Best Glamping near Golconda, IL

 Lots of choice camping spots! Serene and private. Beautiful rolling farmland, just minutes from town. They also offer tiny home rentals, yurt-style glamping tents, RV spots with 30 amp, 50 amp and 110 outlets, and The Art Barn for larger groups, retreats or family reunions.

Although this is a remote campground, it is situated in a State RESORT park, so it is more like glamping. The resort amenities and features are all accessible through short hikes via well marked and maintained trails, or by vehicle roads. The resort sponsors many amenities, such as an indoor pool, family activities, gym, tennis courts, hiking trails, horseback riding, golf... it is a resort, after all. Within 10 miles of Cadiz, which hosts grocery stores, general merchandise stores, restaurants, small businesses and family activities.

We spent 8 days in the campground. The host was excellent and clearly there to make the stay pleasant. Each site has electricity and access to water. Some have more.

All the hiking in the park is some of the best in Illinois. The visitors center has a lot of great information. The lodge has some of the best fried chicken anywhere and is very reasonable. Saturday night the dining hall was packed because of the all you can eat venue not to mention the excellent service

This is a park that would be better labeled as an unforgettable experience.

This is a wonderful place. I camped here as a teen and returning last summer was a great experience. In July the campground was nearly empty. We had our pick of nice shaded sites. The facilities were well maintained with new asphalt roads and clean pit toilets and water. The camp host was very welcoming and helpful. We had dinner at the historic lodge which is very popular and known for their huge portions and outstanding fried chicken. The lodge is worth the visit alone. The rock formations that make up the park are great for repelling and hiking. The hardwood forest provides great cover. If your visiting Southern Illinois this is high on the list.

There are currently 25 equestrian camp sites in this park in a different area than the normal RV and Tent campground. The campground is being upgraded this year in which I belive they are adding 50 amp full service to many of the electric only sites. There is currently walk in only unless you are reserving a horse camp. There are fantastic hiking trails and equestrian trails here and you would think you are in the mountains here. The geology is much like the Missouri area near the other bank of the Mississippi river. I have tent camped here and camped in a pop-up camper in the fall both times. Hiking is the best activity here unless you ride horses and that is great here too. This one and Wolf Creek on Lake Shelbyville are the best parks in Illinois for horse trails.

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 we visited on this trip, this one was almost empty on a Wednesday in mid-October. Steve, the host, was very friendly and checked us in. The rate of $20 for an electric site was reasonable; we put a tag on our site and set off to explore nearby Garden of the Gods for the rest of the day, secure that we had a place to rest our heads for the night! 

Sites/Facilities: The sites are set a decent amount of space apart and have an additional parking space for a second vehicle. A large picnic table and fire ring (although the windy conditions were not favorable for a fire) completed the site. Some are not completely level, so it was good to be able to select the best site. 

Bathhouse: The bath/shower house was clean, and the shower had nice hot water and good water pressure. The drainage wasn’t optimal, however, and much of the water ended up in the rest of the bathroom. The only other thing to note is that the generator for the bathhouse is VERY loud so if you are in a site close by (we were across the street and one up), you WILL hear it but thankfully, when not in use, it was quiet through most of the night. 

Activities/Amenities: There is a playground and picnic shelter, and the (not very deep) cave is cool to explore (a short walk from the campground). There are a dump station and dumpster. I had good cell service (Verizon/three bars) in this campground. 

Conclusion: Although this state park is right on the Ohio River, the campground is set apart from the river so you will not see the river from the campground but it is close enough to walk to the banks of the river when exploring the cave. Nice place to spend a night.

What an absolute craphole. We rented the Wrangler cabin for 2 nights, the cabin(single-wide trailer) looked as if it it was placed in the 1980's and has never been touched. The floor in the cabin was soft(rotted), they had about 3 or 4 stick in air freshners in the cabin, so many that both my wife and I got a headache as soon as we walked in. We took them out, then after about an hour the smell that they were covering started to show up, musty, moldy smell. The furniture in the place I am sure they found on the side of the street. Broken tables, the one couch in the place was full of sweat stains, the beds were so soft and old, felt like sleeping in a bowl. The so-called microwave in the kitchen had food cooked in it. The black stuff near the air vents on the ceiling of the cabin is not dust, pretty sure its mold. There are water stains all over the ceiling. The cabin has stairs at both end of the front, the one end looks to be an old set of plastic pool stairs, that are busted. The floor in the bathroom was actually a sub-flooring, without flooring on top of it. IT IS A DUMP. Health and human services needs to go out and condemn this place. If you have dogs with you, and keep them on a leash, don't worry, they will have plenty of friends to play with, as there are loose dogs all over the place, we counted about 12. Like I said, we rented it for 2 nights, left first thing in the morning after the first night. I spent a lot of time in the Army, and slept in some bad spots before, this place is worse. Glad I got some money back. I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PLACE, not even to someone I don't like!

Address: 50 Barger Rd, Stonefort, IL.

Little Lusk is the most Spacious and beautiful equestrian campground in southern IL.    Bring your horses, or just come and camp and stay in the lodge.  Ride or hike in the beautiful Shawnee National Forest.  Campsites are spacious and can accommodate very large rigs. 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. Event barn can be reserved for weddings.  Numerous sites have electric and water.  They have a Facebook page with numerous photos.

Deborah was helpful and attended to all of our needs. I will be back next time I'm near shawnee.

Not my first choice

Its been a long time since I've camped here. 6 yes or so. The campground is located on a bluff overlooking the Ohio river. The cave has some pretty interesting history it was once a hideout for river pirates. It now seems to be frequented by bikers and locals. It was pretty dirty and questionable during our short stay. My suggestion. More of a day trip location if you have young kids. The history in the location is well worth the visit.