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Equestrian Camping near Harrisburg, IL

22 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.

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    SUMMARY PRESENTED BYT-Mobile

    Hayes Canyon Campground features horse corrals for equestrian visitors camping in southern Illinois. The facility accommodates both horses and riders with dedicated equine infrastructure alongside tent sites, RV hookups, cabins, and glamping options. Standard campground amenities include drinking water, electric hookups, shower facilities, and sewer connections. The campground maintains clean shower houses while providing adequate space for horses and their owners. Trail access from the campground connects riders directly to miles of forested paths through the Shawnee National Forest region.

    Located approximately 40 miles southeast of Harrisburg, Little Lusk Trail Lodge & Campground offers spacious sites capable of accommodating large rigs with horses. High lines behind campsites provide secure areas for horses, while stalls can be reserved for additional equine comfort. Multiple sites feature electric and water hookups, with full hookup options available alongside primitive camping areas. The property includes an arena and event barn on site, making it suitable for group equestrian activities. Trails from the campground lead directly into the Shawnee National Forest, providing extensive riding opportunities through varied terrain. The campground serves as an ideal staging area for day rides or longer trail expeditions, with well-marked routes accessible from the property.

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    Best Equestrian Campgrounds near Harrisburg (22)

    Filters    Tent onlyRVDispersedCabinGlampingPetsEquestrian

      1. Little Lusk Trail Lodge & Campground

      4.0(4)12mi from HarrisburgRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "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. "

      "There are horses on the property, and it’s very cheap for tent camping. The staff was amazing. She showed us around with her 4x4 the whole property, the horses, and the pony or a donkey."

      from $30 / night

      2. Shawnee Forest Campground

      4.5(37)28mi from HarrisburgRVs, Tents, Glamping

      "Super friendly camp host, conveniently located off the interstate and feels pretty secure and tranquil. I will say some of the gravel was washed out which is surprising given how dry it’s been."

      "We followed our GPS to the clearly marked CG entrance but our GPS showed we still had about a half mile to go."

      from $40 / night

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      3. High Knob Campgrounds

      3.3(4)15mi from HarrisburgRVs

      "deffinitly caters to equestrians, my only complaint is the shower houses. The potty area is clean but showers are usually kinda gross."

      "High Knob is a Horse campground in Shawnee National Forest near Garden of the Gods off Il1. The entire area has extensive trails through some awesome, hilly, rocky, cliffy areas."

      Check Availability

      4. Camp Cadiz Campground

      4.7(6)20mi from HarrisburgTents

      "On a gravel road, in the back country like most everything else on this side of Illinois , fill your gas tank up and your food locker or you will be driving back out a ways to refill. "

      "It's super quiet despite the gravel road nearby. The vault restroom is kept very clean. It has easy access to the River to River trail, and I love the CCC stonework."

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      5. Deer Ridge Campground — Ferne Clyffe State Park

      4.3(16)27mi from HarrisburgRVs, Tents

      "Ferne Cliffe State Park is situated in the Shawnee National Forest, in the southern part of Illinois."

      "Dog friendly, pretty well spaced out campsites but some are used as paths with to get to farther back campsites. Good set up, not too close to neighbors and it’s heavily wooded in between."

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      6. Hayes Canyon Campground

      5.0(1)16mi from HarrisburgRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "A luxurious crowded but nice campsites older stalls cabins available great trails and maps available store and cowboy church. Permanent sites available"

      from $15 - $32 / night

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      7. Double M Campground

      5.0(1)17mi from HarrisburgRVs, Tents, Cabins
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      8. Gun Creek

      4.7(22)32mi from Harrisburg100 sitesRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "One of the first campgrounds that you come to at Rend Lake when you get off the highway, this campground has lots of positives and few negatives."

      "The lake had the most amazing sunset! Everyone is super friendly and we recommend the blue jay loop for best views and swimming access to the lake."

      from $20 - $30 / night

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      9. Bear Branch Campground

      3.0(2)17mi from HarrisburgRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "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

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      10. South Sandusky Campground

      4.7(19)32mi from Harrisburg128 sitesRVs, Tents, Glamping

      "North and South Sandusky campground is located in southern Illinois on Rend Lake. It is a large state park with tons to do. From boating and swimming to hiking and relaxing."

      "Well maintained on beautiful Rend Lake in southern Illinois. Reservations accepted on reservation.gov. Walk ins also welcome."

      from $16 - $28 / night

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    Recent Equestrian Camping Photos near Harrisburg, IL

    2 Photos of 22 Harrisburg Campgrounds

    Equestrian Camping Reviews near Harrisburg, IL

    213 Reviews of 22 Harrisburg Campgrounds

    • Michael M.
      Oct. 23, 2017

      Giant City State Park Campground

      Campground Improving in 2017

      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.

