Nestled in the verdant rolling hills of central Illinois, you’ll discover Hickory Hills Campground located just a short drive west of I39 and completely off the grid, due to the slight incline of this heavily forested campground outpost. This place is a massive RV enclave with various different neighborhoods and haunts to choose from – and while there are a very fair number of folks who make Hickory Hills their year-round outdoor destination, there’s a decent amount of temporary spots to select from. But if you’re a tent camper, you will be hard-pressed at this location to find a suitable spot to set up for the night as Hickory Hills is definitely designed for the RV and 5th Wheeler crowd in mind.
The amount of amenities at Hickory Hills is a pretty long list that includes an in-ground pool opened between Memorial Day and Labor Day (any other time here in Illinois, you would be ice fishing!), basketball court, mini golf, shuffleboard, pool table, ping pong and various soda and snack vending machines and games in the recreation center, catch & release lake for fishing and a fully-stocked general store, which also serves as the main office where you will check-in upon arrival, offering up firewood, snacks, water, ice and other sundries. There’s also a coin laundry and bottle propane station in addition to the standard RV hook-ups (30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage).
What I love most about Hickory Hills Campground is the very strong Midwestern hospitality and warm welcome you’ll receive from just about everyone you encounter here – from the very great folks that run the place to the guests and residents that roll out the red carpet and ensure that everyone feels connected to the very tight-knit community that has formed here.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) This campground is pretty isolated, clear out in the boondocks just northwest of the major college town of Bloomington (Illinois State University), where you can easily access everything, but if you do make your way out here to Hickory Hills, you better bring everything you need because while it’s a short drive into the nearest town here, which is El Paso, to be honest, there's not a lot there either, so likely you'll have to go further afield to get just about anything else; (2) When you grow weary of staring down the insides of your onboard mini-fridge and want to try some of the local cuisine, I would HIGHLY recommend The Local Tap Craft Kitchen & Ale House, which has glorified bar food (wings, pizza, burgers), slightly above average wine list (hey, while the Sauvignon Blanc is just Cupcake, it’s pretty amazing that they have Sauv Blanc at all!) and a pretty amazing selection of local craft brews from 5 distinct nearby breweries; (3) If you are on the hunt for some real outdoor tent camping, great hiking or care to dip your kayak into some really nice fresh water, then head on over to nearby Comlara Park, featuring Evergreen Lake, which has some really nice areas to explore, in particular Deer Island, which you can anchor on or near and explore this little picturesque outcrop; and (4) Should you need anything, I would encourage you to explore nearby El Paso, which has some nice surprises awaiting you, such as Ruth’s Garden Tea Room or coffee at Java Café, CVS Pharmacy for all your sundries, El Paso Mexican (for just OK Mexican) and Woody’s Family Restaurant for some good ‘ol down home Midwestern comfort food and some decent (not amazing) pizza at Monical’s.
Happy Camping!
