Best Tent Camping near Fisher, IL

We tent camped for one night the weekend of Independence Day. Very quiet campground. Clean and spacious camping areas with a nice bathroom and multiple shower stalls. Bring firewood with you. We plan to stop again on our next road trip!

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.

I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place until this year. The walk in tent sites are in a shady woody area and with lake views. Clean pit toilets, serene setting, and a really cool hike to an abandoned observatory. 🙌🏕

First stop on a cross county trip. We were directed to Catfish Bay for tent camping. It was lightly drizzling and on an overcast day most of the tree-covered campsites were dark. There are some nice sites right on the water (be prepared to walk your gear in from parking lot). Site #21 was private, with more open sky and a shorter walk to parking/outhouse. The outhouse was in really rough shape--looked like it hadn't been swept out or hosed down for awhile. Won't be back.

We went here with a group of tent campers sight unseen, so that’s always rolling the dice. We stayed until the main part where you could reserve online through reserve America. Would not recommend that area to anyone. Sites are right on top of each other in every direction. Not sure who would seek this out or agree to it after seeing it.

Upon finding the rustic tent sites, we’d wished we’d known about that area before going. Those were still a little close together but were at least wooded and you could walk from your car.

The dispersed camping sites were the closest to what I’d been used to coming from New Hampshire, but it was more of a hike than I would be looking for.

Il start this by saying: we prefer tent camping/primitive/atleast semi isolated spots. If you’re looking for RV camping, this is probably a decent spot so read no further!

We drove in to the Middle Fork Forest Preserve looking for a place to camp same day on our way down to Giant City. We weren’t able to make a reservation less than 5 days in advance online so we tried to call. No one in the office except Th-Sunday and it was Wednesday so we couldn’t get in touch. All good. It happens and it did say that clearly on their website and on voicemail. We needed a place for the night so decided to risk driving over from I57 S. Rolled in around 5 and all the campsites were marked reserved but there were about 3 people set up to camp there. We didn’t end up camping the night 1. Because we didn’t want to be jerks about the reservations although it seemed like no one else would be arriving until at the earliest the next day and 2. All of the campsites were pretty tight together and surfaced with gravel. That’s a personal preference thing. We always look for primitive/walk-in/hike in sites to set up tents/hammocks. This spot was mostly set up for RVs.

The hiking looked pretty lovely and the grounds/facilities looked well kept! Just maybe not our preference.

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

Nestled in the verdant rolling hills of central Illinois, you’ll discover Hickory Hills Campground located just a short drive west of I39 and completely off the grid, due to the slight incline of this heavily forested campground outpost. This place is a massive RV enclave with various different neighborhoods and haunts to choose from – and while there are a very fair number of folks who make Hickory Hills their year-round outdoor destination, there’s a decent amount of temporary spots to select from. But if you’re a tent camper, you will be hard-pressed at this location to find a suitable spot to set up for the night as Hickory Hills is definitely designed for the RV and 5th Wheeler crowd in mind. 

The amount of amenities at Hickory Hills is a pretty long list that includes an in-ground pool opened between Memorial Day and Labor Day (any other time here in Illinois, you would be ice fishing!), basketball court, mini golf, shuffleboard, pool table, ping pong and various soda and snack vending machines and games in the recreation center, catch & release lake for fishing and a fully-stocked general store, which also serves as the main office where you will check-in upon arrival, offering up firewood, snacks, water, ice and other sundries. There’s also a coin laundry and bottle propane station in addition to the standard RV hook-ups (30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage). 

What I love most about Hickory Hills Campground is the very strong Midwestern hospitality and warm welcome you’ll receive from just about everyone you encounter here – from the very great folks that run the place to the guests and residents that roll out the red carpet and ensure that everyone feels connected to the very tight-knit community that has formed here. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) This campground is pretty isolated, clear out in the boondocks just northwest of the major college town of Bloomington (Illinois State University), where you can easily access everything, but if you do make your way out here to Hickory Hills, you better bring everything you need because while it’s a short drive into the nearest town here, which is El Paso, to be honest, there's not a lot there either, so likely you'll have to go further afield to get just about anything else; (2) When you grow weary of staring down the insides of your onboard mini-fridge and want to try some of the local cuisine, I would HIGHLY recommend The Local Tap Craft Kitchen & Ale House, which has glorified bar food (wings, pizza, burgers), slightly above average wine list (hey, while the Sauvignon Blanc is just Cupcake, it’s pretty amazing that they have Sauv Blanc at all!) and a pretty amazing selection of local craft brews from 5 distinct nearby breweries; (3) If you are on the hunt for some real outdoor tent camping, great hiking or care to dip your kayak into some really nice fresh water, then head on over to nearby Comlara Park, featuring Evergreen Lake, which has some really nice areas to explore, in particular Deer Island, which you can anchor on or near and explore this little picturesque outcrop; and (4) Should you need anything, I would encourage you to explore nearby El Paso, which has some nice surprises awaiting you, such as Ruth’s Garden Tea Room or coffee at Java Café, CVS Pharmacy for all your sundries, El Paso Mexican (for just OK Mexican) and Woody’s Family Restaurant for some good ‘ol down home Midwestern comfort food and some decent (not amazing) pizza at Monical’s. 

Happy Camping!

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.

I had a friend stay in the tent area and she had to leave in the middle of the night because the raccoons were so bad. The couple a few sites down had their tent destroyed. She had all of her food and smelly things locked in her car.

Stopped here for a quick overnight on a cross country trip. The 10 sites in the tent-only wooded area weren’t very appealing(no grass/uneven terrain) except for the ones furthest from the parking area. We didn’t feel like hauling our tent and stuff all the way in, only to haul it out first thing in the morning. Since there were few campers, we opted for site 81 which had nice grass and close parking. Made for great sleeping, but the bugs(chiggers?) were horrible and left us with painful itchy bites for the rest of our vacation. The camp host was very friendly and fun to chat with.

Great camping and great fishing. Scenic little park. Tent and trailer camping here, but the real reward is in the primitive backpacking sites. Highly recommend.

10$ a night next to a park on a slightly busy street. I pitched my tent amongst the many rv trailers and had a rest on my motorcycle trip south. Not ideal for camping but a great budget option if your tired

This is an awesome place to stay. We got a first come, first serve tent spot right on the lake which made for a gorgeous sunrise. The amenities were great and there’s plenty to do around the area.

We group camped with about 6 tents and 12 people, had a great time, very quite secluded area for group camping.    Good fishing and kayaking, facilities could be a little cleaner but not bad, the water is TERRIBLE and looks like coffee or tea.   But otherwise, if you bring your own water, not bad...