19 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Shawnee Forest Campground and Bear Branch Campground provide upscale glamping accommodations in the scenic woodlands near Equality, Illinois. Shawnee Forest offers climate-controlled yurts with comfortable bedding, while Bear Branch features both yurt and cabin glamping options with modern amenities. Both locations provide electric hookups, drinking water, fire rings, and picnic tables for a comfortable outdoor experience. Little Lusk Trail Lodge & Campground and Willow Bend Retreat round out the glamping options in the region, with the latter offering 15 premium sites with full amenities including fifty-amp electrical service and water hookups. A camper who stayed at Shawnee Forest noted, "This campground area is beautiful with large sites that are well spaced, though not completely private."
The surrounding Shawnee National Forest offers glamping guests exceptional outdoor activities within minutes of their luxury accommodations. Trail systems connect directly to several glamping sites, with the popular Garden of the Gods wilderness area just 15 minutes from most locations. Harmonie State Park's glamping cabins provide river access with boat-in options for paddlers. Most glamping resorts in the area maintain shower facilities, with several offering full bathrooms with flush toilets rather than vault toilets. Winter visitors will find year-round operations at several locations including Cave-in-Rock State Park, where glamping cabins overlook the Ohio River. According to a recent visitor, "The cabins looked really nice with a view of the river. The shower house was very clean and had flush toilets, making it much more comfortable than traditional camping."
"This place is very close to where you need to be. Outpost in between sells food, firewood, ice etc. Very basic campsite for drive up. People were very respectful, very dog friendly."
"We arrived on a Thursday and there were plenty of open spots. Friday they open some of the other loops up for more people to stay and it did fill up for the weekend. "
from $10 / night
Check Availability"General: I was a bit apprehensive about this state park because it did not take reservations, so we made sure to arrive by 11 am but we had no reason to worry – compared to other Illinois campgrounds"
"Signage will greet you as soon as you exit the ferry and Cave in Rock city has several small businesses you might want to visit. Plus a bunch of painted bikes..."
"High lines behind sites. Stalls can be reserved. some sites are full hookup. Primitive camping also available. CALL them for more info at 270-205-7138. Arena and huge event barn on site."
"The staff was amazing. She showed us around with her 4x4 the whole property, the horses, and the pony or a donkey. The showers were pretty decent and cleaned I would recommend this place for everyone"
from $30 / night
"I chose site 39 and it was close to level. Well spaced.Vault toilets and bathhouses. Only lower camp area bathhouse open before summer.Garbage bin overflowing. Fire pit, table, electric. Playgrounds."
"There are lots and lots of campsites in this state park bordering the Wabash River. Sites are divided into smallish areas some for tents, some for RVs and some mixed. Lots of trees for shade."
from $20 - $40 / night
Check Availability"Burn pit and cooking grill above the pit at every site I visited. Clean Air condition in the bathroom. Showers work great."
"There is no pool or activities for kids but we went out and explored the area Beautiful walking/bike paths around the property
Hosts were very kind and helpful, we felt very welcomed!"
from $40 / night
Check Availability"We stayed as a larger group on a non-electric site. The sites were sort of close together but the trees still helped provide a sense of privacy."
"Next depending on which site you pick it can be a short walk to the lake and direct put in of your water craft. A very cool feature is that several of the sites are double."
"Under new ownership buy many cabins from 40 a night on up nice shower houses electric sewer and water at a lot of sites great trails well marked maps available stalls available store and restaurant to"
from $30 - $200 / night
Check Availability"This is hands-down the nicest campground on Rend Lake."
"South Marcum Campground is a Corp of Engineers campground just of I-57 in southern Illinois with over 100 reservable campsites. Sites have 30 & 50 amp Electric hookups."
from $16 - $44 / night
Check Availability"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."
"Arrived just as the sun was setting which was beautiful over the lake. We were in Eagle 81. Large wooded site next to the lake."
from $20 - $30 / night
Check Availabilityfrom $40 - $200 / night
ScoutGary and his family are very polite and very happy to be helpful. Great prices. Burn pit and cooking grill above the pit at every site I visited. Clean Air condition in the bathroom. Showers work great. I stayed here twice, my family and I had a great time and met some really nice people.
