Best Tent Camping near Decatur, IL

Tent Camping Reviews near Decatur, IL

305 Reviews of 6 Decatur Campgrounds

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  Aaron B.

  Guide

  Jun. 16, 2019

  Eagle Creek State Park Campground

  Wooded Solitude / Family Friendly

  Review of Drive In Tent Camping Site 2. Showed up on a Thursday night and had our pick of all the drive in and walk in sites. We decided on site 2 in the drive in area. Previous reviews and a book by John Schirle on Tent Camping in Illinois helped us with this decision as well. Decent maintained sites with some older picnic tables and fire rings, but let's be honest this stuff sits outside 24/7. Site 2 seemed to sit back the farthest with site 1 a close second. Both wooded sites that made for great shade and helped some when it was raining. Any two families looking for two sites could certainly set up and share the experience. Nice little cove behind them to try fishing. Just watch the hike down the path or ravine. Dog friendly, fresh water supply (hint put the handle all the way up and wait a few seconds), ability to store stuff in the car close by, outhouse toilets visible at the walk in parking lot, and helpful host for easy check in who even sells fire wood made for a great few days ($5 a bundle). Rated B/S site at a cost of $10 a night.

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• 

  Michael M.

  Ranger

  Oct. 2, 2017

  Eagle Creek State Park Campground

  Great Lakeside Camping

  I have camped here in the past and enjoy primitive tent camping so I stayed Friday September 29th and Saturday September 30th in the tent camping drive up site #2. There is also a tent camping walk in area with 2 lake front sites that are about 150 yards from the parking area and about eight other sites in between. There is a building with men's and women's flush toilets here for both primitive campgrounds. These are cheaper campsites than in the RV area where you have the shower house, nicer bathrooms and electric hookups. There are lots of nice shaded sites in these campgrounds and all have fire ring grates, lantern posts, picnic tables and some have pole mounted campstove tables as well. The camp hosts do a great job keeping this place clean, maintaining a quiet campground and supplying firewood for the campers. The park has a boat ramp, playground areas, the Chief Illini trail plus a couple short trails. There is a golf course and a run down lodge / hotel that has been closed for several years. There is tons of deer and other animals to watch and watch out that they don't steal your food while you are sleeping. The wild life is great for photography and makes for some good fireside stories.

  This is my second favorite place to camp on the lake, although not as peaceful as Lone Point it does have the Chief Illini trailhead here and makes for nice round trip hiking camping adventures.

  This park is open year round so the fantastic camping in spring and fall are available. You should watch out for hunters in the area when bow season starts October 1st.

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• 

  Susan L.

  Legend

  Sep. 5, 2020

  Sangchris Lake State Park Campground

  5 stars with a caveat

  This is a beautiful state park, but hopefully you won’t have the same experience I did with the electric hookup. I stayed here right after the fourth of July and because of the heat over this holiday weekend and a completely full campground, the electricity couldn’t meet the demand and a transformer blew. By the time I arrived the transformer was repaired, however the pedestals in the section I was supposed to stay in had a problem. I was supposed to stay in site 27, but after 3 attempts to get power at 3 different sites, number 24 was the winner and this was a great site! The campground hosts were fantastic in resolving the situation as well.

  Site 24 is huge and level with a picnic table and fire ring. Electric but no water at site. The site is totally private on one side because of a lake inlet and there’s a large back area right on the lake. The gravel pad is located right near a large, old bald cypress. 

  This park has multiple public use areas, 2 campgrounds, boat launches, fishing piers and a beach. I didn’t use the public restrooms because they were closed due to Covid-19. I was able to get internet with Verizon. 

  This state park felt like it was dropped into the middle of cornfields and made for a fun drive. The sunset views and stars were awesome!

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• 

  Marisa A.

  Ranger

  Aug. 17, 2020

  Clinton Lake State Recreation Area

  Busy Central Illinois Campground on a lake

  This is our go-to campground when visiting the U of I. It is a large campground with well spaced campsites for tents and rvs. Almost every site has plenty of shade with lots of tree cover. This also means in the dog days of summer the breeze is blocked by the trees so get an electric site even with a tent and bring a fan. They have a beach and a boat launch. The loops that allow alcohol can get a bit rowdy with weekend partiers, but the alcohol restricted loops can get loud from all the families. However, with full hook-up options there is no generator noise. The showers/bathrooms are kept up well given the massive amount of people served. If you own a boat and camp, this place is ideal for central Illinois.

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• K

  Kate O.

