The Dyrt can help you find the perfect horse camping site near Bonnie. It's easy to find Bonnie equestrian campgrounds with the Dyrt. These scenic and easy-to-reach Bonnie campsites are perfect for equestrian campers.
Congratulations! You've just discovered Rend Lake, the perfect place to enjoy a wide variety of activities, events, and nature at its best. Even a short visit to Rend Lake will impress you with the versatility of this magnificent area. Rend Lake is made up of 20,633 acres of water and 19,523 acres of land. Wildlife in the area includes deer, turkey, fox, raccoon, opossum, waterfowl, and others as seasons change throughout the year. Whether you're looking for high adventure, a peaceful retreat, or something in between, you'll find it here in the heart of Southern Illinois.
Take a leisurely morning stroll, ski or sail lake waters, spend the afternoon viewing inspiring art exhibits and end your day by the warm glow of a campfire under starry night skies. The fields, forests and waters of Rend Lake provide a natural haven for wildlife and an outdoor wonderland for you. Boat, hike, fish, hunt, swim, and explore at your leisure. If you prefer a little less nature, visit one of the resorts around the lake and delight in superb lodging and dining. Just minutes away you'll find golf, trap and skeet, arts, antiques, museums, wineries, and more.
Gun Creek sits along the Eastern banks of Rend Lake in the heart of Southern Illinois.
Rend Lake Golf Complex, which includes a 27-hole golf course, restuarant, and lodge.
$30 / night
Congratulations! You've just discovered Rend Lake, the perfect place to enjoy a wide variety of activities, events, and nature at its best. Even a short visit to Rend Lake will impress you with the versatility of this magnificent area. Rend Lake is made up of 20,633 acres of water and 19,523 acres of land. Wildlife in the area includes deer, turkey, fox, raccoon, opossum, waterfowl, and others as seasons change througout the year. Whether you're looking for high adventure, a peaceful retreat, or something in between, you'll find it here in the heart of Southern illinois.
Take a leisurely morning stroll, ski or sail lake waters, spend the afternoon viewing inspiring art exhibits and end your day by the warm glow of a campfire under starry night skies. The fields, forests and waters of Rend Lake provide a natural haven for wildlife and an outdoor wonderland for you. Boat, hike, fish, hunt, swim, and explore at your leisure. If you prefer a little less nature, visit one of the resorts around the lake and delight in superb lodging and dining. Just minutes away you'll find golf, trap and skeet, arts, antiques, museums, wineries, and more.
South Sandusky Campground is situated around Sandusky cove on Rend Lake in the heart of Southern Illinois. With nicely spaced campsites and plenty of activities easily accessible from the campground, South Sandusky is an excellent destination for camping at Rend Lake. Wildlife in the area includes white tailed deer, wild turkey, fox, raccoon, opossum, waterfowl, and others as seasons change throughout the year.
South Sandusky Beach Rend Lake Visitors Center Rend Lake Project Office
$18 / night
Congratulations! Youve just discovered the perfect place to enjoy a wide variety of activities, events and nature at its best. Even a short visit to Rend Lake will impress you with the versatility of this magnificent area. Whether youre looking for high adventure, a peaceful retreat, or something in between, youll find it here.
South Sandusky Day Use Area sits along the banks of Rend Lake in the heart of Southern Illinois. The South Sandusky Day Use Area offers the most accessible public swimming beach on the lake. The sandy beach is spacious enough to accommodate a large amount of people and provides visitors with convenient access to the refreshing waters of Rend Lake. Rend Lake is made up of 18,900 acres of water and 20,000 acres of land.
Wildlife in the area includes white tailed deer, wild turkey, fox, raccoon, opossum, waterfowl, and others as seasons change throughout the year.
Take a leisurely morning stroll, ski or sail lake waters, spend the afternoon viewing inspiring art exhibits and end your day by the warm glow of a campfire under starry night skies. The fields, forests and waters of Rend Lake provide a natural haven for wildlife and an outdoor wonderland for you. Boat, hike, fish, hunt, swim, and explore at your leisure. If you prefer a little less nature, visit one of the resorts around the lake and delight in superb lodging and dining. Just minutes away youll find golf, trap and skeet, arts, antiques, museums, wineries, and more.
South Sandusky Day Use Area features two large picnic shelters with tables, grills, and drinking water. The shelters can accommodate up to 50 guests each, and the area has a boat ramp, playground, marina, and dock all within walking distance.
Dam West Spillway is situated on the southern shore of Carlyle Lake, a prime getaway for city-dwellers and families. Located 50 miles east of St. Louis, the area offers the peaceful retreat of a small town combined with the grandeur of Illinois' largest man-made lake.
