2 campgrounds with availability this weekend
Carlyle Lake in Illinois offers a significant concentration of campgrounds operated by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Camping near Carlyle ranges from tent sites and RV hookups to cabin rentals, with top-rated campgrounds including Dam West Campground, Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area, and Coles Creek Recreation Area. These developed sites accommodate tent camping, RVs with hookups, and some locations offer cabin rentals. Most campgrounds provide water and electric hookups, with several offering full-service sites including sewer connections.
Reservations are recommended for weekend stays, particularly during the summer months when waterfront sites fill quickly. "We love camping at all the campgrounds on Carlyle Lake. There are plenty of areas to fish, hike, swim, picnic," noted one visitor about the recreational opportunities. The camping season typically runs from April through October, though some facilities like Illini Campground at Eldon Hazlet remain open year-round. Most sites feature paved or graveled pads suitable for RVs, and shaded locations are common throughout the area's campgrounds. Bathroom facilities vary by location, with Dam West receiving consistent praise for its clean, air-conditioned shower houses.
Waterfront access represents a major attraction at Carlyle Lake campgrounds, with fishing and boating opportunities drawing many visitors. Several campgrounds provide direct lake access, boat ramps, and swimming beaches. The sites are generally spacious with good separation between neighbors. A camper described the experience: "Sites are large! Full hookup sites are booked solid so make sure you go online 6 months out or you are out of luck. The campground is perfect for taking long walks and bike riding." Paved bike paths connect many of the recreation areas, making it possible to explore beyond individual campgrounds. Day use areas with picnic facilities complement the overnight camping options, allowing visitors to enjoy lake activities without necessarily staying overnight.
"This State Park is located outside Carlyle,Illinois. This park offers playground areas and more. Cabins, campsites with power or no power the choice is yours."
"while there are many full service sites available, this campground offers dozens of rustic tent sites right next to Carlyle Lake as well!"
from $15 - $30 / night
"Coles Creek is a nice, large campground located on Carlyle Lake in Illinois. It has full hook up, 50 amp sites with many located right on the water!"
"Coles Creek Campground on Carlyle Lake has 219 sites, most with full hookups, and shade. (There is 30 & 50 a as no service). Internet is spotty. There are also 2 group campsites with cabins."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $20 - $250 / night
"Boulder is a lovely campground tucked away on Carlyle Lake. It has it's own marina where you can rent a slip for your boat. The sites are well spaced and have a beautiful view of the lake and sunsets!"
"Boulder Rec is a quiet, clean, COE camp on Lake Carlyle. Well kept, well tended. Site was relatively level (w/in couple inches) and had fire ring and picnic table. Stayed at Site 35."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $20 - $40 / night
"It is directly on Carlyle Lake, ,the largest lake in Illinois. It has activities for children on the weekends."
"Ranger Review Primus LiTech Trek Kettle at Dam West Campground Campground Review
What a great campground on the shore of Carlyle Lake!"
from $30 / night
"We love Lake Carlyle and Dam West is a great place to camp. CLEAN (and air conditioned) bath houses. The sites are beautiful and well maintained! Great place to bike, hike, and swim at the beach."
"Full hookups, reservable sites, walk up sites, and all sites are large! Full hookup sites are booked solid so make sure you go online 6 months out or you are out of luck."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $20 - $60 / night
"We love camping at all the campgrounds on Carlyle Lake. It’s always a good time. There are plenty of areas to fish, hike, swim, picnic."
"Overall Rating: 4 for cleanliness and location for travels on nearby highway. Spillway is not particularly pretty."
"McNair ACE: Tate 4 for cleanliness and stopover location for travels on nearby highway. Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)"
"Bathroom close by and very clean. Shower house only available at the main campground, which was a distance away and not reasonable to walk with a little one."
Available this weekend
from $20 - $125 / night
"There's miles and miles of walking and biking trails! The sites are pretty generously sized. The host was nice and the price was fantastic! I paid $42 for 4 nights."
"Quiet and plenty of trees and a walking path. A beach to swim at and a dock to fish off. A playground for kids. You can tent camp in a.few places but mai.ly for electric campers and.RV's."
"Fun little trails, boat rentals and a swimming “beach” . On-site store and nicely groomed campgrounds."
TravelerThis is a 100 site campground on Rend Lake in Illinois. Lots of trees. Level paved sites unless you book right by the lake. Some are very steep. Bring lots to level with! We are in site 92. Away from the lake but beautiful sunshine.
