Best Tent Camping near Grafton, IL

Peaceful tent camping on Walkers Island at $8 per day.

Doesn't allow pets for tent sites

A small and not crowded place to camp with all you need and hospitality. Great for tent camping and hiking.

Robertsville is a nice little park on the Meramec River with about 25 campsites split fairly evenly between tent and electric hook up in a long loop. The hook up sites are on the inside of the loop and the tent sites are on the outside of the loop. You need to look carefully for a level tent site as some are fairly slopped. However, most of the tent sites have nice trees for hammocking and all sites looked clean. The shower house is newer and well taken care of. Seems that lots of people come here for the boat access to the river, but there are some really nice hiking trails you shouldn’t miss. On the weekends in the high season be prepared to reserve two nights in a row, which can make it more difficult to get a spot. But if you go during the week you can have the place pretty much to yourself. And the racoons. Just saying

Nice state park close to St Louis. Good, if short, trails. The campground is used a lot by RV and campers, not so much by tenters. Lots of campsites had electric. All had the standard pininic tables and fire rings, and the campground has a decent and clean shower house. You might end up pitching your tent on a parking pad as many tent sites don't have level grassy spots for your tent. Sites are not very private, and some are right on top of the next. I like sites 65 and 58 for their privacy or grassy tent spots.

Quiet midweek in tent camping area except for heavy equipment in field nearby. Large campground with open space and playground for kids. Short walk to beautiful lake.

Did a 2 night tent camp with my family and it was awesome. We had a great time on the trails and near the Mighty Missouri River.

Real nice campground with bathrooms and showers. Only $5 to tent camp here! Great view of the lake and easy to hike trails. Only downside is that the mosquitoes will eat you alive!

The campground is located in a gym of a park located along the Missouri River. Reservations are required and the sites are in high demand. Tent camping only. There is water available in the park.

This Campground places you in the heart of Missouri Wine Country and there's a perfect base for visiting the wineries and restaurants along highway 94.

Typical Jellystone, lots for kids to do. Really small sites. Tent sites seem fairly flat. I’m in a site for small campers. The site is bowed front to back and not level side to side. You can hear highway traffic all night and the kids hit the playground, right outside my window, at 7:00.

Great location for a weekend getaway, only 1 hour from the city! Hiking trails, level lots, full hookups available, There are 2 loops, the tent camping side is well shaded with a lot of room between sites. The full hookup loop has a lot of room, but can be a challenge backing in, as the camp sites are at a 90 degree angle to the road. Would love to return.

Primitive tent camping area is very spacious but bathrooms were dirty and gross.  The women’s bathroom near T3 didn’t have toilet paper the entire three days we stayed there.  I drove to other restrooms while we stayed there.   Shower house was nice, with one small shower stall and large ADA shower stall.  Camp host was friendly and helpful. The campground is just a few minutes from Carlinville Walmart and restaurants.

We stayed here last minute for Labor Day Weekend and the staff were great with finding us a good tent site available. This is not a rugged style campground as there are many amenities such as a pool, putt putt golf, volleyball, and more. They also host daily kids activities and crafts. A very family friendly campground and would highly recommend if camping with kids!

Currently this is an RV only campground due to Covid restrictions, but there is ample space for tent camping when they return to allowing tents. So, RV sites include pull through and back in with water and electric hookups, and a dump station on site. There is a nice bathhouse and super clean laundry with a little lending library. Also on site is a community room(currently closed due to covid restrictions), an outdoor pavilion, and a miniature golf set up. The campground is wedged between the highway and a cow farm, so expect some noise, especially with few trees or landscaping to absorb the sound.

We stayed here with a new camper, to be near our RV dealer and hardware stores. The site was ok, tricky to level. There was a steep drop just past our steps, and not a lot of room to set up chairs, etc. Honestly, the site we were in felt like an afterthought, as we were just pulled off the lower loop road. But we were there primarily to op check the camper features, and this campground allowed us to do so.  

If you're visiting Six Flags this is an ideal location, with a great camp store and restaurant, and lots of things for kids to do. I found good hiking trails nearby at Rockwoods Range. There are a lot of cabins and tent sites here as well.  The camp staff were friendly and helpful. And the sunrise from our site was beautiful!

I spent a night here camping while on a road trip. The check-in was quick and easy. The host showed me the tent campsites, which are secluded and private from the RV sites. The sites are outfitted with a picnic table and brick fire rings. Some have water spickets. There's a central covered picnic area. Lots of shade and tall trees. You'll want to check them for dead limbs before setting up your site. I didn't ask if hammock camping is allowed. There are at least two sites that would work nicely for a hammock. A portable toilet is available to keep the area sanitary for urgent needs; the flush toilets, laundry, and fitness center at the main entrance are also available for a longer walk or short drive.

Drive by, choose a spot, let the host know. We tent camped. The ground was relatively flat minus some tree stumps. Every site has a fire pit with adjustable grill, picnic tables, ours had a concrete slab for gatherings, 2 vehicle parking bumper to bumper. Outhouse was a short walk from us and was decent (no sink). Water spicket just beyond that. They’re sporadically placed. Our site was in the shade and not far from the road though there were others that were further back. We did some of the trails which were okay. Something to do, a bit of exercise, and it had some cute little bridges and stops to sit or step out onto the water (must be able bodied). It is a pond not a lake, I could see all points of it from one standing position. Also, no beavers, they left a long time ago. The showers were clean. Walmart is about ten minutes away if you need groceries. It’s a good stop if you’re passing through and need to rest, get a little walk in, shower. Definitely wouldn’t recommend for some one out of town or state who wants to plan a vacation here.

Babler is always a place you should try. we camp here every weekend because its so close to our house when we cant travel. but there are a few things to keep in mind.

The good: good trails, the whole park is a memorial so good history, very large, equestrian available, showers and bathrooms, playground, paved drive in, wood and ice available, near a grocery store and restaurants

The bad: racoons everywhere! they are scandalous and will be happy to shake your hand they dont care. thats how close they get to you. we used homemade cayenne pepper water for a perimeter but it only works until we went to bed. if you are tent camping your spot is very hit or miss. we always plan ahead and look at the pictures because some sites say its for tent but its just a dropping slope. you might as well pitch on the concrete. the sites are good are Very good! the sites that are bad... just annoying while sleeping. it lools like they are fixing it this year though. the ticks are pretty bad in spots nesstled into the trees. fpr RV's half the spots for you are out in the sun. you have to look at the pictures and choose wisely.

i know its a lot but babler is really a great park.