Dam West Spillway provides fun both on the water and on shore. Boat ramps and courtesy docks are located nearby, and the vast lake allows for plenty of water sports. Fishing is a popular pastime, and the lake and Kaskaskia River offer year-round varieties of fish such as bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, white bass, largemouth bass, freshwater drum, carp and walleye. There is plenty of open space for children to play and a multi-use biking and walking trail is located a short distance away at the dam.
Dam West Spillway has one reservable group picnic shelter that can accommodate up to 75 people, as well as an accessible fishing pier and several amenities. It is within walking distance of a marina and boat storage facility and connected to the Dam West Day Use Area and Recreation Area, which offers a campground. The Carlyle Municipal Pool is a short drive away.
Created in 1967, the 26,000-acre lake is recognized as one of the nation's top ten inland sailing lakes and hosts several annual races and regattas. Carlyle Lake is home to an array of wildlife that can be seen throughout the year. Its waters and shores are a resting spot for migratory waterfowl and other birds. There are six established Watchable Wildlife Sites with viewing towers open to the public around the lake.
For facility specific information, please call (618) 594-2484.
The Carlyle Lake Visitor Center, located in the Dam West Recreation Area, has information available and nature exhibits on display, including a 215-gallon aquarium with native fish.
$30 / night
Traveler
What a beautiful campground, it’s our second time here. Some spots do have a fairly good slope to them
Scout
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.
Scout
Campground was quiet and well kept. Foliage was well trimmed. There was a spot from previous campers that needed cleaned up, but that's more of a reflection of the previous campers and less the camp ground, in my opinion, as it was not an overall theme.
Traveler
We stayed here for the eclipse in April. No real issues. Kids had plenty of room to run around, hike and safely ride bikes around the campground. Showers and bathrooms were typical for a state park.
There were heavy storms the night before the eclipse and everyone in tents were completely soaked. The area around our site had really poor drainage. We had noisy neighbors that were up until at least 2 or 3 with zero regards for anyone else trying to sleep.
RangerLove this state park! Clean, quiet, water views and lots of bike paths to ride.
Guide
We stayed at Giant City in February on a very cold weekend. It was still a fantastic trip! The campsites, fire pits and pit toilets were well maintained. The shorter trails in the park were beautiful even in the winter. The Lodge also had excellent food and a very cozy feel. Definitely visit the Lodge!!
Guide
We stayed at the campground on the north end of Pyramid. The campsites were close together but we visited in February so we were the only campers. The fire pits were a little run down but the sites were nice and level with a table. No lantern posts. Pit toilets that were decent. The park office is a pretty long drive from the north end campground. The hiking is limited but the campground was peaceful and close to the lakes. Probably covered in bugs in the summer. Overall pretty nice stay
TravelerOnly reason for not 5 star was it is a little to close to the interstate.
TravelerWe did not have a reservation it was just a quick stop for the night while passing through.
This was a good spot for the night. We didn't get there until after dark and the campgrounds weren't that well marked. We didn't stay in the spot we originally planned because it was getting late and we couldn't find it and I didn't want to keep hitting the other campers with our headlights.
The campground was no where near full and it was very quiet so a very nice nights stay. Only complaint was trying to find the right campsite.
Guide
The stay was pleasant and the lake was very nice but the reservation system and finding a spot was overly complicated for a first timer. Basically people show up and throw a cooler or tent onto a site to claim it and then leave. They have to pay for the spot by 8pm. And people can stay as long as they want as long as they pay for the next day by then. But if they don’t pay they have to leave by 9am the next morning. So you never know when people are actually leaving or a spot was opening up. Every spot was taken when we go in and we heard from the check in lady that someone was leaving so we went and waited watching them pack up to get their spot. We were there for one night and had 5-6 people come to us asking what time we were leaving the next morning. It was crazy. This was also the week before memorial day weekend so that’s probably why. Primitive camping was closed. We were in a truck with a roofnest.
RangerExcellent park but many sights aren’t flat. Not all have water, septic. Clean facilities. Self checkin. Golf onsite, clubhouse with food.
Guide
Had a lake front site with beachfront access. It was flat ground, everyone was so nice and it was so clean and the area was lovely. There were bathrooms with clean toilets locks and showers, laundry access, a marina, massive amounts of fish spots, several playgrounds, drivers were slow and courteous. Trip couldn’t have gone better!
Traveler
We spent 5 nights on Site A5 at Crab Orchard Campground. All sites are FC/FS. Full hookups are in Loop B & it was full. Overall the campground was full but not very many people around. Appears many locals take spots on the weekends & then hold onto them during the week. The 2 nearest to us we saw on Sunday (Easter) and the only 1 more time during the 5 days. Someone in one of the sites by the late (A9, A11 or A13 I think) said they saw snakes but we never saw any and our dogs would have noticed.
Showers and restrooms are nice. Ones in Loop A are no new (Loop Bs are new) but still nice. Lots of hot water.
