Coon Creek (IL)

We spent a long Columbus day weekend at Coon Creek at Lake Shelbyville. We tent camped and very much enjoyed our stay….even though the night time temps got into the low 30’s. This campground had many spacious sites. They were all different in size and shape and there was several “buddy” sites available. I was impressed with the space between the sites, the mature trees, and the overall peaceful setting of the campground. It was pretty full during our visit however it was relatively quiet and peaceful. There was plenty of shower houses and restrooms placed throughout the campground and we never had to wait to use the shower. The handicap accessible shower/restroom combo across from our site was ok. It didn’t have a place to sit to put shoes or clothes on. It needed a good bleaching and there was no hand soap which was pretty gross, but over all that’s my biggest complaint about the campground. I brought my own hand soap when I used the facilities, But I still had to touch the surfaces of others that did NOT wash their hands with soap after using the potty. 🤮😬🤮

There was a very well stocked store at the entrance called “Castaways at at Coon Creek” that had lots of helpful, unexpected, and fun items. You could buy ice, filtered water, beer, groceries, bait, firewood ($6 a bundle), and lots of other items!

Oh and you could call in and custom order Hunt Brother’s Pizza and wings. They would call you 5 mins before your order was coming out of the oven so you could come pick it up.

There was a couple of places along the road on the way in that had wood bundles for sale on the honor system. One offered fairly large bundles for $5. I was impressed by this! it was certainly not the tiny firewood bundles at the gas station! I will include a photo of one of the bundles for reference.

Excellent place to camp overall. I would encourage them to put some hand soap in those bathrooms. 🤮 I had to dock them a star for this!

I should start this review by saying the day we got home from this trip, I booked the same campsite for the end of September. So yeah, it was great. 

Living on the north side of Chicago, we were looking for campgrounds in Wisconsin for this trip but then, alas, the quarantine rules went into effect so we turned our search southward. I'm so glad we did!  Illinois doesn't have a lot of lakes but boy is this a nice one. Rented a boat for a day and got to explore the lake and it's gorgeous. Also, there are a TON of campgrounds all around the lake and you could see from the water how many are right on the lake. I'm a sucker for a waterside campsite so I know I'll be back. 

The site we had was at the end of the loop (not really a loop, just a straight road with a turnaround on a little peninsula.) 

We had the lake on 3 sides and a private little area with trails to explore. This site was a buddy site so very large and plenty of room for two families. Social distancing was not a problem. 

The bathrooms and showers were about as clean as I've experienced. Probably just got lucky but seems like every time I went in them they appeared to just have been cleaned. We went during the week and it was super peaceful in the campground and on the lake. I'd imagine in the Summer on the weekend, it will be a bit louder in the campground and more boats on the water. 

One night our grand dinner plans were spoiled by a storm so I ran to Shelbyville and grabbed some pizza at Monical's Pizza. It was a quick 15 minute drive. 

All in all, great experience and, as I said, we'll be back at the end of September.

I have camped here in a motorhome with full hookups and tent camped as well.

The camp sites are divided into many loops and have side pullin sites and backin sites. The RV and tent sites are grouped in the same loops and there are many that have trails from the site right to the lake and people leave the boat near the campsite but still on the water. The restrooms and shower houses are clean as all the Lake Shelbyville campgrounds are maintained by the Corps of Engineers. This campground is very busy in the prime camping season, but if you are camping with a group and have a boat this is the place to go. There are several buddy sites here that are set up very well for groups of RV's and tents camping together. There are a few isolated sites on corners of loops, but most are fairly close together. There is a swimming beach here and lots of boat traffic, but quiet hours are observed, so you can get a good night's sleep before an action packed day on the lake. The fishing is good if you have a boat, but there is very little bank fishing areas available. Part of the campground is open after Labor Day, but the main season is Memorial day to Labor day.

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I sometimes get to test products. On our last camping trip to Lake Shelbyville, we stayed at Coon Creek Recreational Area, and I had the pleasure of testing out and evaluating the LEDLENSER, MH2, Headlamp.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW

We found this head lamp to be perfect for our campsite at Coon Creek Recreational Area as we were at the end of a peninsula, with paths all around us to explore! The gravel sites are surrounded by trees and depending on the site you choose, you can see the lake from your site. The campground has a very large playground, a great beach for swimming, a trail for hiking, tons of fishing spots, and lots of up and down roads for great bike riding. Overall, the campground is peaceful, clean, and well maintained. It’s one of our personal favorites so far!

PRODUCT REVIEW

To begin, the quality of the LEDLENSER, MH2, Outdoor series Headlamp is amazing. Strong, but comfortable head band (although it can get a little sweaty under the band if the temperature is hot outside). My son and I were easily able to adjust it to fit both our heads in a matter of seconds.

The headlamp came in handy during the early morning fishing hours when the sun wasn’t fully up. We were able to see, and avoid, all the spider webs in our path. The range on the headlamp is incredible! I was able to see at least 250-300 feet in front of us, and the span of the light ranges from about 100 feet or more to about the size of a basketball. You can easily adjust the light span by a small dial on the front of the headlamp.

The on/off, and intensity switch, is also easily accessible right on the top of lamp, and fairly easy to depress, although my nine year old son said he had to push down really hard to use the button.

At night, I was able to switch on the headlamp quickly and explore the area for glowing eyes, after hearing sticks breaking and other eerie nighttime noises. I found the headlamp to be very useful for other mundane things too, like just needing a flashlight for a second. It’s light, small, convenient to pocket, and it definitely packs a punch when it comes to illuminating your surroundings.

Overall, this headlamp has made its permanent home with our camping gear, and we plan to use it on every camping trip in the future!

We've been camping at Coon Creek, on a beautiful Lake Shelbyville, for a few years now, the place is perfect for family vacations. And that's exactly what we do. Gather 10-12 of us, reserve a buddy site, so we can all be on one campsite (big enough to fit 5 tents and an RV). If you have a small group and want to get a small site, there are plenty of those. Some even with lake views. The campground is really big, with tons of different sites. Some are closer to each other, but still very private. Nestled in trees. Equipped in fire pits, and lantern posts. Gravel surfaces, with grass around. The site we always get, is situated along the camp road, but once we are set up, it becomes very private. there is no one in a close proximity, just the road traffic. Which is not bad at all. Good overflow parking, perfectly hidden in the trees. Showers and toilets are in great condition, and usually very clean. Well maintained campground. Illinois is pretty boring, and I know this web site is for more remote camping, but all facts considered, if you're looking for a camping getaway, in Chicago area, only about 4 hours drive (south on I-57) - this is a perfect place for you. Lithia Springs Marina offers boat rentals, we usually get a 12 person pontoon boat for few days, to cruise the 26 mile long lake, or chill in one of many, many beautiful coves. Coon Creek is not too far from town of Shelbyville, where you can stock up on camping food, and beverages. Also few quick-bite restaurants in town. There might be some hiking and biking trails, visit the website for more information. You can book on reserveamerica.com.