$18 / night

Camper submitted image from South Sandusky Campground - 1

Camper submitted image from South Sandusky Campground - 2

Official

Camper submitted image from South Sandusky Campground - 3

Nature

Camper submitted image from South Sandusky Campground - 4

Roads

Camper submitted image from South Sandusky Campground - 5

Facilities

Established Camping

South Sandusky Campground

18 Reviews

About

US Army Corps of Engineers

Rend Lake

Overview

Congratulations! You've just discovered Rend Lake, the perfect place to enjoy a wide variety of activities, events, and nature at its best. Even a short visit to Rend Lake will impress you with the versatility of this magnificent area. Rend Lake is made up of 20,633 acres of water and 19,523 acres of land. Wildlife in the area includes deer, turkey, fox, raccoon, opossum, waterfowl, and others as seasons change througout the year. Whether you're looking for high adventure, a peaceful retreat, or something in between, you'll find it here in the heart of Southern illinois.

Recreation

Take a leisurely morning stroll, ski or sail lake waters, spend the afternoon viewing inspiring art exhibits and end your day by the warm glow of a campfire under starry night skies. The fields, forests and waters of Rend Lake provide a natural haven for wildlife and an outdoor wonderland for you. Boat, hike, fish, hunt, swim, and explore at your leisure. If you prefer a little less nature, visit one of the resorts around the lake and delight in superb lodging and dining. Just minutes away you'll find golf, trap and skeet, arts, antiques, museums, wineries, and more.

Facilities

Natural Features

South Sandusky Campground is situated around Sandusky cove on Rend Lake in the heart of Southern Illinois. With nicely spaced campsites and plenty of activities easily accessible from the campground, South Sandusky is an excellent destination for camping at Rend Lake. Wildlife in the area includes white tailed deer, wild turkey, fox, raccoon, opossum, waterfowl, and others as seasons change throughout the year.

Nearby Attractions

South Sandusky Beach Rend Lake Visitors Center Rend Lake Project Office

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Location

South Sandusky Campground is located in Illinois

Directions

From I-57 take exit 71 and turn west onto Route 14. After 3 miles turn right on Rend City Road, then continue for 6 miles to the campground entrance on the right.

Address

7820 RED OAK LANE
Sesser, IL 62884

Coordinates

38.032404 N
89.004276 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Available
T-Mobile
Good

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Tent Cabin
Equestrian

Features

For Campers

Market
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
WiFi
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites
Big Rig Friendly

SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE

$18

/ night

First Come - First Served

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Contact

General Info

MickandKarla W.

Legend

Reviewed Dec. 23, 2022

One of Our Favs

This campground(CG) is super easy to find. We arrived at the CG at about 1:45 PM, which was early as this CGs check-in is 5:00 PM. The gate office was open and after a very quick check-in, we proceed to one of the few FHUs(50/30/20 AMP), back in site 135. This site slopes downhill we so moved our rig onto the pad towards the back as far as possible to level. The water pressure was poor so we filled our fresh water tank and used our internal water pump. We got 2 bars on Verizon and T-Mobile and quite a few OTA channels. Satellite is iffy due to the number of mature trees in all CG areas. We’ve been to this CG many times but normally stay in the non-full hookup sites closer to the lake. There are five CG/loops within South Sandusky plus a walk-in tent area. We have stayed mostly in the first loop, Dogwood, as you enter, but the others are nice as well with some sites having water and electricity. The only FHUs are in Dogwood and most will take larger rigs. All campsites are reservable but reserved campsites are not marked on the post when you arrive(see the sign pic we posted). A comp host comes by after you set up and tag your post. There is a lot to do here. There are miles of paved bicycle trails, a marina, fishing, and a 27-hole golf course a couple of miles away.

Site135

Month of VisitNovember

(10) View All

Gary P.

Ranger

Reviewed Oct. 5, 2022

COE does it again

Another great COE Park and this one offers some full hook up sites. ATT & Verizon both came in good. Water & electric (30 amp) were convient & functioned perfectly. Not all sites are very level. We got a great water view site, but lacked afternoon shade. A large park with well spaced site. Well worth the money, especially with the geezer pass.

Site184

Month of VisitNovember

(4) View All

Jennifer

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 28, 2021

Peaceful, safe, convenient

We had a peaceful stay with a view of the water! We took our toddler and infant. It was very safe and had close restrooms and playgrounds. The neighbors were super nice and it appeared there were many long-term campers!

Site184

Month of VisitNovember

(5) View All

Nick C.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 28, 2021

Top tier

Great campground! Second time staying here. Nice blacktop roads, clean restroom/shower. Friendly attended. Great view of the lake on a number of sites.

Site147

Month of VisitNovember

Kelly W.

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 22, 2021

Lovely gem in Southern IL

We spent part of spring break there this year. Sites are beautifully wooded with many excellent lake views, even with full hookups. Easy access to great bike trails.

Site180

Month of VisitApril

Joel R.

Legend

Reviewed Apr. 6, 2021

Relaxing spot on the water

South Sandusky campground is a Corps of Engineers campground on Rend Lake, just off I-57 in Southern Illinois. There are 8 tent sites & 119 sites with electric and full hook-ups. Most of the sites are wooded with space between them, and many have lake views. They are not very level so some adjustments were needed. There is a dump station, flush toilets, showers, a sand beach, boat ramp, 2 picnic shelters, a paved bike trail, and playgrounds. There is no internet. Sites can be reserved on the Internet at www.recreation.gov.