Lots of trails (within 10-30 minute drive). Fishing was good (especially catfish and crappie). Went into Carbondale a few times. Also went South to Alto Pass but wineries all closed on Tuesday; locals told us they are open more hours during summer.
RangerRV or tent, book online at Recreation.Gov not all spots are level. Electric on most but not all have water. Campfire area and picnic table provided. Bathhouse is clean and park areas are all clean, dump station on site. We will be back and book closer to the lake in a level site.
Legend
This campground(CG) is super easy to find. We arrived at the CG at about 1:45 PM, which was early as this CGs check-in is 5:00 PM. The gate office was open and after a very quick check-in, we proceed to one of the few FHUs(50/30/20 AMP), back in site 135. This site slopes downhill we so moved our rig onto the pad towards the back as far as possible to level. The water pressure was poor so we filled our fresh water tank and used our internal water pump. We got 2 bars on Verizon and T-Mobile and quite a few OTA channels. Satellite is iffy due to the number of mature trees in all CG areas. We’ve been to this CG many times but normally stay in the non-full hookup sites closer to the lake. There are five CG/loops within South Sandusky plus a walk-in tent area. We have stayed mostly in the first loop, Dogwood, as you enter, but the others are nice as well with some sites having water and electricity. The only FHUs are in Dogwood and most will take larger rigs. All campsites are reservable but reserved campsites are not marked on the post when you arrive(see the sign pic we posted). A comp host comes by after you set up and tag your post. There is a lot to do here. There are miles of paved bicycle trails, a marina, fishing, and a 27-hole golf course a couple of miles away.
RangerAnother great COE Park and this one offers some full hook up sites. ATT & Verizon both came in good. Water & electric (30 amp) were convient & functioned perfectly. Not all sites are very level. We got a great water view site, but lacked afternoon shade. A large park with well spaced site. Well worth the money, especially with the geezer pass.
GuideSites are well spaced apart. Bathrooms are pretty disgusting buggy and dirty.
GuideCheap campground that is clean and quiet. The back in site we had overlooked the lake. For the price, you can’t beat the view. If I return to the area, I would stay here again
Guide
I’ve stayed here a couple of time, car camping and tent camping. You have to walk from the parking lot into the basic sites but they are super close. Trying here was nice, and campsites a quiet and well taken care of. My only complain is the trails in this park are not clearly marked and they do not offer maps you can take with you. Other than it’s a great place!
GuideCame here for a weekend getaway, to camp, hike and visit wineries, and was not disappointed. The campground is good, and camp hosts very friendly and helpful. Lots of trees for shade. Narrow roads with tight curves, along with the trees, made for a bit of a challenge. The hiking trails are beautiful, and not too crowded. There are many wineries within a short drive of the camp, which made for a fun afternoon. Really enjoyed our weekend here, and plan to return.
TravelerWe we’’re here 1st week of April. Still rather cool weather but had a great time. There are 3 loops only one of which is reservable & we were at the rear of that loop. Had the whole place to ourselves until the last night. Lots of squirrels for the dogs to chase and lots of wood in & around the campground. Hosts told us they were making more space for specific species of trees so “take all you want” from the area. No need to bring firewood.
Main trail was nice but could be better marked. Lost our way a few times but still a good hike. Definitely want to go back when the restaurant is open (mid-May I believe).
Fishing could’ve been better but again it was early April
Cell service was only 1-2 bars LTE with AT&T but able to stream with hotspot to the SmartTV with only 1 bar so not bad
GuideVery well kept, friendly staff, very convenient from interstate. Limited interstate noise, not all sites have water/sewer, but many water points available throughout camp. They’re indicated on website, we just overlooked the detail.
TravelerWe loved staying here. Pet friendly and beautiful lake views from many of the camp sites. I recommend checking the grade of the camp site because some of the ones next to the lake were at a pretty big angle. Our site was nice and flat so no issues there. We loved it and would definitely stay again.
ScoutClean campground right on the lake.
TravelerWe had a peaceful stay with a view of the water! We took our toddler and infant. It was very safe and had close restrooms and playgrounds. The neighbors were super nice and it appeared there were many long-term campers!
ScoutGreat campground! Second time staying here. Nice blacktop roads, clean restroom/shower. Friendly attended. Great view of the lake on a number of sites.
GuideThis is a very nice campground with very large back in spots in the reserved area. There are restrooms but no trash dumpsters in the camping area. Very well shaded but no real view of the lake.
Horse camping in Illinois offers a unique way to explore the great outdoors while enjoying the companionship of your equine friends. With a variety of well-reviewed campgrounds that cater to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride the trails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Bonnie, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Bonnie, IL is Gun Creek with a 4.7-star rating from 20 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Bonnie, IL?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 equestrian camping locations near Bonnie, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
