We stopped for a night on our way through. Had a nice quiet spot right on the river. With the locks closed this year, the traffic on the river was way down. It would have been fun to watch the boats but oh well. Easy in and out right off the interstate. Not busy at all mid week.
Alittle bit on the pricey side to pitch a tent but did the trick. Has showers and flushable toilets. Easy off the highway and located near a tiny center of town with a few bars and stores.
The lot we reserved was very small and weedy. There was standing water and mud everywhere and the bugs were TERRIBLE. We ended up leaving before we even tried to set up because we would’ve had to put our tents up on the gravel driveway. Would not recommend!
I was able to get here right before the state closed the parks. It was empty but the dog and I we doing some hiking at Starved Rock so I figured why not. Sites were nice…nothing special. We got an electric site so I was able to use my teardrop which made it nice. Picnic table…fire ring…vault toilet…I don’t need much more than that. It does have some nice hiking along the river and wasn’t busy which is a huge bonus compared to other locations that are near. I would highly recommend this campground for those looking to avoid the crowds.
Spent a couple nights here (site 3) for Vintage Illinois at a nearby park. Quiet, fairly level, gravel sites. Electric worn but fully functional. Lots of trees and shade. From map it looked like site 3 was isolated at end of loop - weeellll, it IS at the end of a loop - right across from camp host and adjacent to maintenance area for lock & dam - not very picturesque. Didn’t use bathhouse so can’t comment on that. Drink vending machines by bathhouse. Local guy across from entrance to park sells firewood. Site had fire ring and picnic table. One thing to note - trees drop some kinda “nuts” and when you drive over them they pop and it sounds just like you are dragging low hanging branches. I started to backing and swore I was hitting branches (even though I’d looked and knew it was clear) and DW said we were clear….
Went tent camping here and reserved our spot in advance. We bought fire wood from a locals front lawn at the entrance to the state park. Put 5$ in the bin and take a bundle. Its 30 mins away from Starved Rock and Matthiesson State Park. Good hiking. The river spots are all booked by large RVs and the tent spots have grills over the fire pits and picnic tables. lots of tree cover which came in handy when it rained in the morning. Otherwise great weather and not buggy. Dogs allowed.
We tried to stay in site 14 that had 30 amp service. Our TT is 30amp. Our A/C unit kept tripping the breaker on the campground pole. Our breaker inside never tripped. They had someone come out and claimed their electric was fine and our A/C was broken. Went home bc it was 95 out and our A/C ran fine off a 20amp household outlet with no issues. Reported this so it could be fixed and the office still argued that their service was fine.
Nice peaceful campground with decent camp sites, friendly people and fun small towns close with cool bars right on the Illini river. I have a bench I sit on by the river and I drank old style and think about my grandpa.
Located right on the river. There are many tent sites available and at a great price. The bathrooms located near the electrical sites have showers and running water. The bathrooms that are in the tent site only area are more like port-o-potty style. So in the heat of summer there are a lot of flies and you should have something to wash your hands ie no running water. I’d stay there again and the hosts were very sweet.
The campsites are small but secluded. The park is right along the river so it’s great for launching your boat or kayaking. No hiking. Sites are almost always available and decent prices, but not a whole lot to do.