Dog-Friendly Camping near Fisher, IL

Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Fisher, IL

229 Reviews of 28 Fisher Campgrounds

• 

  Thomas F.

  Ranger

  May. 7, 2015

  Spitler Woods State Natural Area

  Fun Camping

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

• 

  Luna L.

  Guide

  May. 12, 2025

  D & W Lake RV Park

  Peaceful Evening With Gorgeous Lake

  Pulled in about 7pm and immediately was greeted by the manager who showed us to our site, helped us pull in get settled and brought us firewood. The lake behind our trailer is beautiful and can be fished Catch and Release with Blue Gill and Bass. There's plenty of grass, Fire Pits, Playgrounds and a Dog Park. Wonderful campground and only about 10 min from downtown.

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  May. 28, 2023

  Love's RV Stop-Normal IL 867

  Busy RV Highway Outpost

  Let me begin by saying that I scored this Love's RV Stop as high as I did not because it is my ideal camping spot - it isn't - and I don't think anyone looks for a spot to camp out on next to a super busy highway next to a commercial big rig gas station, but if you are doing some heavy duty highway traveling with your RV or 5th wheel and simply need a place to hold up for the night, then this place really is pretty amazing.  With that in mind, hopefully you'll pay this place a visit, stop, get fueled up, rest for the night and enjoy the convenience and easy on- and off-access that this place provides.  With this in mind …

  This spot is brand spanking new, incredibly flat and offers up all the flat poured concrete where you want it and freshly poured gravel where you drive and all the other parts are surrounded by freshly sodded grass that has already grown in to near maturity everywhere else. Conveniently located on the highway axis where I39 / US51 meets I55, here in central Illinois in the city of Bloomington, Love’s RV Stop is an incredibly convenient and easy access spot to drop your RV anchor for the night. Extra points to Love’s RV Stop for providing gated key-pad entry and 24 hour CCTV security delivering a real feeling of safety throughout your roadside RV or 5th Wheel stay. 

  The convenient app-managed reservation system is seamless and provides for an incredibly simple, remote check-in and payment process. You’ll find back-in or pull-through as well as ADA accessible sites with full hook-ups with water, sewer and choice of either 30 or 50 amp electrical at every site. At the main kiosk where you’ll check-in, there’s a brand new spartan clean single person shower facility as well as individual men and women’s restrooms in addition to a coin-operated laundry facility. Additionally, the property has 2 covered pavilions with picnic tables and gas-powered BBQ grills, community firepit that can easily seat a dozen people, 2 pickleball courts, kid’s playground and a dog park with real grass for the pups to do their business on.  Now granted, you'll be enjoying all of these amenities right next to all of the swooshing highway traffic, but surprisingly, we all got over this very quickly!

  Because Love’s RV Stop is connected and managed by the neighboring Love’s Truck Stop, you’ll have nearby access to their full convenience store, as well as ATMs, Bojangles Restaurant (mediocre BBQ at best), as well as additional shower facilities along with, but of course, all the gas you can pump by the gallon. But if it’s something simple like firewood, ice, sundries or snacks, you can get these items back at the Kiosk and there are 2 soda vending machines as well as an ice machine behind this small building as well. 

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) As you are literally on the corner of one of the busiest highway intersections in the entire Land ‘O Lincoln, there is no escaping where you are at, no matter how high they build the fence or how many bushes and trees they place between you and the 8-lanes of rushing passerby traffic and there’s not a single site here to escape the noise, so bring your earbuds if it bothers you or crank up some Van Halen;(2) If you are looking for something more than the stale coffee or the Bojangle’s food they are serving up at the truck stop, there are endless chain options like Starbucks, Dunkin’, Moe’s Southwest Grill nearby as well as further afield; (3) If you want my top recommendations for restaurants that are worth the drive, try out Giordano’s for Chicago deep dish pizza or Portillo’s for their Italian beef & sausage sandwich (don't ask, just order and send me your thanks later); and (4) If you are looking for something to do with the kiddos, head on over to Miller Park Zoo for the wild animals, performances and mini-golf or try out Grady’s Family Fun Park, which is an amusement park with rides and games. 

  While scoring criteria may vary from one person to the next, here are the 5 most important criteria that informed my rating of this overnight location: convenience (EZ on- and off-access), safety & security, quality (of facilities), peace & quiet and amenities (either on-site or nearby). Here’s how I ranked this particular overnight spot: 

  Convenience: 5 

  Safety & Security: 5 

  Quality: 5 

  Peace& Quiet: 4 

  Amenities: 5 

  Overall, I scored this location a 5.

  Happy Overnighting!

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• C

  Charles M.

  Guide

  Jun. 9, 2019

  D & W Lake RV Park

  Highway haven

  Super easy on and off the highway. With that you do get some noise but not too bad.

  Office staff is very friendly and efficient. Full hookup sites. Wifi is available. Playground and dogrun for the pets.

  The pond is 1/2 mile walk around. Bathrooms we clean.

  If you need to get off the road and get some rest give them a try. Just north of town and you will be back on the road in no time.

• 

  Art S.

  Legend

  Jul. 31, 2020

  Friends Creek Campground

  Hidden among the farms - well-manicured camping

  In mid-Illinois a campground waits for you. Well tended grassy sites with an impeccable grassy picnicking area. There was plenty of room in our site but most of the campground is empty. It would feel more crowded when full due to a lack of vegetation between sites. We grabbed a non-electric site but most have electric. The showers/restrooms are centrally located and could be crowded if the camp was full. 

