Best RV Parks & Resorts near Johnston City, IL

Rend Lake is a large COE recreation area with 4 campgrounds, some with full hook ups for $28 a night, two dams, 2 beaches, several boat launches, a marina, golf course and a restaurant.  Not all facilities were open when we visited in March.  Hiking and biking trails and close to town for gas and bait.  Each site has a stone picnic table and fire ring.  Showers, bathrooms and  playgrounds in multiple places and convenient locations.  Some sites do have steep grade, originally booked Bluejay 48 and moved.

https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233504?tab=seasons

Wayne Fitzgerald State Park is on Rend Lake, just off I-57 in Southern Illinois. It’s a great place for camping, fishing and bikes. It’s convenient for a short stop if you are traveling through, or as a destination. Although it’s right off the interstate there is no traffic noise. The campground has 40 tent sites and over 240 modern campsites, which offer electrical hookups, water and sewer facilities. Modern sites are $20/night, with 30/50 amp service. Primitive sites are $6. There is no internet. There are a few pull through sites.. there is lots of room and the sites appear to be level. There are 3 shower buildings. Many sites can be reserved online. There is a playground, and boat ramp. The park has hunting, fishing, camping, picnicking, horseback riding, hiking and boating. there is a golf course nearby and a lodge. Rend Lake is well-known for crappie, particularly in the early spring, as well as largemouth bass, channel catfish and bluegill.

Paid $35 per night for 2 nights after our Passport America discount. Not sure it would have been worth the full price. Full hookups. 50amp, water (55psi), and sewer. Cell coverage for AT&T and Verizon were both adequate to stream and work. The check-in process was a bit slow. We kinda expected that since it took us a dozen calls just to get someone to pick up the phone to make a reservation. We were first in line at check-in and spent at least 10 minutes going over all sorts of rules and information. Luckily we showed up at 3:05pm because they charge $25 for "early check-in" any time before 3pm. We're full-time RVers and have stayed at nearly 140 campgrounds and that's the first time we've seen something before 3pm called "early" and that's a pretty steep price for check-in. Our entire section of the campground was empty. Our neighbors actually showed up at 2pm and opted to wait an hour in the parking lot to go to their un-occupied site rather than paying $25. But besides the check-in, the campground was beautiful. Plenty of tree cover. The roads are paved and easy to navigate. Many of the amenities are closed for covid but there were still people riding around on their bikes. Definitely a bike-centric park with trails and bike paths around. It's not located next door to Traverse City but it's not far to get to most things. We camped at Timber Ridge Campground & Recreation Resort in a Fifth Wheel.

Using your GPS of choice, you can reach this campground off I-57 via Benton or the IL-154/Sesser exit. The area includes both North Sandusky and South Sandusky COE campgrounds, clearly marked and easy to find. We arrived around 2:00 PM and found the check-in gate closed, but since we had a reservation, we proceeded directly to our back-in site 123 with full hookups. Most sites here offer water and electric (50/30/20 AMP), while the Dogwood loop features several full hookup sites in its upper section. Note that the loop has low-sloping ditches on both sides of the road, so precise backing is needed to land on the asphalt pad. There’s one full hookup pull-through site in the Dogwood loop—a long, slightly curved pad with sewer and power connections on the yard side, and water on the standard side. Both North and South Sandusky COE campgrounds offer a wide variety of site types, including lake views, varying utility setups, and well-spaced sites. Paved bike trails run throughout the area. We've been coming here for years, and this campground remains one of our favorites close to home.