Best Tent Camping near Belknap, IL

Recent Tent Reviews in Belknap

641 Reviews of 17 Belknap Campgrounds

• 

  MickandKarla W.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 30, 2024

  Shawnee Forest Campground

  Built on an Old Golf Course

  We’d seen signs for Shawnee Forest Campground (CG) many times as we headed out and back from our St. Louis home base and wanted to check this CG out. We followed our GPS to the clearly marked CG entrance but our GPS showed we still had about a half mile to go. We checked in at the little office and were given the choice of pull through sites with FHUs 12 or 21. We chose site 21. The gravel roads are slightly narrow with some trees but we did not have any issues getting to site 21. The water and electric(50/30/20 AMP) are at the back of the gravel pad. There are two sewer hookups, which was nice. The water pressure was good around 50 psi. Their WiFi was very good. There are mature trees here and there in the CG, so satellite should not be an issue. We got two bars on Verizon. Each of the bath houses have a washer and dryer. Our site was not level and with all the rain we had, there were water puddles at the steps. There are some nice sites in this CG but we were not offered one of the better ones even though there were plenty of sites open in the upper 26- 50 site area. If we come back, we’ll know where to ask for a site. They have a small lake and two ponds for fishing. There's no formal dog area, but there are paved trails around the large CG area, which made it nice to walk our dogs.

• 

  Kim L.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 27, 2024

  Fern Lake Campground and RV Park

  Pleasant campground on a small lake

  Quiet setting by a pretty lake. Stayed only one night on a road trip. Paducah a nice town, visited the quilt museum. Nice toilets and showers.

• 

  MickandKarla W.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 16, 2024

  Birmingham Point Campground

  Nice Lake Views

  We found this campground using Google Maps looking for different campground (CG) options. As this was the first week of November on a Tuesday, we did not have any trouble getting reservations to include getting site 25 that we’d seen recommended in reviews. When making our reservation, we were told by the owner, Angie, to follow our GPS to the end of the road where you will find the CG. Angie met us and we were escorted to pull through site 25 with water and electric(50/30/20 AMP). This pull through is a large half moon. It was difficult to get straight on the rig but we made it work for an overnighter. We would not recommended trying to anything longer than a 38’ rig into the site due to the turn to get out. We needed levelers on the door side. Once we were set up, we were delighted with this site’s lake view. The water pressure was good at about 50 psi and no issues with the 50 AMP service. We got three bars on Verizon. We could have put out satellite, but did not for this overnight stay. They have a restroom/bath house, but we didn’t use it. This CG is mostly full of seasonals. We noticed that golf carts are the thing here. As we were here during the week, there was very little CG activity. However, we can guess this place is quite festive during the summer months and associated weekends. From what gather from their website and saw, they keep about 10 sites available for short term stays(max 28). Of the 76 sites total, the only pull through was site 25. We had to maneuver to get out of the site with our running over the railroad tie border. We wouldn’t go in there with anything over 38’. The sites here vary a lot on how close they are to each other. The website states the sites are 50 feet long, which is probably correct. We enjoyed the lake view from our site plus we saw deer and eagles in the CG during our overnight stay. The owner Angie, was very nice and accommodating.

• E

  Ethan B.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 2, 2024

  Turkey Bayou Campground

  Great location

  Plenty of space and nicely maintained Porto potty

• 

  Scott G.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 16, 2024

  Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge Devil's Kitchen Group Campground

  Supposed too

  Be free camp sites listings for state parks

• 

  Tabitha R.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  Johnson Creek

  Nice!

  This campground provides large spots, drinking water, vault toliets, dumpsters, picnic table, lantern hook, fire ring, and contactless check in. I also appreciate the value of these sites. It really is a reasonable rate for forest camping.

• 

  Rodarius S.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 9, 2024

  Dispersed Campsite Shawnee National Forest

  Nice spots on the highway

  Love this spot! It's easily accessible by all rig types. Backs up to the open forest and you pull right back onto the highway.