GuideGreat place easy on off the hyw sites are old so you may need to block up your RV to level it . Some sites only have electric so be careful when you book it. Heard some road noise from the HYW but the campsite had plenty of room
TravelerCamp Host is very friendly and brought firewood to our site. Bath/shower house was clean. We were in the equestrian campground due to our 73 foot overall length. It was a great stay for visiting family. There are a lot of outdoor activities at the lake area, but no pool.
LegendWe had never stayed at Whittington Woods, but several of our camping friends have stayed here over the years while traveling through the area. At a recent RV open house, we talked with the campground (CG) owners and decided to switch our reservation from another private CG to Whittington Woods to check it out. The owners suggested sites 92 or 97, and we were able to reserve back-in site 92 with FHUs for our two-night stay. Site 92 is one of the better sites, with a large yard and good separation from neighboring sites. The CG was easy to find off I-57—follow your GPS or the signs. Check-in was quick, and we were escorted to our site. Unfortunately, one of the CG’s regular guests had set up in our reserved site 92 instead of site 93. After a brief discussion between our owner/escort and the guest, moving him was clearly not going to be a quick process. We were offered a couple of other available sites and decided to take site 93. Site 93 was a significant downgrade, with only a sliver of yard and very little separation from site 94. The sewer and electrical connections are near the center of the gravel pad, while the electrical breaker is on the opposite side of site 94. The water connection is at the very back, requiring more than 30 feet of hose for our rig. The owners were very nice, probably too nice when dealing with their“regulars,” and made the situation more tolerable by giving us a good discount for site 93. We received two bars on both Verizon and T-Mobile. We normally get good performance from our T-Mobile internet with two bars, but download speed was only 41.2 Mbps. The CG Wi-Fi was better at 69.3 Mbps download. There are a lot of mature trees, so satellite/Starlink reception could be iffy depending on the site. The CG is conveniently located near I-57 and right off IL-37, although there was quite a bit of highway noise that was manageable for us. The property provides plenty of room for walking, especially with a dog, and has a decent-sized dog park. There are quite a few full-timers and regulars, with some keeping their sites well maintained and others not so much. We also saw some of the same latitude given to“regulars” when it came to keeping dogs on a leash and picking up after them. They have 5 pull throughs that are mainly used for overnighters that are handy but close together. We understand why several of our friends regularly stay here for a night or two while traveling to and from Florida. Whittington Woods is conveniently located off I-57 and offers FHUs, making the CG a practical overnight stop. Our home base is only about an hour and a half away, however, and we have better options in the area when we need a final stop to flush tanks before heading home.
TravelerThe campsite is nice plenty of spaces spaced out nicely, but there’s absolutely no signage. took us forever to decide where we could park and what to do. tiny little sign on the Rangers house. Led us to a website and then charged us $50. Not what we were expecting. Plan ahead on this one.
GuideGreat campsite very large easy to get in and additional parking for your truck right next to your trailer
GuideWhat started as a one-night camping trip quickly turned into a three-night stay—I just didn't want to leave! Most of the campsites feature beautiful lake views and are well-shaded by tall trees. Each spot is equipped with an electric hookup, a fire pit, and a picnic table, plus having access to hot showers made the stay super comfortable. To top it off, our cats loved taking walks with us around the campground!
GuideThis was a beautiful place to spend an evening on our cross country trip. We were able to secure site B7 -a nice level and shady spot on a beautiful tree lined lake. The site was dusty but there was a picnic table and electricity. It was 90 degrees in early October so I can imagine the open spots are really hot during the heat of the summer. Signs tell you to check in with camp host before parking but there was no one at their camper. I called the phone number and a helpful gentleman explained that the sites were first come, first served and someone would be around to collect our $20 fee. One large bathhouse for the campground was a good walk away but was spotless. I would have given this campground a 5 rating but after walking around, we realized that most of the sites by the lake were hard packed dirt, small and not level. However there is a new section I that has 10 long back in gravel pads with electric & water. They are away from the water but close to the shower house. Finally, google coordinates directed us to a private residence just short of the marina. Follow directions to the marina and find the road to the campground at the end of the parking lot.
ScoutRend Lake, in Whittington, Il is just a great place to camp. From primitive to full hook ups they have what you need for a Corps of Engineers campground.
