Best Equestrian Camping near Chillicothe, IL

This small campground has separate space for equestrian campers and those without horses. There are picnic tables, vault toilets and water. The campsites are all on grassy areas with trees at the edges. This gives you some shade depending on the time of day. The grassy sites were a bit unexpected. We saw tire marks showing that people drove into the grass to set up camp. Some of the sites were completely separate from anyone else by the camp road. You were entirely visible to anyone else in the park but it was empty during our stay. 

The Hennepin Canal Trail goes right through camp. On a previous visit I rode my bike along the crushed gravel trail. With a few connecting roads, I traveled from a Chicago suburb to the Mississippi River. While I didn’t see any horses then we did see a couple riding on the trail today. 

This is a good spot for an overnight rest but there isn’t much more to the amenities than the campsites.

I will give the staff credit, the park is well maintained and looks very clean. Having said that, this park is right next to the Hennepin Canal, which is full of stagnant water, a breeding ground for millions of mosquitos.

Honestly, it was difficult to even understand how camping worked at this park. If you are not a local you wouldn't know where the campground is... well, the camps are set on the trails that run parallel to the canal. That is the only thing I could figure out from the message board and some hiking. The entire time I did not see one tent or person camping.

On the positive side, if you want to ride your horse the trails running along the canal are equestrian trails and allow horses to camp with you. The other positive is there is a cool walking bridge over the canal. These positives are not enough to overcome the fact that you are a juicy meal for the un-numbered mosquitos that live and breed in the canal.

Excellent horse trails. Went with a group of around 8 people and it was beautiful! Well maintained.

This is the campground for horses and their riders. Tie up posts are in each campsite along with picnic tables. The campground is one loop so the inner ring of sites are almost like a group site setup. The outer ring sites are more private and up against the woods. A set of vault toilets is commonly located. Along with garbage cans there are multiple spots to pile manure. There were a couple sites occupied the first night but it emptied out on Saturday. 

Most trails in this natural area are accessible to horses. Trails head out from camp. The longest being almost 15 miles. Hiking and hunting also happen here so keep an eye open on the trails. If you have an energetic horse that you want to work hard, head into the yellow loop. The ranger said it tires everyone because it’s steep hills of sand. 

Across the road is a spot for day use riders to park their trailers. There were a bunch parked when we passed it. 

This is a hidden gem and worth giving a chance.

Got kicked out cause I didn't have a horse. Even though it was completely empty. Gave me my $8 back though.

For those that bring their noble steed to this campground, you’ll have it basically all to yourself. I have to admit, I was incredibly bummed to arrive here only to discover that this campground was reserved exclusively for those packing their four-legged, mane-baring, buggy-pulling horse friends, but hey, there were some pretty outstanding trails to hike during the day and the friendly on-site ranger made a call over to nearby Starved Rock SP to secure me a camping spot over there, so not all was lost. 

If you do plan on camping here alongside your horses, you will want to note that there is no reservation system and that all sites are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. There’s a registration envelope that you’ll pick up when you arrive at Matthiessen SP, where you’ll simply need to fill this out with your name, # of days that you are planning to stay and then deposit the envelope in the drop-off kiosk along with the nightly fee and you’re all good. 

With nearly 2,000 acres, there’s a lot to explore here at Matthiessen SP, located just south of Utica by a few miles and due east of Oglesby by 3 miles. Whether you are camping or not, from the many valleys you will surprisingly encounter (Illinois is an incredibly flat state, for those that may not know) and the small trickling waterfalls you will stumble across to the non-stop trails, canyons, bridges, stairways, dams and dells that you will come across in this place, there is a really good cross-section of prairie land that meets densely-packed forests. What makes this area particularly unique is the unusual rock formations that you will discover all over the place, and nearby Starved Rock SP is no exception, where you’ll encounter exposed lime and sandstone. With water seepage and rain occurring naturally and in overabundance here, the residual impact of the water that dries on the sandstone adds to the verdant colors that you will find decorating the canyon walls. 

