Carl Spindler

If you want to visit Peoria, this is an ideal place to stay. The campground is part of a marina on the Illinois River and not too far from downtown. We wanted to stay here so we could visit the Caterpillar Visitor Center which is totally worth the visit.

We visited the park in November and since it was the shoulder season the park was not very crowded. The park is open year-round and you will find more seasonal people during the off season. They close most of the park in the winter time which only leaves 22 paved sites available. Otherwise, they offer a mix of paved, full hook-up sites or electric only sites.  Sites that are close to the river have a great view of the skyline at night and if you don’t mind having just electric and being on sand these are great sites. There is a small beach area where you can access the water and a community fire pit which seemed to draw a lot of people in the evening.  

The park has shower/bath house that was clean as were the laundry facilities. Wifi was non-existent but our Verizon 4G phone and hotspot worked well. We were able to get a decent number of antenna television channels. The roads are paved and easy for us to navigate in our 45’ RV. Our site was paved with a picnic table and fire pit and all the hook-ups worked well.

We enjoyed the short nature trail that leaves directly from the area. The trail starts off as a boardwalk over an interesting marsh area and then transitions to a primitive trail eventually leading you to the lake shoreline. This was a great walk for our black lab who loves trails and water. Of the four times we walked the trail we only encountered people once. After a heavy rain, the low lying areas of the trail were pretty muddy so wear appropriate shoes. 

The nice aspects of this park were the location to downtown Peoria, the pretty view of the skyline and the access to water if you want to kayak, fish, or swim. The price of $27/night for full hook-up was a great rate. The downside of this campground is that sites are close and there is a bit of road noise. There are a lot of seasonal people who were up and going to work in the morning which may bother late sleepers but meant for a quiet campground during the day.

Good location to downtown Peoria

We came in for Thanksgiving. We had a great spot!!! The campground was clean and quiet!! Enjoyed camping here.. Will definitely camp here again when we go visit family... We stayed in Spot 8 ... It was also a short walk to the Illinois River!!! 

Nice and quiet campground

Excellent value at $28/ for full hookup.  A lot of surface streets to get here from the freeway.  Not much noise once you arrive.  Good water pressure, cell service solid 2 bars. I’d stop again 


Nice shade by the lake

First of all we are so grateful for them to squeeze us in for a reservation with 1 days notice. The campground is great, views are amazing, and you are literally on the beach of the Illinois river. But some negatives they lost a star for.
1. In the overflow “unpaved” section there is 1 station of power for 4 campers. So you definitely need a LONG power cord which our neighbors did not. So campers a little close together.
2. For the non water sites finding the two available spickets for everyone in the overflow was a serious challenge. Esp at 5 pm after the office closed. Luckily we had a kind lady let us use hers from her full site. Better signage would make all the difference.
3. A few neighbor campsites like to blare loud music from their golf cart later than midnight. Which is very disrespectful.
Overall great time and perfect weather. Not sure we’d stay again if overflow was all that’s available.

Okay 

**General:** City camping is generally challenging but this was a good place for us to land for the night as we were passing through. Very easy access as soon as you cross Peoria Lake to East Peoria. The flip side of this is that you will hear constant road noise and an occasional train. Reservations are made by phone and when I called to make mine, was told we would be in Site 33. Typical for us, we arrived after the office was closed and saw Site 33 was occupied. We took Site 36 and when I went to pay the following morning, I discovered this is where we had been moved to as site numbers are not supposed to be guaranteed. It appeared that there were many long-term campers staying here. The rate of $24 for an electric site was reasonable. Full hookup sites and a few tent sites are also available. 

  

**Site Quality:** Site sizes are, for the most part, very generous and can accommodate a large RV and extra vehicle/s. Some are very close to each other (beach and overflow) and there is no physical separation between them. Each site has one (or two) picnic tables and a fire ring. Some sites have paved pads while the ones closest to the water are either gravel or sand. There are also several cabins.

  

**Bathhouse:** Clean but the only downside is there is only one sink, and it is located in an awkward place (perpendicular to and close to one of the stalls). Showers were small and I did not use so cannot comment on how well they worked. Hot water was appreciated. 

  

**Activities/Amenities:** If you are a boater, this is a great place for you as this is a marina! Small and outdated playground and a basketball stand but no basket or net. There is also a laundry room. 

  

**Conclusion:** For us, passing through, this was an ideal place to land for the night but since we don’t have a boat, we wouldn’t stay longer than one night.

Good for passing through

Campground is very well kept with very clean showers and restrooms. Golf carts are allowed here which is a plus. There are some river front sites that are electric only, the full hook ups are away from the river. Some of the sites can be a bit cramped but everyone was nice so it didn’t bother me. There are a lot of seasonal campers there as well. I payed $28 a night for a full hook up. 

Nice city campground for fair price.

The shower houses are amazing! This campground is very well maintained and right on the Illinois river. The view of Peoria at night is beautiful 