(6) View All

Lee D.

Legend

Reviewed Feb. 1, 2021

Another great Corps of Engineers campground

Sites/Facilities: Sites are spaced well apart. Each site has a generous sized paved pad plus an additional paved space for a second vehicle. Each site has a large metal picnic table, fire grate, electric hookup, water, and lantern hook. Site 172 has no visible neighbors to the north and has a filtered water view through the trees. In my opinion, the best sites in the Pine Tree Loop are 172 and 173 plus 183-186; all of these have filtered water views.

Bathhouse: The bathrooms are VERY small and basic (no soap, no hooks) – one tiny sink and two stalls (no showers) but clean. Campers were encouraged to use the facilities in their RVs but we don’t have that option.

Activities/Amenities: There are a nice playground and a nearby beach/boat launch area, which is separate from the campground. There is also a paved bicycle path that appeared to connect the beach area to the campground, but I didn’t access it so cannot verify this.

Conclusion: We arrived late, just missing checking in(booth closed at 6 pm but check-in is not until 5 pm?) and departed by 10 am the next morning so we could not take advantage of the bike path or other potential amenities but for the price ($10 seniors), it is a very good value; the only thing keeping this from a five-star review is the TINY bathroom and I did not see a dumpster to get rid of our garbage (might have missed it). We would definitely return.

Site172

Month of VisitNovember

(12) View All

Jim L.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 15, 2020

South Sandusky camp grounds

All brand new. They have redone this whole place, really nice, very clean .

Paige H.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 28, 2020

4 out of 5

Large campsites with plenty of parking. Nice asphalt pads in Pin Oak section. Bath house and restrooms decently clean. They spray with sanitizer twice daily. So many wild animals and beautiful birds. Walk or bike to lake to fish or swim.

4 out of 5 since there’s no pool and they have limited full hookup sites. Also, shared amenities need updated and could be cleaner.

Missy D.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 19, 2019

Love this place!

We love the large beach. The campsites have a nice set up and are a decent size. The kids loved the playground. There were kids everywhere and everyone was very friendly! Fun spot!

Chelsea D.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 31, 2019

Clean sites, friendly staff

We camped here on a pretty hot weekend, and most of the sites are well-shaded and mowed. We liked that we could walk down to the water and that there was a bike trail nearby that we could walk on.

Rhonda M.

Guide

Reviewed May. 15, 2019

Fun place to be

Had a great time

Mary F.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 19, 2018

Picture perfect

Full hookups to tent camping and spacious sites. This is a Corps of Engineer Campground so bring your America the Beautiful pass! Well maintained on beautiful Rend Lake in southern Illinois. Reservations accepted on reservation.gov. Walk ins also welcome.

Site189

Month of VisitSeptember

Cindy C.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 7, 2018

Wonderful for all ages. Located on Rend Lake Illinois.

North and South Sandusky campground is located in southern Illinois on Rend Lake. It is a large state park with tons to do. From boating and swimming to hiking and relaxing. The sites have many areas that fit different needs. I have stayed this year in both. My site at North Sandusky was on the water and I could pull my pontoon right behind my campsite. The kids were close enough to the bathrooms and showers to walk. And there was fresh water located there as well. There was a park a bit further down the way as well. But no need as the lake was in the backyard.

South sandusky site was across from a park, bathrooms, showers and water. The beach was a 2 mi hike on a beautiful trail. But we could walk across the street to a fishing swimming spot as well.

The beach is super clean and monitored well.

The bathrooms were cleaned every morning before 7 am. Water had great pressure and was always nice and hot.

I love these campgrounds and can’t wait to go back.

Sitenorrh 101 and south 232

Month of VisitAugust

Rhonda M.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 18, 2018

Beautiful. Fun for the whole family

Fishing. Swimming, hiking, boating, playgrounds. Water and sewer hookups with 30/50 amp electric. Lots of shade. Friendly staff.

Site27

Month of VisitJune

Gina J.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 15, 2018

Amazing View

We love tent camping at South Sandusky. many of the site are right on the lake and the sunrise and sunsets are always gorgeous. they have quiet hours from 10-6 and the bathrooms and showers are always really clean (but there are still usually lots of small insects). It’s also just a short drive from the South Sandusky swimming beach. It’s sometimes pretty rocky in the water so we usually wear water shoes. If you camp for the hiking though this isn’t my favorite site. There are lots of bike trails but for just hiking there are much better places.

(4) View All

Chrissy W.

Guide

Reviewed May. 4, 2018

Rend lake south sandusky

South Sandusky is a very nice campground with lots of trees, concrete pad, fire pit, playground, and bathroom facilities. It is wheelchair accessible and walking distance from the lake where you can swim, fish, boat, go tubing or just walk the trails.

Month of VisitSeptember

(6) View All

Ed H.

Scout

Reviewed Apr. 10, 2018

Rend Lake South Sandusky Campground

Plenty of trees, lots of sites directly on the water. Very clean, nice shower houses, playgrounds, picnic tables, fire pits. Quiet, shady, paved roads. All of the Rend Lake campgrounds are similar. Restaurants and shopping nearby. Great fishing. Friendly area!

Site151, 152

Month of VisitJune