Occasionally, if you are especially quiet, you’ll come across no shortage of white-tailed deer or wild turkeys foraging through the crabapple and plum trees that are scattered throughout the forest here. Cottontail rabbits are scurrying around trying to stay hidden from the several bald eagles that conquer the skies and who beat out the vastly over-populated flocks of red-tailed hawks that usually beat them to their lunch. You’ll be able to catch a glimpse of most of these unadulterated natural experiences along most of the 5 miles of trails that can be found here at Matthiessen SP, where believe it or not, the easier of the hiking trails are located in the upper bluffs and the more difficult trails to manage are those on the interior. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If like me, you stumbled across this campground and forgot to bring your horse (er, or don't have one to begin with), no worries, there’s a ton of outdoor camping outposts near here, top of which I would highly recommend Starved Rock SP, actually located just kitty-cornered from Matthiessen SP, or Kishauwau County Cabins, which is but a 10 minute drive from here; (2) In all of my camping, I have never really worried too much about poison ivy or ticks, until I came here – you definitely want to not only look out for the 3-leafed poison ivy that thrives here (note: if the 3-leafed descriptor wasn’t enough, be sure to look for the greenish-white berries), but be sure to bring some suave to apply to any skin that comes into contact with this nefarious plant, and if you find that you have a vampire-like tick that has fallen in love with you, a simple match applied close to the bugger will usually do the trick; (3) When you get tired of foraging for your next meal from the depths of your Cordova cooler, then head on over to The Lodge at Starved Rock SP where they serve up some pretty traditional continental American food of which I highly recommend the fried Walleye, smoked duck or the pan-fried pork chop; (4) When you’re looking for a great place to drop your kayak or canoe into, then head no further than the lower portion of Starved Rock SP where there is a boat and kayak launch into the turbulent currents of the Illinois River; and (5) After a good several days of camping, hiking and kayaking, you’ll definitely be looking for a place to ‘whet your whistle’ of which I would recommend heading over to Utica where you can try out one of the many taps they have on hand at Skoog’s Pub& Grill. 

Happy Camping!

A friend and I were looking for somewhere to spend a weekend backpacking that wasn’t a 4+ hour drive away from central IL. This fits the bill but does leave some to be desired. The terrain is an interesting change from most IL hiking since the trails are incredibly sandy while the forest itself is mostly pine. Watch out for cacti along the trail! My only real complaints are the lack of water sources, and the inconsistencies between the trail map and the actual trail. Each trail is marked very clearly with directional sign posts as often as necessary, however, the first night we were hiking in to find BC1 and according to the map we should have passed it in our hike but never saw any sort of campsite at all. We ended up setting up camp off the trail in an unmarked clearing that worked quite well. The next day we moved on to look for site BC7. After hiking much farther than the map indicated, we finally stumbled on BC7. It turned out to be a pretty picturesque little clearing among the pines with an actual fire slab and a signpost marking the entrance trail. Overall it was a good trip, just don’t be fooled by how close things look on the map! Also, the bugs (of all kinds including ticks and mosquitoes) are pretty terrible and I would recommend going either in the early spring or late fall. Not June.

The forest grounds also have an equestrian campgrounds and the trails would be perfect for riding.

Located literally just a few stone’s throw due west of the tiny town of Wyanet, which is just a few miles west of better-known Princeton, you will access this little spec of undisturbed primitive camping bliss first via the major Highway 80, running east-west, and then, eventually via Route 6, which is more like a well-paved country backroad than anything else. While you will be hard pressed to find Hennepin Canal Lock 21 on your GPS, trust me, if you simply head west out of Wyanet, you will eventually find this jewel in the middle of nature.

If you didn’t already know, the Hennepin Canal, and its series of locks & dams will eventually connect you with two of the most amazing rivers in the entirety of the US: the mighty Mississippi as well as the murky depths of the Illinois River – both of which are great for kayaking BTW. Should you choose to follow the canal in its entirety, you will be ushered through the minuscule townships of Mineral, Sheffield, Wyanet, Tiskilwa and Bureau – all of which are fairly emblematic of small Midwestern blue-collared towns that still to this day possess an equal amount of charm and hospitality, which the area is very well known for.