• 

  Greg D.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 4, 2024

  Hilltop Campground

  Decent overnight stop

  Hosts were friendly, but didn’t brief us on information such as where is the trash bin, what is the WiFi password. Restroom was old but relatively clean. There’s only one valve in the showers so all you get is lukewarm water. Not good on a cool or cold day. Some of the long term people have too many dogs, one had 6 little yippers, kind of annoying. And I’m not against dogs

• P

  Patricia S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 11, 2024

  General Watkins Conservation Area

  Maybe not a travel destination, but certainly a good waypoint.

  We opted for this site on our way west as a stopover because it was free and not a parking lot. There are a couple of loop trails and we walked one of them. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon. The locals use the area for fishing and walking and it was somewhat busy in the afternoon. A couple of guys fished at night until about nine. There was only one other couple camping. Very quiet and peaceful. There was a portable toilet but we didn't investigate.

  The cool thing was that the loop trail was forested by hundreds of paw paw trees. It must have been just past the season and we saw only a couple of decaying ones, but the entire trail smelled of apple cider vinegar and was quite pleasant.

  If you consider this waypoint, two things:

  1. The last mile is good, but very dusty, gravel road.

  2. No cell coverage in the parking lot for T-Mobile, some coverage on loop trail.

• 

  Jonathan H.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 18, 2024

  Dutchman Lake Camp

  Weeke d at the lake

  Great little spot right off the interstate. Lots of nice scenery and decent fishing.

• 

  Cecilia

  Scout

  

  Aug. 15, 2024

  Pine Hills

  Very nice

  Very quiet and secluded. Campsites are roomy and some firewood is supplied.

• J

  John R.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 11, 2024

  Trail of Tears State Park Campground

  Train Lovers.

  Large park with not many large RV sites. Lots of tent and dispersed camping. Disappointing store. Equestrian area. Beach and boat launch.

• L

  Lisa M.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 7, 2024

  Twin Lakes Campground

  Planning to camp there

  This will be the next campground to go

• 

  Twan M.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 24, 2024

  Oak Point - Lake Glendale

  Stellar Illinois

  This is a little gem of a refuge within the Shawnee NF - about 30min from Marion, down a beautiful country road before nestling among the trees around the lake. The drive is paved/gravel the whole way, so very easily drivable for anyone in anything. Plenty of camp sites, both with electric and non-electric, double and single. Bring bug spray - horseflies and ticks. Beautiful lake, beautiful biking trails, etc. Firepits w/ grates are spacious and nice, fees are online. 1 bar verizon at camp, can get up to 3 bars within the area.

• 

  Jordan A.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Turkey Bayou Campground

  Empty

  Nobody here. Bring a fishing pole. No services except a porta potty.

• 

  Scott B.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Hilltop Campground

  Nice stop

  Stopped here for the night driving through the area. Nice campground, clean, safe, and right off the interstate.

• 

  Kevin C.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 14, 2024

  Bean Ridge Pond Campground

  Nice private locationl

  There are only two camp site at this location and they are very close to each other. The camp sites are also very narrow. We camped in the lower site and had a difficult time getting everything out of the road.

  On the positive side, the site was clean, there was nobody there over the weekend and there was a humming bird. The pond had lots of frogs and and a few fish.

• E

  Eric W.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 16, 2024

  Shawnee Forest Campground

  Great place to camp!

  We stayed 4 days and had a great time. The camp was clean and well maintained. The staff are very friendly and helpful and was more than happy to offer places to visit in the area, places to eat and provide assistance as needed. The trails are paved so we had a nice area to walk (twice around the lake from our site was 3 miles). :) We plan to visit again!

• 

  Matthew Z.

  Traveler

  

  May. 30, 2024

  Dutchman Lake Camp

  Road trip break

  Beautiful spot with easy access and not far off the highway

• 

  Wil V.