TravelerRelatively new. Has great potential. Located in Vienna, IL near Shawnee National Forest. It has 3 fish & release ponds. Sites were a bit hilly which stands to reason since it was converted from a golf course in 2016. Some sites are pretty long. It accommodated our 35ft. MH with attached car. Some sites are close together with very little shade. The campground had lots of open sites during our stay (3rd week in Aug), but during our stay 2 other short stay campers came in & they parked them right next to us. -Full hook ups available -Hosts were very friendly & provided insight to area. -Bath house - provided air conditioning. Although new & spacious there were only 4 in the entire campground & the toilet & shower were in same space. Upon arrival only 1 was open near us. Subsequently the 2nd was closed due to a water valve malfunction & wasn’t re-opened during our stay. My husband likes level sites & facilities he could use. He said he wouldn’t come back any time soon.
LegendBenton KOA Journey is an easy overnight stop just off I-57. Since we were already familiar with the campground layout, we called ahead to ask if we could go directly to our site on the opposite side of the road from the office and check in afterward. The staff gladly accommodated our request. We stayed in Deluxe Full-Hookup Pull-Through Patio Site 65, which made it easy to center our 40-foot fifth wheel on the utilities. The site was slightly off level, but we did not need to use blocks. The gravel patio featured a huge wheelchair-accessible picnic table, fire pit with cooking grate, stand-up charcoal grill, wooden swing, and bench. We received one bar on Verizon and two bars on T-Mobile. There are mature trees around the seven pull-through sites across the road from the main campground, but Starlink should work in most of them if you're able to position the dish around the trees. For this overnight stay, we used our T-Mobile Home Internet, which averaged 358 Mbps download and 2.7 Mbps upload. The campground Wi-Fi was adequate for light browsing. A fenced dog park was conveniently located near our site, and being across the road from the main campground helped reduce interstate noise. Overall, this is a clean, well-run KOA with exceptionally friendly and helpful staff, and a good overnight stop returning to our home base in southern Illinois to rest and dump tanks.
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.
GuideSouth Sandusky is a very nice campground with lots of trees, concrete pad, fire pit, playground, and bathroom facilities. It is wheelchair accessible and walking distance from the lake where you can swim, fish, boat, go tubing or just walk the trails.
LegendOver 200 gravel sites many sloping so choose wisely. I chose site 39 and it was close to level. Well spaced.Vault toilets and bathhouses. Only lower camp area bathhouse open before summer.Garbage bin overflowing. Fire pit, table, electric. Playgrounds. Water nearby. River with boat launch in park. Lots of bike trails. Large pool with water slide open in the summer. Same for nature center. Great trees. Quiet. Quirky little town of New Harmony nearby.
TravelerWe stayed as a larger group on a non-electric site. The sites were sort of close together but the trees still helped provide a sense of privacy. There were clean bathrooms with running water a short walk away, didn’t attempt to use the showers. We could easily walk to the trails and we went fishing in the lake. It was mild and quiet the days we went in Mid-May 2020. 🙂 Beautiful scenery.
GuideThis is a huge state park! There are lots and lots of campsites in this state park bordering the Wabash River. Sites are divided into smallish areas some for tents, some for RVs and some mixed. Lots of trees for shade. Bathhouses in each area with showers and toilets. Very clean & well maintained. Some areas with children playgrounds. The park has multiple picnic areas and shelters. There are a couple of ponds. There is a boat launch at the Wabash River. There is a good size swimming pool (though closed at my visit for the pandemic). Park sells firewood for individual fire pits at each site. Electric hookups at most tent sites. Water spigots near each bathhouse.
LegendWe stayed Easter Weekend here in the campground and had a great time. The campground is clean and maintained. Some sites are gravel and some are asphalt. Not sure if they are upgrading a little at a time?? There are plenty of trees for shade. Some sites are close together and some have more room in between them. The picnic tables are old and seem to be spread around as camper are moving them around. The main bathhouse is older, but nice and clean! There is a vault only bathroom at the back of the campground. No water hook up at each site, only electricity. . While you are here, check out the Lodge for dinner one night and climb to the top of the water tower observation deck for some amazing views! Make the quick drive to Makanda and explore the little hippy town. Don’t forget to take a stroll through the secret garden! . The Giant City Nature Trail and Devils Standtable were really pretty, easy strolls. The Trillium Trail is a little more rugged for those who prefer less crowded, slightly tougher trails.