Given that you can’t actually make a reservation here (or at any of the campgrounds along the Hennepin Canal for that matter) as this spot and the 5 others that make up the Hennepin Canal Lock camping options are only offered on a first-come, first-served basis, one thing is for certain: if you planned to truly ‘get away from it all’ you really can ‘have your cake and eat here too’ at Hennepin Canal Lock 21. While there is no actual check-in or check-out time, occasionally there is a park ranger that will come by to check on the location and collect those $8 nightly fares, although we never came across a ranger during our entire canal-navigating weeklong journey. You should also note that all of the campgrounds up and down the canal are class C camping, meaning that these primitive camping sites do not have showers or electricity, so either bring your own or, better yet, learn to live without these conveniences for a few days and actually embrace the opportunity to connect with nature.

As you arrive, ultimately via Route 6 & Route 34, you will need to hang a left (coming westbound from Wyanet), where after just a short jig heading due south, you will find the first of 5 camping areas on either side of the main road you are driving down. On the right, in addition to the camping area, you will discover the first of 3 restrooms and just slightly beyond that, the boat launch. If instead of turning right to follow this first encampment, you head left, following the Hennepin Canal, you will see a small camping area on your immediate left, followed by a water spigot, after which you will come across another much larger camping area that has the second restroom facility. Opposite of these 2 camping areas on the other side of the road, there are 2 small camping areas that run right along the canal. If you go back to to the main road, from which you just came, and continued south across the little land bridge and hang another left, you will go around a small pond that will eventually present the third and final restroom facility as you go up a slight incline, where on your immediate right will be the sixth and final camping area that has been reserved for equestrian campers, of which there’s about 4-5 individual sites complete with a wooden hitching post to tie your horses down.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Of all the camping options up and down the Hennepin Canal, while Canal Lock 21 is likely the largest and has more campsite offerings, it is still very basic and primitive, apart from the restroom, boat launch, picnic tables and fire rings that you will find. If that bothers you or you are simply looking for a spot with more space to explore, then likely the Hennepin Canal camping options aren’t for you, and instead, you may want to look just a bit further afield to another amazing place called Johnson-Sauk SP; (2) Should you grow weary of fixing ‘franks & beans’ again for dinner over your roaring fire, while there isn’t much out in these parts, if you are looking for some local fare, over in nearby Wyanet, you’ll find an abundance of just 3 options: Casey’s for well-made, fresh pizza; Harley-K’s Filipino Restaurant, which might actually just shock you!; or Ecky’s Tap, which is fairly darn amazing actually, but only serves up booze. For anything else, head on into Princeton, where there’s tons of options; (3) There is no potable drinking water anywhere at any of these locks up and down the Hennepin Canal apart from at the Visitors Center, so ensure you bring your own water or a filtration system; (4) Should you have your own kayak or canoe, the Hennepin Canal is very nice to explore, although at times difficult to navigate, especially when you come to each of the sets of locks and dams. If that is bothersome and you simply want to get some oaring in without having to take your watercraft in and out of the water every 30 minutes or so, then head on over to Goose Lake just southwest of Hennepin, which is a fantastic lake to explore and has some decent fishing as well; and (5) If you are on the look-out for simply amazingly fresh meats to ‘slap on the Barby’ then head on over to Wyanet Meat Locker, which has fresh venison, pheasant and of course, all of the typical Midwestern carnivore fare like brats, Ribeyes, burgers and pork chops, which all would be DELISH on that flip-open BBQ grill you have back at Canal Lock 21.

Happy Camping!

My favorite thing about Jubilee is how quiet it is. The abundant forest, trails and the creek going through the park make this an ideal place to visit during spring and fall. Summer is ok too but may get a bit hot in Central Illinois for my taste. The campsites and campground are very nice. Electric only with water available and a dump station. Great local piece of nature and peace to disconnect and reset.