  Scout

  

  May. 30, 2024

  Benton KOA

  Loud

  1 side is directly on the freeway VERY loud, the other is in between the sewer treatment plant and municipal airport. If you're a light sleeper might want to stay away Full video review on YouTube https://youtu.be/QpuNpA7UVZI

• 

  Brian F.

  Scout

  

  May. 15, 2024

  Shawnee Forest Campground

  Great and clean!

  Great little stop, everything is clean and a fresh shower was refreshing.

• J

  James N.

  Traveler

  

  May. 13, 2024

  South Marcum Campground

  Great Campground

  Only $26 a night for full-hookups is amazing. Cell service for AT&T is marginal at 2 bars LTE. Only issue that I have is that site 49 is very hard to get level in, make sure that you bring extra leveling blocks if possible

• 

  Siegfried M.

  Guide

  

  May. 12, 2024

  Cave-in-Rock State Park

  Awesome Campground

  Was the only one there $ 20 with Electricity, what a Deal Steve is a great Host Also had free Music….. Cicadas

• 

  Lucy P.

  Ranger

  

  May. 9, 2024

  Crab Orchard Lake Campground

  Probably nice in a big rig, sucks otherwise

  This campground was essentially an RV park. Only big rigs, some sites well spaced physically but no privacy in between so feels like everyone staring at each other. Some of the waterfront sites okay privacy-wise, but not most. Hookups work well, but bathrooms in terrible condition - especially showers.

  The whole place also smells like dead fish. We saw a raccoon go right through our campsite so be careful what you leave out, also tons of geese and saw two baby copperheads.

  The lake is at least really pretty and there’s a small beach area.

• 

  Dante V.

  Guide

  

  May. 9, 2024

  Oak Point - Lake Glendale

  Solar Eclipse Crossroads

  We camped here during the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse and it was also the overflow site which at that time was the side of the camp entrance road. Fast forward to April 7,8 & 9 2024 We are again on overflow campground where this time was their group camping site which was much better than the side of the road. The overflow site has 4 unisex bathrooms but no showers (showers are at the main campground) there is dining (open) pavilion with a fireplace and a filtered well water system. We had a blast watching the Total Solar Eclipse.

• 

  Jon H.

  Scout

  

  May. 6, 2024

  Oak Point Campground

  Nice national park campground

  Location is everything and this is well in the middle of a great area in Shawnee National Forest. Garden of the gods, Bell Smith springs, Ferne State park, and on and on. You can spend a week here and not see everything.
  There are primitive and electric (with water) sites. There are no sites with sewer hookup. There is a dump station at the entrance.

  Sites are generally level and well kept. Very large rigs (35+) will be challenging, but I've seen them - more towards the front. There are some lake front spots that can be had. Sites are first come and there are no reservations taken. During the week, no problem. Weekends would be iffy.

  Large lake with swimming, fishing, kayaking. Also has a bike trail around it - maybe 2 miles.

  Shower houses are kept clean, but as of this posting, they need some maintenance work.

  All in all, this is a must stop if you want to enjoy what the area has to offer.

• 

  Steve G.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 24, 2024

  Crab Orchard Lake Campground

  Excellent Lakeside Campgrouind

  Getting there: Easy access off Illinois 13 East of Carbondale 

  Check in and staff: Campground is now under the egis of recreation.gov& reservations through them are a must. This is new& when planning the trip the website said“first come first serve” so we arrived on a Friday evening(4pm) with no reservation. The sign said RV sites all taken. The host was wonderful! He has been here 9 years and steered us to a nice site for the one night we will be here. The online experience with recreation.gov was not pleasant, impossible in fact. So I had to call. This took quite awhile. Once I got a real live person it was great, and we got our site with no problems. 

  Amenities: Bathrooms: clean, paper towels& air dryers. 

  Site: A-35. In the middle of the A loop and therefore not on the water. Still, very nice. After all, beggars can’t be choosers! Sites are somewhat spacious, but not terribly private.