Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Harrisburg, IL is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Harrisburg is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Find the best campgrounds near Harrisburg, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
$40 / night
"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."
$30 / night
"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. "
"I will be back next time I'm near shawnee."
"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."
"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."
$15 - $32 / night
"A luxurious crowded but nice campsites older stalls cabins available great trails and maps available store and cowboy church. Permanent sites available"
"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."
$18 - $30 / night
"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."
$30 - $200 / night
"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"
$16 - $26 / night
"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."
$20 - $30 / night
"It is located back in the hills, far off the highway. Very little cell phone signal. Very relaxing and enjoyable."
"Located in Southwest Indiana, about 40 miles from Evansville.
This is a typical Indiana State Park. Some sites are pretty close together, some are spacious."
RangerThere 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.
TravelerAddress: 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.
TravelerOverall 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.
Guidedeffinitly 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.
GuideFerne 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.
LegendHigh 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.)
TravelerNorth 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.
ScoutFull 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.
LegendCamp Cadiz in Shawnee National Forest was fun to find :) The GPS is a little off BUT it gets you in the area.
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.
IL1/Ohio River Scenic Byway(in Illinois, who knew;) off the ferry from the Kentucky side, not much phone signal in these parts so bring the old fashion paper map.
There is a sign for Camp Cadiz, trust the sign. Stay right onto the gravel road at the Y and you will pass JJ’s.
This is a very cool little basic campground with two stone fireplaces and several other sites with shade. A pit toilet and water source that’s about it.
This is a campground you wanna use if you like being off the beaten path out on your own. Would also be a good group outing.
This is the Eastern trailhead for the River to River trail , there is also a shorter trail , Beaver. Good one to practice your backpacking skills on. Very dark at night, bring your headlamp. Good times to be had ;)
Horse camping in Illinois offers a unique blend of scenic trails and well-equipped facilities for equestrian enthusiasts. With a variety of campgrounds catering specifically to horse camping, adventurers can enjoy the beauty of nature while ensuring their horses are well cared for.
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 Shawnee Forest Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 36 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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