Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area

If you find yourself out in these parts near Shabbona in north central Illinois it is because of either one of two reasons - you are incredibly lost and stumbled across this hidden natural preserve gem by accident OR you are incredibly knowledgeable already or resourceful.  Whatever drew you to this particular location, here's the fact of the matter - you have arrived at an absolute natural treasure trove, whether in the midst of a humid and hot Illinois summer or in the bitter cold of a snow white winter looking for great cross-country skiing trails.  So now that you've found yourself nearby or contemplating a stay at Shabbona Lake SP, let me just forewarn you - you are about to embark upon one of the most amazing outdoor camping experiences Illinois has to offer!

As for this campground, PLEASE NOTE: there exists not 1, but 3 separate, individual campgrounds here at Shabbona Lake State Park: Teal Bay Campground (Sites#1– 60), Merganser Circle (Sites#61– 100) as well as Canvasback Cove (Sites#101– 150). In this review, I will be isolating my contributions towards the Shabbona Lake State Park – Teal Bay Campground.  That said, please do look at all the reviews that I leave behind here on TheDyrt, in order to find the absolute best campground for you and your family / friends, should that be arriving by RV / 5th Wheel, those looking for an existing wooden cabin by the sea (er, as it were, because we're in Illinois, a lake) or for mi tent-pitching bredren.

The first of these three campgrounds is the first loop you will encounter after passing the Ranger Station at the front of the park, where you’ll drive about a half mile around the bend before reaching the first of three clearly marked Camp Host spots. At this point, you’ll want to hang a right, where there will be a slight left bend where sites #2–10 will be on your right, wherein site #1 is earmarked for the Camp Host, and at site #10, you’ll see opposite this spot a small water / privy facility, following which, you will see the rest of Teal Bay campground as it encircles a small loop (effectively sites #11–31 on the exterior of the loop, interrupted by another small water / privy facility between sites #29 and #30, with sites #32– 47 being plotted on the interior of this loop and finally, you’ll see sites #48– 50 upon your exit from the loop, where you’ll encounter that first small water / privy house, before coming across the final sites #51– 60 on the right as you exit Teal Bay. Immediately to the right, once you exit this campground, you’ll come across the lone Shower Building (more on this below). You will need to pass the Shower Building to access the second campground, Merganser Circle and to access the third campground, Canvasback Cove, where you would have turned left before passing the Shower Building as you head towards the lakefront and boat launch area. 

With Shabbona Lake State Park specifically in mind… Holy Cow! (nod to Harry Carey and all my Cubs loving friends there!) are you in for a treat if you find yourself in north-central Illinois right off the I39 corridor and are rolling with either your RV, 5th wheel or are packing a tent and looking for an exceptional lakeside camping experience completely surrounded by God’s greatest natural prairie! To be blunt, Shabbona Lake State Park could be, quite possibly, one of the best, most pristine camping experiences that exists in this sweet corn riddled and drilled bean harvested farmland in the entire Land O’ Lincoln. 

From a clandestine entrance, beset with golden tall grasses and strategically planted old Pines along with its superbly laid out and easily sign-posted inner roadway to the non-stop 3 meter wide natural hiking trails that are jam-packed in this luscious, picturesque state park along with its signature sparkling clear blue, man-made Shabbona Lake, this is one multi-campus campground that you must prepare yourself for, because it packs quite the punch! All in, there’s 150 Class A Premium campsites with 90 of these available for reservation with the remaining open on a first-come, first-served basis through the state’s online reservation system: ExploreMoreIL. 

With amenities in mind, you will discover scattered spots that accommodate both RV and tent camping brethren alike, where half of the slots are nicely paved concrete, while the other half are cleverly laid small pebble-strewn platforms. All sites come with a fire ring, picnic table, water and electric hook-ups and no matter where you go, you are surrounded by some solid wilderness so there is never the chance that you will wake up or go for a hike and feel as though you are not being embraced by one of the best wilderness areas in the country. 

Beyond the basics, and this is where Shabbona Lake SP shines brightest, you’ll discover that there are tons of additional bonus features such as: scattered picnic tables and sheltered pavilions, designated dump stations, (2) lakefront log cabins for rent (complete with their own balcony / veranda, grill and fire pit), Pokanoka’s Dockside Café with spectacular views of Shabbona Lake, concession store offering wood, groceries, bait & tackle, snacks, soda and camping items, over 8 miles of hiking in pristine wood- and grasslands, fishing piers (this is the Muskie Capitol of Illinois, BTW!) where you’ll find no shortage of bluegill, walleye, perch and many other fish. If you’re into hunting, Shabbona Lake SP has you covered too with 744 acres of land that allows for archery hunting of deer, dove and waterfowl (for those wanting to use firearms, there is discretionary times of the year where deer and pheasant hunting is allowed). 