  We set up and walked some in the trails. The conservation area extends across the road and that’s where most of the trails are. Start at the one room schoolhouse and make your way down wide trails. They aren’t that long but take a few and they add up. Stay on the camp side of the road and you can find large grassy areas with playgrounds and picnic shelters. A few trails are on this side too.

  Clinton Lake Recreation area is just down the road if you want to fish or bring some watercraft. 

  One note: if you reserve a camping spot it’s just to have a site. Specific campsites aren’t reserved. Get here early and you have your choice. 

  This is a nice mid-Illinois campground!

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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

• 

  Brandon R.

  Guide

  Jan. 11, 2022

  Kickapoo State Recreation Area

  Stormy night but solid campground

  Stayed here on Dec. 10, 2021 (yes the night of all the tornadoes throughout the Illinois/Kentucky/Tennessee area), I and everyone else at the campsite got pretty lucky, we were just outside the path of the main storms that did so much damage. The campground itself seems solid, but I will admit... I did not use many of the facilities that evening. The camp host at the entrance was super nice though. I can't remember the campsite number, it was near the restrooms at the back of the campground.

• 

  Dave P.

  Traveler

  Sep. 30, 2021

  D & W Lake RV Park

  This is an Excellent Campground!!

  I would highly recommend this campground.  It is close to the main highway, but far enough to not be noticeable.  Sites are level and in good condition.  Owner greets you on entering and then guides you to your site.  Signage to get to the campground is excellent.  The bath house is clean and up to date with lots of hot water.  The lake is pleasant and has a trail around it for walking.  There is a dog area that is fenced in for doggy pleasure and exercise.  I would be happy to return here when I could spend more time and maybe wet a line.

• 

  Art S.

  Legend

  Jun. 5, 2020

  Harry L Swartz Campground

  Ranger Review of the GCI Pod Rocker with Sun Shade at the Harry Swartz Camp

  Campground Review:

  This is a pleasant discovery! The drive into the Middle Fork River Forest Preserve winds between a few ponds. We saw many families fishing around each of them. Once at the campground, check in with the camp host. Right now you must register online due to COVID-19. There were no photos of the campsites online so we picked a spot distant from the others(my dog gets finicky). We should have picked a different site. Sites 40- 48 get full sun until around 2 in the afternoon. Luckily it was cool for our visit or we would have melted. Other sites are mostly shaded and beautiful. Some sites give more privacy than others(32 looked nice). There is a swimming beach and playground that were also closed for COVID. Each site has a raised fire pit, picnic table and lantern hanger. Every site comes with electric and still it only cost us $16 for the night. The shower house was also closed but pit toilets were available. There are double sites where small groups can share space. There is also a group camping area(near our site) that has a large open field right in front of it. A theater stage is found long a hiking path that starts near the camp host. Perhaps your family can put on a play :) 

  The hiking here is interesting! The Oak Burl trail is mostly wooded. We came upon a 8” deep creek to cross (thanks small tree branch to walk across!). We found little offshoots to spots along the Middle Fork River. One couple found a rock bar to lay out on for their own private river-beach. The hiking on the other side goes through a mix of prairie and woods. The prairie is in restoration and we saw some traditional prairie plants among field grass- signs that they are working on things. Going further out brings you right to the fork between Sugar Creek and the Middle Fork river. We hiked these during the morning and still needed water and a rest. The trails are wide but some of the grass was almost a foot tall- its been raining here. 

  We discovered a couple donut shops in a town about 20 minutes west- one is known for their scones! We enjoyed this campground but would hesitate before camping here during the heat of summer- unless you have a/c.

  Product Review: GCI Pod Rocker with Sun Shade in Loden Green 

  As a Dyrt Ranger, sometimes I get products to review. I am so happy that I found this chair! A good travel chair that is comfy and folds is key to summer-long adventures. The pod rocker folds into its own carrying case(extra tip: I put the case flat on the ground and my dog loves to lay on it away from some of the crawling ants and things). It is simple to push on the 4 corners of the chair and it opens right up. I immediately noticed that there are some extra shocks on the chair. This adds some weight so this chair might not be great for backpacking very far but it is still certainly carryable. 2 legs in front stabilize the pod rocker in a secure position. The first time I went to rock it I felt like I was falling over- there is a gap before you settle onto the flat base that allows the rocking. Once on this extra base, the shock compresses allowing you to rock your heart out! This transition from stable to rocking was easy to get used to and provides a solid base for eating/activity vs. rocking. This isn’t a chair that rocks on its own. You apply consistent force to rock. The sun shade is a retractable part that can rest behind your seat out of the way. It is really easy to click up above your head at different angles. I so often find myself in places without much shade that this is a feature I will continue to enjoy! When it came time to leave camp, the chair was easy to compress and slide into the carrying bag- no struggles at all. The arm rests are not a perfect fit for my body geometry but didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the pod rocker. Tucked under one of the arms I found a cup holder(big enough for my large coffee container) and a slim pocket perfect for my phone. I did enjoy one extra feature that the wide chair provided room for. The chair will allow you room to rock so I used this to turn the chair into a sort of recliner. I propped my feet on a table, scooted my butt forward in the chair and rocked back. My head was now supported by the top of the chair and my feet were up. Perfectly cradled for recovering after a long hike with my dog! Although you might see in the photo/video that my dog seems to like the pod rocker too. Maybe I need another one for her:) The material in the pod rocker feels like it will keep me sitting comfortable for the rest of the summer and in years to come.

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