    • d
      May. 29, 2019

      Little Lusk Trail Lodge & Campground

      A beautiful equestrian lodge and campground. Ride out of several trail hea

      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.

    • Jessica T.
      Sep. 3, 2025

      Shawnee Forest Campground

      Great spot for location

      Overall we’ve really enjoyed our stay. Came over the Labor Day weekend and staying a week. Super friendly camp host, conveniently located off the interstate and feels pretty secure and tranquil. I will say some of the gravel was washed out which is surprising given how dry it’s been. A little noisy at night with the interstate in the distance but we’d expected that. Only thing we wish we would’ve known about was the paving of the road happening directly outside of the park. They obviously can’t control that but a heads up would’ve been helpful. One day we couldn’t get out for a bit and thankfully we had flexible plans. Overall- it’s a great park with decent proximity to a lot of nature. Anna, Marion and Harrisburg are your best bets for restaurants and grocery etc. Vienna only has a dollar general and a few restaurants- a diner, longhorn cafe, Mexican restaurant and Family Pizza- we tried the last one and it was good! Prepare for a 40 min wait time if picking up and it gets packed if you want to dine in. Would def stay here again to visit Shawnee.

    • A
      Aug. 12, 2018

      High Knob Campgrounds

      Lots of trails

      deffinitly caters to equestrians, my only complaint is the shower houses. The potty area is clean but showers are usually kinda gross. Love the sites most have a little shade and the stallsa are nice and safe. The trails are great maps available some trails need marked a bit better.

    • Anton T.
      Jul. 31, 2016

      Deer Ridge Campground — Ferne Clyffe State Park

      Ferne Cliffe State Park

      Ferne Cliffe State Park is situated in the Shawnee National Forest, in the southern part of Illinois. It is not among the best known parks, and its distance from bigger cities makes it more obscure and less frequented than other places I have visited. The campground is small, situated on a limestone bluff which is cut by a small rivulet and some seasonal small waterfalls. The area is really a hidden gem - one has to hike down to discover the natural canyon with the awesome sites. The campground is clean and well maintained. A site of interest nearby is the Garden of the Gods wilderness, which 300 million years ago was the bottom of a sea. The whole area was spared by the glacier activity, yet the weathering of the rocks has given us a sandstone plateau with numerous hoodoos. Close nearby are also Cave in Rock and Land Between the Lakes, both worth seeing.

    • Shelly S.The Dyrt Pro User
      Jun. 21, 2018

      High Knob Campgrounds

      The way to travel

      High Knob is a Horse campground in Shawnee National Forest near Garden of the Gods off Il1. The entire area has extensive trails through some awesome, hilly, rocky, cliffy areas. There are some excellent things to see. The trail traverses some of the River to River trail that meanders through the area. There used to be an annual ride through “One Horse Gap” I don’t know if it’s still a thing. 

      The campground has options in addition to sleeping in your rig, cabins, travel trailers and a “hotel” . There’s also stalls and tie outs in the area you park in. A good staging area for Shawnee NF treks with several trailheads to pick from. Groups can set up in here and either stage or use it as base camp. Quiet , depending on who you are camping with, all amenities available on site too. (showers, laundry, store)

      We enjoyed the trails though we went no where near as far as the horse people do. (There is so much to see, we have been going to Shawnee NF for over 20 years but I still find something or somewhere new almost every visit.)

    • Moishe F.
      Jul. 9, 2026

      Little Lusk Trail Lodge & Campground

      Peaceful camping night

      We were on our hike in Shawnee National Forest, and we found this campground. And it was an amazing experience. It has a beautiful view of the sunset, and there are ponds. There are horses on the property, and it’s very cheap for tent camping. 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

    • Cindy C.
      Aug. 7, 2018

      South Sandusky Campground

      Wonderful for all ages. Located on Rend Lake Illinois.

      North and South Sandusky campground is located in southern Illinois on Rend Lake. It is a large state park with tons to do. From boating and swimming to hiking and relaxing. The sites have many areas that fit different needs. I have stayed this year in both. My site at North Sandusky was on the water and I could pull my pontoon right behind my campsite. The kids were close enough to the bathrooms and showers to walk. And there was fresh water located there as well. There was a park a bit further down the way as well. But no need as the lake was in the backyard.

      South sandusky site was across from a park, bathrooms, showers and water. The beach was a 2 mi hike on a beautiful trail. But we could walk across the street to a fishing swimming spot as well.