  Guide

  Jul. 21, 2020

  Friends Creek Campground

  Wonderful Gem in Farm Country

  This hidden gem of a campground is very quiet and serene - surrounded by tall trees and next to a tall grass prairie conservation area - complete with historic schoolhouse, mowed trails to a nearby creek, gentle rolling hills, trees, birds & wildlife and a small bridge. Best place to stop in central Illinois - 13 miles from Decatur

• 

  Priscilla J.

  Scout

  Jun. 1, 2021

  Weldon Springs State Park Campground

  Loved the Hike-in Sites

  We came on Memorial Day weekend so the campground was very full. It didn't feel too crowded though except when playing on the playground there were lots of kids and its not a very big play area. But it was fun for the kids to play with other kids. 

  While I wish the tent are and comfort station were closer to one another, the walk really wasn't all that bad from our campsite. I loved that the tent sites (especially as you go further back (like to sites 6-10 probably) just had a secluded woodsy feeling to them. I loved how convenient our site was though being right by our car and the road to the restrooms. 

  Some of the tent sites are close together with some having a little more seclusion. There are a  lot of trees and plants with it being in the woods so this does help. But with the trail running right down the middle that cuts out a little of your privacy. But the seclusion is definitely better than the RV sites that we saw in the main big loop of the campground. 

  We walked a couple trails and they were lots of fun for us and the kids/dogs. 

  There is a STRICT no alcohol rule in the tent sites. A sign said coolers are subject to inspection, but from our experience and the vibe of the place, I don't see this really being an issue unless your group gets kind of rowdy ;) 

  All in all a great experience.

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• 

  Michael M.

  Ranger

  Oct. 20, 2017

  Coon Creek (IL)

  Big Campground with great lake access

  I have camped here in a motorhome with full hookups and tent camped as well.

  The camp sites are divided into many loops and have side pullin sites and backin sites. The RV and tent sites are grouped in the same loops and there are many that have trails from the site right to the lake and people leave the boat near the campsite but still on the water. The restrooms and shower houses are clean as all the Lake Shelbyville campgrounds are maintained by the Corps of Engineers. This campground is very busy in the prime camping season, but if you are camping with a group and have a boat this is the place to go. There are several buddy sites here that are set up very well for groups of RV's and tents camping together. There are a few isolated sites on corners of loops, but most are fairly close together. There is a swimming beach here and lots of boat traffic, but quiet hours are observed, so you can get a good night's sleep before an action packed day on the lake. The fishing is good if you have a boat, but there is very little bank fishing areas available. Part of the campground is open after Labor Day, but the main season is Memorial day to Labor day.

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• 

  Michael M.

  Ranger

  Oct. 16, 2017

  Bo Wood

  Campground with all the comforts

  The Forest Bo Wood Recreation area has grown each year since I first camped there in 1979.

  In 2017 it has 150 camping sites, a boat ramp, fish cleaning station, several picnic areas and a bait shop at the entrance on Illinois Route 32 4 miles South of Sullivan. The camp sites all have parking space for a big rig and one vehicle. There are some tent only sites but most have been converted to at least 30 amp electric sites with water hookups near the site. Many lake side sites are available, some years back there was a problem with the bank, but that has been dealt with.

  Bath rooms and shower houses are very clean and there is good bank fishing near the pavilion at the turn around at the west end of the area. There is a marina just 1 mile South and across the bridge another ½ mile is the Sullivan beach. Just 1 more mile South is a Rosatti's pizza located in a gas station with a liquor store. Rossati's delivers pizza's to the 2 campgrounds that are this close to the business. People that love the comforts of home while camping love this campground, so it fills up in the spring and summer months.

  All sites are spacious and include a picnic table, lantern stand, fire pit with grill grate and some have added camp stove stands. I find that October camping at Bo Woods most agreeable with less people tent camping and less boat traffic on the lake. The fishing this time of year is also very good.

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• 

  Aaron B.

  Guide

  Sep. 6, 2024

  Sangchris Lake State Park Campground

  Lakeside Relaxation

  These walk in sites check all the boxes.  At the western part of the RV loop, is a peninsula of primitive tent camping spots to choose from.  About half the sites were filled by the second day we were there.  We settled on 62, which is spacious and provides access to the path from the front and behind where you can walk into site 64 as well.  A parking area with a single spot for each camp site is well marked and by two vault toilets.  Park staff and host were great.  A decent fishing spot is just in front of site 64.  $8 for IL residents is hard to beat, if you don't need an RV spot with electric.  A water source is also by the parking spots.  The weekend we were there the weather had cooled some and a great breeze was coming off the lake.  Springfield being so close is a bonus.

  The only negative is like any spot and how previous people leave the camp looking before you are there.  Some garbage in the fire pit and random spots are par for the course in any state park.  Pick up the trash and dump it in the dumpster by the parking lot.  Leave the site better than you found it is our motto.

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