Great Falls Campground — Illini State Park

Welcome to Illini SP and hopefully before you read this review, you will have learned that there is not 1, but 2 campgrounds to choose from, so pay attention if you want to select the right one for your camping outdoor nature blissful experience. Regardless of either campground that you might chose, the area that you find yourself in is quite special, from both an historical perspective as it was in this Illinois Valley that the French traded with Native Americans, chiefly (pun intended) in these parts that means the Illiniwek or Illini for short. Hence, no matter where you might stray, you’ll come across a litany of either indigenous Native American or French named towns, such as the small town of Marseilles, which is just across the river from Illini SP, and because you are in Illinois and not France, you must purposefully mispronounce (those 2 ll's are hard, like the L in Lumber, versus the Latin version, which would have you pronouncing those 2 ll's like a Y). 

And while you could make an argument for staying at either one of these two campgrounds here at Illini SP – that would be a choice of either Whitetail to the west or Grand Falls to the east – the short and the quick of it all would be this: 

If you are tent camping, choose Whitetail (west). 

If you have an RV or 5th Wheel, choose Grand Falls (east). 

Don’t have time to read anything further? Then take it from me, if you follow my sage advice, you won’t be disappointed. But hey, if you’ve got time and want to read some of the finer points of these 2 campgrounds, then read on. 

Let’s get down to brass tacks. The major differences between these 2 campgrounds? There’s essentially 3 noteworthy points that you should give consideration to. 

First, let’s highlight the view. While both campgrounds offer close proximity to the Illinois River, you will be challenged to actually see the river from Whitetail, unless you head far west on Hawk Road where there is a separate picnic area complete with an in-ground fire pit, stand-up BBQ grills, picnic tables, designated fishing areas and bathroom facilities that have sweeping views of the mighty Illinois River. Over at Grand Falls, you’ll have magestic riverfront views of the same river, but you can do so from the comforts of your actual campsite (unlike over at Whitetail), providing you are lucky enough to book any of the sites numbered 003– 018. 

Second, let’s talk about amenities. Grand Falls has more sites with full hook-ups, so if you are in an RV or 5th Wheel, me thinks that having all of the usual amenities like water, electric and sewage might be important. If you are a tent-pitching member of my tribe, we actually prefer‘ less is more’ and are less reliant upon such amenities, making Whitetail the better choice for tent campers. 

Third, let’s consider the ambiance. While both offer up their own amenities and access to some pretty great hiking trails, Grand Falls is clearly the busier and much larger of the two campgrounds, where I would also add, apart from a smaller loop, the vast majority of camping areas here are wide open offerings with not so much privacy. You’ll experience much richer areas of privacy, solitude and much less noise along with a healthier dose of P&Q over at Whitetail. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If ‘getting dirty’ is on the menu, then head on over to The Cliffs Insane Terrain Off-Road Park, which is pure fun for both kids and adults alike, but be sure to wear that helmet as it does get bumpy!; (2) At $10 per night for type ‘C’ primitive camping and $20 per night for the deluxe well-paved and connected accommodations, either campground here at Illini SP are some of the most inexpensive campgrounds you’ll come across here in the Prairie State; (3) When you grow weary of trying to conjure up that next meal from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler or on-board mini-fridge, fret not, there’s some really decent restaurants around this area of which I highly recommend the following: Snug Harbor Marina or Bobaluk’s Beef & Pizza; Further afield, of which you’ll have to trust me, is completely worth the drive: I highly recommend Lone Buffalo for its fish & chips followed by any one of their local micro-brews, which in particular, I prefer the lager; (4) Should you come towing canoe or kayak, you’ll definitely want to take a spin in the Illinois River, wherein I HIGHLY recommend heading westward towards Buffalo Rock SP and, if you have time, even further west the ever amazing, Starved Rock SP. 

Happy Camping!

This was a walk up quick overnight for me. Plenty of sites available and self registering was easy(cash or check only). Tent loop was surprisingly dark at night for how close to town you are. There is a train somewhere in the area that I heard few times. Interior of the loop had more level sites with less privacy where as external were a various degree of slope but more private. The shower was hot and clean. For the price it's a solid experience, though plan on a car & tent wash after lots of tree sap.

Although we camped in Illinois record rainfall, we still had a blast. Plenty of trees to hammock, clean bathrooms, and a great river view.

Nice level electric only site. Had to run into town to get ice and wood. The nearby town of Marseilles is very quaint.

I had a blast of a time. I loved the shower house and also there was a lot for my kids to do

Nice enough place but we were deceived because all the websites say water and sewer hookups and there are none at any of the sites. They have a dump station and water near it that you can fill your tank with. Bathrooms were dirty and only one ladies toilet worked. We planned on staying 3 nights but we left after one.

Stopped into Illini State Park on a Saturday night and was pleased to see plenty of spots open to roll into. Primitive tent sites were plentiful in the woods, and some RV sites along the water were open as well. It wasn’t the best park in the world, but for $10, it was a fine place to stop.

This first come, first serve campground was exactly what we needed after exploring starved rock. Simply drive in, select a site, and use the silent box for payment.

Electric campsites are along the river and primitive sites are well spaced in a wooded area. Campground was mostly quiet but there is barge traffic we heard twice through the night.

Campground was overall clean, didnt use the bath houses because they were locked, we had a great fire pit but some of them are a little tired. Nice playground for the kiddos. Would definately come back.

I have stopped here several times on our trips along I80. You can camp right on the river and watch the boats entering the lock.

This park can accept all size rigs but the largest are limited to just a few sites. There is a train on the other side of the river but it doesn't run at night.

This gets 5 stars if I am camping alongside the river. Normally, I look for seclusion, but in this case, I enjoy watching the river flow by. The river barges navigate the river day and night, so you do get engine noises and spotlights at night as they keep track of their location along the shore. Across the river you have city lights reflecting in the water.

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.

This lesser known state park right on the banks of the river is a nice alternative to Starved rock state park.

The main campground has modern toilets and showers and a beautiful view of the river and the lock and dam.

I you want a spot by the river make sure you reserve

I visited this park on an impromptu trip with a friend, abd while the views of the Illinois River (including a tug boat going by just feet from the bank in the early AM hours!) we're spectacular, the camping was not great. The sites don't offer great scenery, and you can hear the constant electrical hum of the nearby lock and dam. It is not a peaceful spot for camping at all.

The pavilions, however, were very nice, and I strongly recommend it for picnics or family events.

Pretty decent park and camping area. Would stay here again!

This place has a boat dock and lots of good fishing! Lots of wildlife too. We met a super cute raccoon. Really nice big place to tent. We had a great time will come back.

This place is pretty much the overflow camping lot if starving rock is full it is a wonderful place, and most of the sites are nicely shaded by large trees. This place had little traffic going through the camp grounds, so it was perfect to let the kids run wild.