      The beach is super clean and monitored well.

      The bathrooms were cleaned every morning before 7 am. Water had great pressure and was always nice and hot.

      I love these campgrounds and can’t wait to go back.

    • M
      Aug. 19, 2018

      South Sandusky Campground

      Picture perfect

      Full hookups to tent camping and spacious sites. This is a Corps of Engineer Campground so bring your America the Beautiful pass! Well maintained on beautiful Rend Lake in southern Illinois. Reservations accepted on reservation.gov. Walk ins also welcome.

    Guide to Harrisburg

    Equestrian camping opportunities surround the Shawnee National Forest region near Harrisburg, Illinois. Located in the southern portion of Illinois, this area features rolling hills, limestone bluffs, and densely forested terrain with elevations ranging from 300-1,000 feet. Winter temperatures typically range from 20°F to 40°F, while summer months see averages between 70°F and 90°F with moderate humidity.

    What to do

    Trail riding access points: Shawnee Forest Campground serves as a convenient base for accessing multiple trail systems. "It's a great park with decent proximity to a lot of nature. Anna, Marion and Harrisburg are your best bets for restaurants and grocery etc," notes Jessica T. who visited Shawnee Forest Campground.

    Fishing opportunities: Many campgrounds provide direct lake access for fishing enthusiasts. "They have a small lake and two ponds for fishing," reports MickandKarla W. about their stay at Shawnee Forest Campground.

    Hiking networks: Campers can enjoy various hiking trails throughout the region. "There are some excellent things to see. The trail traverses some of the River to River trail that meanders through the area," mentions Shelly S. from her experience at High Knob Campgrounds.

    What campers like

    Spacious sites: Campsites typically offer ample room for equestrian setups. "Campsites are spacious and can accommodate very large rigs with high lines behind sites. Stalls can be reserved," shares dana W. about Little Lusk Trail Lodge & Campground.

    Convenient access: Many locations provide easy highway access while maintaining natural settings. "Super convenient to 24 but not too close that it is loud. There is no playground or pool. The sites are loose gravel and not level front to back, so you need to unhook," Greg S. mentions about Shawnee Forest Campground.

    Clean facilities: Campgrounds maintain good shower and restroom facilities. "The bathrooms were a short walk across the road and up the slope from site 30," notes Susan L. about Gun Creek campground, while another camper mentions, "Absolutely must check how level the spots are before you book, as lots of sites are over 4 inch incline."

    What you should know

    Seasonal considerations: Weather conditions vary significantly throughout the year. "It's sometimes pretty rocky in the water so we usually wear water shoes," advises Gina J. about swimming at South Sandusky Campground.

    Reservation requirements: Popular equestrian campgrounds fill quickly during peak seasons. "When we arrived after our 15 hour drive, someone decided to park in our site. Once they moved we were able to start putting up our tent," reports Tori P. at Shawnee Forest Campground, highlighting the importance of confirmed reservations.

    Limited cell service: Some areas have restricted connectivity. "Very little cell phone signal," notes Olivia S. about her camping experience, making it important to download maps or information before arrival.

    Tips for camping with families

    Playgrounds and activities: Several campgrounds offer family-friendly amenities. "There are 3 playgrounds through out the campground. They have various events through the summer season with a big Halloween event in the fall," shares Olivia S. about Harmonie State Park Campground.

    Swimming options: Lakes and pools provide cooling options during summer months. "Nice clean campground. Most sites are pretty large. Nice pool with water slide," mentions Kristene B. about Harmonie State Park.

    Wildlife awareness: Be prepared for wildlife encounters. "Our only problem was 1 or more raccoons kept coming into our site. We shooed them away but they kept coming back," warns Barbie G. about her family's experience camping in the region.

    Tips from RVers

    Site leveling: Many campsites require adjustment for RV parking. "Our site was not level and with all the rain we had, there were water puddles at the steps," notes MickandKarla W. about their experience at Shawnee Forest Campground.

    Hookup locations: Pay attention to utility placement when selecting sites. "The water and electric (50/30/20 AMP) are at the back of the gravel pad. There are two sewer hookups, which was nice," shares MickandKarla W. about Deer Ridge Campground.

    Quiet time enforcement: Campgrounds maintain quiet hours for peaceful stays. "They have quiet hours from 10-6 and the bathrooms and showers are always really clean," reports Gina J. about South Sandusky Campground.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Harrisburg, IL?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Harrisburg, IL is Little Lusk Trail Lodge & Campground with a 4-star rating from 4 reviews.

    What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Harrisburg, IL?

    TheDyrt.com has all 22 equestrian camping locations near Harrisburg, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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