice little park, but get your reservations in early and in the back of your mind be ready for it to close if the river comes up.


Hope this helps.

[mad.dog]

Thanks!

Originally Posted by richp

Hi,


Thomson COE is right on the Mississippi, and not all that far south of Galena.


Nice little park, but get your reservations in early and in the back of your mind be ready for it to close if the river comes up.


Hope this helps.

[RockDodger]

Jim Edgar state recreation area is a nice place. Kind of isolated and wifi sometimes hard to pull up, but lots of hiking and biking. Another similar place is Clinton Lake state rec area 10 mi outside of Clinton, IL. Very isolated and not overcrowded. Nice big lake with small restaurant/snack shop. Both of the places have full hookup sites, but I can't remember if there are pull throughs or not. We enjoyed our stays in both places.

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by mad.dog

Any camping spot you'd recommend near Galena? We'd like to go in June

I would try this web site to find any camping parks that you are interested in. I use this site all of the time!

https://www.campgroundreviews.com/

[mad.dog]

Will do, ty

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

I would try this web site to find any camping parks that you are interested in. I use this site all of the time!

https://www.campgroundreviews.com/