Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Effingham, IL

This campground has a dog park and beautiful views, but the sites are very crowded.  There are full hook up sites and electric only.  If you like the party atmosphere, this place is for you.  If you like a more spread out and quiet park, look at Lithia Springs or Opossum.  Your park pass from any COE campground will get you in.

Photos view from dog park.

We stayed at Boo Wood Campground for about five days and enjoyed much of their amenities.

The campground featured a dog park which provided room for our dogs to run around. There was also multiple playgrounds and even a small amphitheater. There was a large boat ramp with ample parking. We put in our kayaks on the boat ramp and enjoyed a nice paddle on a portion of the Shelbyville Lake.

We paid less than$25 a night for full hooks up and we had an almost lake view.

Our biggest issue with this campsite was the extensive bugs, once the sun goes down the bugs get horribly bad. We let our dogs out past 8 p.m. and our camper was covered with swarms of psychodidae(sewer) flies. Once we quickly got in our camper, we spent the next hour killing the swarms of sewer flies that entered our camper. We learned our lesson and once the sun went down, we did not leave our camper.

Giving this 4 stars for the awesomeness of the sites themselves. We were in 121. All of the sites we saw in our “loop” were super wide, all gravel and quite level. So well kept.....fire pit with grate, large picnic table....really, the site couldn’t have been better. Beautiful views of the lake! Just all-in-all a well maintained park. So, why not 5 stars? I really wanted good shore fishing and not only was it a long walk, but really not very good/easy to get to, or comfortable standing once you get there. Beautiful dog parks....one for large dogs and one for small, but again, a long walk from the campground. Not feasible for our older dog. One other thing, absolutely no lighting at night along the campground roadways. After dark, we watched a truck go into the ditch looking for the turn out (granted, the occupants sounded like they were well into partying), but the pitch darkness at night made it feel a little unsafe, especially walking the dog after dark. Still, the sites themselves are awesome.

Great sites. Plenty to do. Favorite place to camp in Illinois.

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.

we love this park as it reminds us of some of Indiana state parks with a huge lake, horseback riding, lots of trails to explore and beautiful wildlife. pet friendly and lots to do for all ages.

There are only about 6 tent sites at this campground, which makes it not entirely friendly for tent campers. However, the bathrooms were lovely and clean. For those who are allergic, there is a colony of feral cats living outside of the office. OUTDOOR DOMESTICATED CATS ARE TERRIBLE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, please do not encourage this behavior.

Nice and quiet with a small lake. Really shaded. Great fishing for largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, and channel cat. Boats allowed with electric motors only. Max depth is 21 feet. Their is the trace in restaurant across the small lake from the camp ground. Lots to do for kids, as the park has basketball courts, volleyball court, and lots of playground equipment around the park. A five minute drive to the north side of the park offers 2.5 miles of hiking trails in hilly scenery.

One of the nicest on the lake. Clean, well maintained, nice spacious spots, boat ramp and parking, dog run, playground. Reservation made on Recreation.gov. Sometimes available spots for one night. Can stay for two weeks in thirty day period.

This is this is a beautiful Campground. All the sites are perfect there's not one bad site in this Campground. The camp host is very friendly and goes above and beyond to help you with all your needs.It is dog friendly and people friendly!

Great campground for a chill entertaining weekend with kids. Beautiful new pool was perfectly maintained with plenty of tables and chairs to make a day of the time at the pool. Pavilion and picnic area near pool and playground perfect for family gatherings or kids birthdays. Even a small game room. Dog friendly too! Small pond to fish (catch/release). We will be back.

Just finished our second trip/vacation here. We stayed in the rental cabins, but are in the waiting list for a seasonal site. Right next to the lake. Plenty of room for everyone, from tents to the massive RVs. The pool very clean and never gets over crowded. Staff are knowledgeable and polite. Friendly/quiet dogs allowed. Wonderful pirate ship playground. Weekend activities for the kids. Electric golf carts allowed. Very inexpensive compared to campgrounds closer to me.

We absolutely love this state park. We have three medium size dogs that go with us we have plenty of space at our campsite that is big enough for them. The campsites are clean with electric hook ups. Water is near by to fill up. It is quite place. Beautiful views. Lake is near by to fish. If you have kids they have play ground to play on. Host are very nice and welcoming. We will definitely be back.

Nice clean park plenty of trees ..will need to fill up with fresh water at park .. we camped at lot 85 $20 a night $30 Friday- Sunday .. pier for fish .. didn't catch much .. Several small towns around for food and supplies ..the park restaurant wasn't open when we were there but I heard it was opening soon ..boats and kyacks welcome ..we took our dog too .. it gets a 4 stars for no wifi and slow fishing otherwise great place for a camper stay! Off rt #50

I was not a fan. I was tenting and there was not a great spot for the tent and there was dog poop everywhere (tracked some in the tent when setting up so I wasn't pleased). Also a bunch of large Widowmakers in the trees above was nerve-wracking. The people around me were LOUD! One dude listening to a college football game until past 10 and a guy and his kid playing glow Frisbee right in from of my tent past 10 as well. As I was on a road trip and wanted to get to sleep, this was not appreciated.. On th e good side, the bathrooms were very clean. I would NOT stay here again

We 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