As my post from a bit more than a year ago provided quite a bit of detail on this campground, I’m following up on that review by sharing more fotos as well as providing a topline update:

Highlights: (1) Great hiking abounds in this particular Illinois SP where there exists a combination of EZ, intermediate and difficult hiking and riding paths; (2) There’s great kayaking in nearby Illinois River, which you can access at multiple points, but my favorite is to shove off either at Starved Rock SP boat launch or head south of that SP by about 3 miles to one of the several launches that exist on the southern shore; (3) Supreme amount of peace & quiet here at this CG for you and your steed with simply amazing great galloping trails as well as numerous places to tie up your four-hoofed friend; (4) Sites are spacious and nicely shaded; (5) The facilities are basic-to-bad, so lower your expectations and bring your own sanitary wipes; (6) Ample space to wander around and get lost in nature

Lowlights:(1) This CG is EZ to miss if you don’t look for it – DON’T drive all the way into Matthiessen SP either on its west or east sides – this CG has its own discreet entry with parking near the road on the east side; (2) The grounds themselves could benefit from some TLC as there’s a lot of downed branches and even trash scattered around the place (that we cleaned up before leaving); (3) Depending upon how you look at it, this CG had no one there on the 3 occasions we visited – which was fine for us, but some might find the solitude here a bit daunting

Happy Camping!

Located just northwest of Bloomington, which is located absolutely smack-dab in the middle of the state of Illinois, you’ll discover a nature wonderland over here nearly hidden from plain site. One moment you’ll be driving down the well-paved country road with golden tassles of corn popping up on either side of you and the very next, you’ll turn into a wooded sanctuary that is punctuated by the marvelous Evergreen Lake, which was built in 1970 and is some 925 acres in size with an average depth of nearly 20 feet and 50 feet at its deepest.

It is this fresh body of water that really makes Comlara County Park stand-out from just about anything else in the surrounding area. It has not one but two outstanding boat launches as well as a separate launch for canoes and kayaks. There are simply tons of little nooks and crannies all around the lake to get some decent fishing in – which you will predominantly find largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, saugeye, muskellunge and crappie – as well as a small individual isle called Deer Island, although when we explored the small land mass, no deer were to be found. There’s boat rentals and a bait shop that is available on the weekends only as well as a proper beach head with swimming available 7 days a week during the summertime (Memorial Day – Labor Day).

As far as the campground(s) are concerned – if you look closely, there's actually not 1, not 2, not even 3, but actually 4 to choose from – but if you add up all of the 144 campsites (apart from the primitive camping options) collectively, they are spaced a little too close to comfort for my taste, which when you add on top of that there isn’t much brush or anything separating you from your neighbors camping alongside of you. This is likely my biggest complaint: privacy. If that doesn’t matter to you and you enjoying being in a large wide open space chock full with other tents, RVs and 5th wheelers, then Comlara County Park is a great choice for you.

I would first begin by pointing out that the entire Comlara Park is very well organized, kept impeccably clean and very easy to navigate with relatively good roads and decent signage. It feels as though whether you are looking for a trail to hike, a spot to launch your kayak, biking trails to navigate or finding a fishing hole to cast a line, everything seems as though it is in very close reach and just a short walk away. All of the 144 campsites are made available on a first-come, first served basis, with 94 including 30 / 50 amp electric while 23 are non-electric sites, with the 11 remaining devoid of any hook-ups.

For my tent-pitching primitive bredren, there’s 16 walk-in sites in the main recreation area (I guess that is situated amongst or in-between the other 3 campgrounds that exist here), but there is a completely separate whole other area (oh, and located completely in a different county altogether), which is technically a completely different campground in a completely separate physical location with these 16 primitive campsites.

With amenities in mind, aside from the greatest asset being Evergreen Lake itself and beyond the associated amenities that have already been highlighted (e.g. boat launch, beach, canoe / boat rental, bait shop) there’s 3 kid’s playground, at least 5 large shelters by my count, at least 3 his / her bathroom and shower facilities as well as scattered in-ground fire rings, water spigots (basically planted every 3rd or 4th site) stand-up BBQ grills as well as the prerequisite picnic tables, all of which were in very condition during our stay. There’s only one dump station, which seemed odd considering that there’s at least 3 campgrounds if not 4 here and 144 sites collecting garbage at a single time. There is firewood, ice and fishing worms available at the visitors center and campground station in the main area.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If like me you are a primitive tent camper and on the look out for some pretty amazing, not-so-EZ places on earth to really feel like you are out enjoying pristine, undisturbed nature, then you’ll want to have a very close look at the primitive camping areas west of Evergreen Lake over near White Oak. There’s 16 or so simply excellent lakefront sites over here along with your own boat dock; (2) Should you be ‘herd camping’ with a much larger group, there’s actually a simply fantastic hidden group camping oasis over here in White Oaks as well that you can get away from it all; (3) In the event that you grow weary of cooking up franks & beans again for dinner, you’ll have a decent drive to either El Paso, where there’s a Monical’s Pizza, Dairy Queen, Casey’s, El Paso Mexican or, upgrade yourself to The Local Tap, which is a craft kitchen and alehouse serving up some excellent fare. Of course, you could head into Bloomington, of which you will find everything, but that’s a bit of a hike unless, like me, you would make that drive to either have some of the best deep dish pizza Chicago has to offer, Giordano’s, or one of the greatest sausage and Italian beef joints in the world, Portillo’s.