Dispersed camping options near Equality, Illinois, span across the Shawnee National Forest with sites available year-round. The terrain features rugged hills, deep valleys, and limestone bluffs with elevations ranging from 350 to 1,060 feet. Most primitive camping areas require campers to stay at least 150 feet from water sources and trails. Winter temperatures often drop below freezing, necessitating proper cold-weather gear for off-season visitors.
Fishing access points: Pine Ridge at Pounds Hollow Recreation Area offers prime fishing spots with lakeside campsites for easy access. "Nice sites, and decent fishing and beach for swimming," notes Matt H., who gave the campground 4 stars.
Biking paths: Harmonie State Park Campground maintains paved roads ideal for family cycling. "There are paved roads the kids can bike on as well as mountain bike trails," shares Dave C., highlighting the variety of riding options available within minutes of campsites.
Wildlife viewing: Gun Creek Campground provides excellent opportunities for spotting native species. "Lots of deer and turkey!" reports Garrett F., who found the campground to be "clean" with well-maintained facilities.
Budget-friendly rates: Pounds Hollow Recreation Area earns praise for its affordability. "Great 10$ campsite," writes Brennan M., adding that it's "very close to where you need to be" for exploring the region's attractions.
Spacious campsites: Shawnee Forest Campground offers generously sized sites on former golf course grounds. "The sites are spacious and have picnic tables and fire rings. Full hookups is a plus," explains Greg S., who particularly appreciated the unique layout with walking paths.
Privacy options: Oak Point Campground provides wooded sites that create natural separation between campers. "The sites are well-shaded, and the bathrooms/showerhouses were clean," notes Chelsea D., mentioning that "our kids enjoyed the playground and walking down to the lake."
Ferry access: Cave-in-Rock State Park requires a ferry crossing if approaching from Kentucky. "If you are coming from the south you will have to take the ferry across the river. Sometimes there is a pretty good wait," advises Chris Y.
Cell coverage limitations: Connectivity varies significantly throughout the region. "Write your directions down for this whole area, the cell phone coverage is spotty and it will keep frustration down," recommends Shelly S., who found Cave-in-Rock worth the journey despite connectivity challenges.
Reservation timing: Many campgrounds fill quickly during peak seasons. "Very difficult to get an electric site in the summer, especially on weekends," warns Dave N. about Oak Point Campground, suggesting early bookings for preferred sites.
Beach facilities: South Marcum Campground offers swimming areas directly on Rend Lake. "My family & i enjoy the lake for fishing, boating, swimming & beach time! Close to town for the forgotten marshmallows!" shares Kelly B., noting the convenience of nearby supplies.
Playground access: Multiple campgrounds feature dedicated play areas for children. "There is a playground near the showerhouse and a pond back in behind the playground," mentions Shelly S. about Cave-in-Rock State Park, adding that the spacious layout prevents crowding.
Nature programs: Several parks offer scheduled educational activities. "They have a nature center in the middle of the campground that is open Thursday-Sunday in the summer," explains Olivia S. about Harmonie State Park, mentioning various events throughout the camping season.
Site levelness: Gun Creek Campground visitors recommend checking site grades before booking. "Absolutely must check how level the spots are before you book, as lots of sites are over 4 inch incline, which seems ok for smaller rigs," advises Never Sitting S., who otherwise found the campground excellent.
Winter camping considerations: Some glamping options in Equality, Illinois remain open year-round but require preparation. "Spent a week here and had a blast! Camp sites are fairly well spaced, though not private. Area is split with power and no power," shares Brian E. about Pounds Hollow, mentioning the clean, regularly maintained vault restrooms.
Hookup variations: Campgrounds offer different utility combinations. "Electric and primitive sites are spaced so you don't have to listen to a generator all night. Not super private but never that busy either," reports Kate B. about Cave-in-Rock State Park, highlighting the benefit of thoughtfully arranged campsites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Equality, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Equality, IL is Pine Ridge with a 4.5-star rating from 17 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 19 glamping camping locations near Equality, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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