Carlyle Lake Recreation Area spans more than 26,000 acres with 83 miles of shoreline near Carlyle, Illinois. The lake itself covers 15 square miles, making it Illinois' largest man-made lake. Camping options around Carlyle Lake typically open in April and operate through October, with a few select campgrounds offering year-round availability for winter camping experiences.
Swimming and beaches: Dam West Campground offers close access to swimming areas with a designated beach for campers. "We stayed in site #24. There are a couple of beach areas you can walk or ride a bike to. The campground is close to a walmart and a Mexican restaurant," notes Jacqueline F.
Fishing opportunities: The spillway at Dam East Recreation Area attracts anglers throughout the season. "Lots of fisherman catching lots of fish in the river just after the spillway. The fish cleaning stations seemed to be occupied every-time we passed them," reports Keri B.
Biking and walking trails: The recreation area features extensive paved trails connecting campgrounds. "There's miles and miles of walking and biking trails! Easy bike ride into the town of Carlyle," shares a camper about their experience at McNair Campground.
Shaded campsites: Boulder Rec. Area features numerous wooded sites that provide relief from summer heat. "Nice and shady. Sites were very level," reports Lisa M., highlighting the comfortable camping environment.
Lake views: Many sites at Dam West Campground provide direct waterfront placement. "We camped right on the lake with a great view. This site and the site next to it are the best sites in the campground with a pull through layout for a great setup for a lake view," explains Cody S.
Clean facilities: McNair Campground receives consistent praise for its well-maintained bathrooms. "Cleanest bathrooms ever and heated and air conditioned. Quiet and plenty of trees and a walking path," notes one camper about the comfort amenities.
Wildlife viewing: The lake area attracts diverse bird populations. "This campground is heavenly and peaceful. Lots of migrant waterfowl. Pelicans, egrets, blue herons…" describes Shawn about their Dam West Campground experience.
Reservation requirements: Popular campgrounds fill quickly, especially for waterfront sites. "Full hookup sites are booked solid so make sure you go online 6 months out or you are out of luck," advises a camper at Coles Creek Recreation Area.
Water quality concerns: Some campsites report issues with water supplies early in the season. "It was extremely dirty with a lot of copper colored solids. I drained the tank and filled with a spicket next to our site and had the same dirty water. Not sure if this was related to it being early in the season," explains Allen S.
Flooding impacts: Access to some camping areas can be restricted during high water periods. "However when the lake is flooded you cannot access this campground," warns Jake L. about Boulder Recreation Area.
Non-reservable options: Some camping areas operate on a first-come, first-served basis. "We tried to book online, all were taken but saw they had a few sites that were first come. Luckily, we got one of the last two," shares Jacqueline F. about Dam West.
Playground access: Illini Campground at Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area offers multiple play areas. "There are three playground areas, a basketball court, sand volleyball and a pool during summer months. Lots of families with kids, bike rides and plenty of other lake and outdoor activities," describes Brooke C.
Halloween events: Eldon Hazlet hosts special seasonal activities for families. "They have a huge Halloween event every year where people decorate their sites (pretty extensively) and there's a haunted house, then kids trick or treat from site to site. The campground also provides pumpkin painting contests," explains Aimee T.
Wildlife encounters: Campsites frequently report deer sightings. "Oh and lots of deer bed down in the grassy areas at night, which was a fun thing to see!" notes Chelsea D. about their experience.
Site selection: Dam West Campground offers varying site qualities throughout the campground. "Sites that overlook the lake are absolutely gorgeous! We didn't land one but had lots of room where we were in site #24," advises Jacqueline F.
Level sites: Boulder Recreation Area provides properly leveled camping pads. "Sites were very level. Nice and shady," notes one RVer about the ease of setup.
Wind considerations: Waterfront sites experience stronger breezes. "Keep in mind that strong winds can sweep across the lake and pick things up if not secured," warns Cody S. about lakefront camping at Dam West.
Electric options: Most campgrounds offer electric hookups with varying capacities. "Site #7 for one night in the spring. Some sites are spacious, others are pretty cramped. The loop that we stayed on was close to the water with views of Carlyle Lake," reports Allen S. about the variability between sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular campground near Carlyle, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Carlyle, IL is Illini Campground — Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area with a 4.2-star rating from 26 reviews.
What parks are near Carlyle, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 12 parks near Carlyle, IL that allow camping, notably Carlyle Lake and Rend Lake.
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