Happy Camping!

Our family had a day out there on our bikes and loved it!

This campground is our "go-to" when we need a last minute getaway from city life. Located outside of Peoria, Jubilee is far enough away from town that you get clear, start night skies.

The campsite has three main loops with RV pads and electric goo ups. We tent camp and majority for the sites also have plenty of room for one or two tents. There is also a fourth tent-only loop, which is all grass and technically "hike-in" but a very short hike depending on which site you pick. All loops have restrooms and a water spigot. There is a shower house near loop B, which is not bad. Could be cleaner, but gets the job done.

There is a decent trail system, which supports hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The trails are well maintained and most are used on regular basis.

The campground host is very friendly! If you are looking for food or supplies, the town of Kickapoo is not far, and Peoria is only a 15min drive, which offers Hy-Vee and an abundance of restaurants if you prefer not to cook over a campfire. Overall, Jubilee offers a nice camping option near Peoria, IL.

Jubilee is a prairie conservation park so very few mature trees through out. Bathrooms clean, but shower house water smelled like sulfur.

we knew going in that this campground would probably be bad- over 90% of the spots were available. As we predicted- this was probably the worst campground we've ever been to. The bathrooms were disgusting, like probably not cleaned in years gross. There was not a level campsite available in the whole place- all had some gravel that had obviously not been maintained in several years. I would not stay here again- place is falling apart and is not maintained at all.

this camping spot was very quiet and secluded, just like I wanted, but at about midnight there were at least 3 bobcats snarling and growling near our tents and then they circled our tents, sniffing them. my friends and I were stuck in our tents for an hour waiting for the bobcats to walk off into the woods so we could run to our cars and go home.

Great campground to get out of the city. The viewing of stars is incredible.

This is a nice campsite that is just outside of town. Very good for a quick get away. Very nice host at checkin.

I’m giving it 3 stars not as a punishment or sign of anything wrong...I’m considering 3 stars as average. Not big pros or cons in my opinion. I’d say most of the sites are comparable. We stayed in Loop A and the shower house is in Loop B. Our biggest dislike for the CG is there’s no good way to get to the shower house from A unless you walk or drive out to the main road or cut through someone’s site (which we won’t do if it’s occupied). I don’t mind being a distance from the shower house, but we felt uncomfortable sending our kids there alone. CG hosts were nice. No firewood or ice available on site. All the trails we saw were mowed paths. Potential to see lots of wildflowers if your timing was right. We also saw lots of wild berry blooms (raspberry or black raspberry, not sure). Several day use picnic areas available. Shower houses were ok. Older but in decent condition. All in all I’d say this is your average, no frills, State Park CG. We wouldn’t spend a week here, but for only being 45 minutes from home, it’s a good place to spend a weekend camping.

Sites are large. Picnic tables in poor condition. Bathrooms need work. Very nice park if you have self contained unit.

We typically tent camp here, but have car camped in one of the RV spots. Staff is always great, and facilities are clean. Hikes are always fun too!

Very nice place. My only disappoint was the playground has been taped off for a long time. So much space for playgrounds!

Sites are level if you have a smaller rig. Longer trailers will struggle to get level. Our trailer is 40 ft and we had to switch sites to one that allowed us to level. Otherwise, it's a nice and quiet campground. There is a dump station and fresh water fill station. The sites are electric only.

Excellent campground for those who want to relax and have quiet time. Nature trails are nicely groomed and mowed. Not a lot of amenities for families with young kids but bring your own corn hole bags and badminton. Nice for adults who want some peace and quiet.

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