Insider’s Tips? Here’s a few: (1) This SP strictly enforces its ‘no alcohol’ policy, which is a massive bummer; (2) Tired of fixing beans and franks and want to sample some local fare? Well, you’re in luck because in the nearby hamlet of Shabbona, there’s a few options, top of which I recommend Shabbona Café, which is a no-frills local diner serving up burgers, sandwiches, skillets, salads and typical Midwestern fare followed by a few scoops at Screamers Ice Cream; (3) If you don’t mind a slight drive to arguably the best fried chicken in the universe, then check out Rip’s Chicken in Ladd and trust me, while a longer drive than you might expect, this place is legend in these parts; (4) When thinking about Winter activities, this is one of the very few SP’s that allow for snow-mobiling and cross-country skiing where trails are open between 8am to 4pm with at least 4” of snow. Ice fishing and ice skating are also allowed if the thickness of the ice is good enough; and (5) During the summer months especially, this place fills up, so I would definitely recommend calling ahead for those first-come, first served campsites. Call 815-824-2106 during the week or the campground check station at 815-824-2565 on weekends. 

Happy Camping!

Our stay here was a great experience. The town of Shabbona has a population of 900, and you get that homely good-natured feel while being there as well. We had breakfast at Shabbona Cafe in town, and we received a great portion and oh so good as well. While leaving on the last day at the BP gas station there is even a corn 🌽 stand $5 for a dozen of oh so good and sweet corn, the best part is all you need is to drop the $5 in a cash box on the honor system, love that. Now the camping grounds was great as well. Completely surrounded by woods and nature at site 147, very close to bathroom shed, and also not far from the shower/bath house (clean). The Restaurant & Bait Shop are all in the same building. The restaurant had a great Nachos and grass-fed burger, top quality definitely. The bait shop we rented a pontoon boat (reserved online) they show you the safe areas to boat and where to look out for as well, before boarding the pontoon they also give you a refresher on operating the boat etc. Oh! I forgot about the store, the hours seemed off but once open the store has all the essentials one would need. $7 for a bundle of wood also on the honor system cash box.

We highly recommend camping here.

We have been to Shabbona a few times, and have always had a great time!  We really enjoy their pontoon boat rentals and fishing.  The view from our site was great.  Appreciated the little path behind our site that lead to the water.  My kiddos enjoyed hiking throughout and catching frogs.  I was disappointed that the water was already turned off (the lady at the store said she thinks it was due to covid??).  It was also disappointing that the camp store closed on a Saturday, didn't give notice that the last day to buy firewood was on Friday, and then it would be first come, first serve.  Because of the water/campstore closing I did give it 4 stars instead of 5.  My husband said the latrines in Canvasback Cove were "decent".  The main shower house with flushing toilets was clean.  Sites are not very private, but the fall colors made up for it.  We did name the tree our camper was under "baby spider tree".  Oddly, our last day we woke up to TONS of baby spiders all over our campsite dangling from the tree… pretty gross, but we can laugh about it now, lol.  Overall, we will be back next spring since it is a close campground.  May try a campsite in the other circle.

I have tent camped here for years. Sometimes we've even just come to fish for the day. I've caught bass and trout mainly along with some small perch and sunfish. The campground gets busy during the summer, but being an ILDNR state-run campground it's open all year with more limited amenities in the off-season. In the summer I like the reservable sites (119-116) overlooking the lake in Canvasback Cove. Across the same loop wooded sites (136-141) offer a little more privacy with less of any kind of view. Those are my favorite sites to camp with little kids because they are close to the "stocked" kids fishing pond which makes them feel so happy to easily catch a little fish. They become fishermen/ladies for life. They are not near the bathhouse though which is just a quick walk or drive.

In the off season, Canvasback Cove is not usually closed like the other side of the campground. Without little kids in the colder months, I still camp at those sites. One year I made the mistake of camping at 117 in December. I have no problem winter camping, but that time of year the winds blow over the semi-frozen lake making it about 20 degrees colder.

During the summer the campground is often packed. I hear some sites are better than others and of course you never know how rowdy people can get. 

Still the fishing is awesome and you can bring your own boat or rent one, so on the water it's pretty tranquil if you love to fish.