Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Jacksonville, IL

The bathrooms here were heated and sparkling clean. Our Starlink had zero obstructions worked lightening fast. We LOVED having a dog park to exercise our dogs daily!

Great location, close to all the Springfield attractions and Slauterhaus Brewing in Auburn, IL (this is the best brewery nearby, better than Buzz Bomb or Obed & Issacs in town!).

This is our favorite campground in central Illinios. It is family and pet friendly. The owners are fantastic, friendly and caring. They keep the grounds in great shape and always have fun activities to participate in.

We only stayed for one night in our way north but we will return. Nice level site, pull.through for overnighters (thank you) lots of grass and walking areas for pets, pool, playground etc. friendly service and a welcoming place

We loved this campground. Was all paved sites and roads. Pretty level sites. Utilities harder to get to but all in all a great family campground. Pet friendly. Not 5 stars since we had to leave a day early due to weather. Not their fault but sites became a lake and couldn’t even step outside. Barely any AT&T service. Couldn’t use phone as hotspot at all.

Great place to stay and feel part of the community.  Pretty scenery to walk around.  Plenty of lakes/ponds to fish.  We couldn't boat while there due to COVID but look forward to going back and taking our kayaks.  Attentive and Friendly camp hosts. Pet friendly. Close to town if you've forgotten anything or want to have a restaurant dinner. Close to the highway for easy access.  Full hookup available. Monthly or Season also available.

a couple cute trails and 1 nice little campground that you can pitch a tent in or drive your RV too. close to the beautiful historic New Salem Village. my dog and I love it here!

Nice campground with most spots directly at the waterfront. Easy self check in this time if the year and not busy at all. It was a perfect overnight stop on the way south. One star less due to some strange long term campers and a bad experience with a unleashed dog at night on the way to the restroom.

We stayed here in order to visit Springfield, Illinois, and we really enjoyed this spot. The sites are a good size, the campground is easily accessible from the highway, and there are nice amenities. We would definitely stay here again.

I was nervous to camp here due to the bad reveiws about the owner yelling at people and calling the police. We just got a new 40ft 5th wheel and we had never taken our previous camper to a campground. We're pretty much newbies. Check in was ok. They kept radioing the front desk worker changing the spot she was to put us in. When we got to our spot it was blocked. I had to call about 7 or 8 times to get anyone to answer to find out what to do. I was so worried the owner was going to come and get angry. Someone finally answered, the owner came over and was very friendly. We got parked and settled. It rained a lot while we were here and of course our stairs landed right in a mud puddle but it was mostly well drained and clear water on the gravel. The gravel could be a bit thicker but it was decent. The shower house was clean bit cold. Heater was set to 55. I'm sure not many use the shower house this time of year. We had a lot of dirty towel from cleaning our dogs paws so much so we wanted to wash a load of towels. It took over 3 hours to dry out towels. Eek. But so far so good.

This quiet little campground had some hidden trails that would not expect to find in Illinois. The sites were shady and spaced out for some privacy. The woods around the lake make it a fun spot to explore with families The campground was quiet which lead to the enjoyment.

This campground has changed owners multiple times, and is sorely in need of renovation.  The sites are sunk down, poorly rocked and extremely narrow.  The majority of sites are backup only, which is a recipe for disaster with all of the rain central Illinois has had this Spring.  Be prepared for mud and standing water.  4wd a must

https://camp.exploremoreil.com/ 84 electric RV sites all reservable except 21 First Come sites. 18 sites are full hookup. Several 50 amp sites but majority are 30 amp. Modern Shower house and 7 Vault toilet buildings. Newer Campground so Shade Trees are smaller still. Have camped here 4 times past 3 years. Like the quite agricultural Illinois environment but suggest shopping for your needs prior to leaving larger cities as most of the few small towns are limited to a Bar and Dollar store.

This site was so much better than what I was expecting! My friend, Kari, her 3 Doodles, my Beagle, and I camped out the first night in the group section, because there's hardly anyone there and we got there too late in the day to actually start hiking. In the morning, we loaded up our packs, put the little packs on the dogs (they have to carry their own food and water), and headed up the Red Oak Backpacking Trail. I don't know if we started at the beginning or not, but we parked by a little wooden bridge and the hill to start off our adventure kinda kicked my ass a little bit. After we made it up the initial incline, the landscape was beautiful and varied from flat areas to valleys and some creeks (which I was very thankful for after a few hours in 90° and 25 lbs on my back). We ended up setting up camp at a spot we thought was nice just before it got dark, because we didn't know where or how much further the primitive hike-in campsites were. The next day, we figured it out, but we wouldn't have made it there before dark. Towards the end, there were stairs built into the earth that were way too difficult to manage when your legs are jelly and your pack is heavy, so it was almost easier trying to take the side of the stairs and make your own little path, so just a heads up there. We had so much fun the whole time and I can't wait to go back for some snow camping later this year (they are open year round)!!!

This review is for the backpacking campsites within the Sand Ridge forest. The trail is a mix of sand and soil. It’s quite an unexpected discovery in Illinois. We didn’t see anyone else on the trail but we saw cars parked so hikers were out there. 

We stopped at 2 different campsites. They are just a short distance off the trail. Each was a small clearing with forest right up to the edge. A fire pit is also available. All the backpacking sites were empty so it seems that lots of options are possible. 

We didn’t come across water sources so we asked the ranger. He pointed out a couple spots the have spigots or hand pumps. Be sure to have a water supply before heading out. 

The longest loop is just under 15 miles but you can do different loops together to increase mileage. There is prickly pear in this area so be careful where you step. We also were told to avoid a trail because it was sandy and a tough climb. The man said he breaks horses by riding them up the hill. If this is a concern, I recommend asking around to find the best trail for you.

This is a hidden gem right in the middle of Illinois.

Stayed at spot A1 (near the entrance). Gorgeous little campground. I stayed here Dec. 9, 2021. Registration is just down the road and up the hill (take the main road west and a left at the fork). Facilities were clean, there was only one other camper there the night I stayed so it was super quiet, I will definitely stay here again on my next trip across Illinois. The only small bummer was the electrical box was locked when I got there, so I ended up dry camping. I was too tired to bother finding someone to unlock it. Slept great though.

Campground Review: 

This is a hidden gem! We camped immersed in a pine forest. Can you smell that fragrance? This is a nice size campground that feels larger because so few are camping here this weekend. 

Our site is up against the woods giving us a sense of being on our own. Vault toilets are clean and in a couple locations. We have two trees perfect for the hammock and yet enough sun to use the solar panels. 

One odd point is that we couldn’t find a way to pay. During office hours, you pay at the ranger’s place just down the road. We arrived late but he came around the next morning to check in everyone. He pointed out the 2 water pumps that work and we had a nice chat. 

The ranger directed us to hike the green trail. It touches on all the various ecosystems that are found here. It was a great hike and not that difficult at all. It just a short drive away. He also said to watch out for prickly pear as you roam the natural area. 

Another camper has been alternating camping here with backpacking to more remote spots. It’s good to have options. 

Backpacking, hiking, fishing, horses and hunting can all be done in this large nature area. 

Product Review: 

As a Dyrt Ranger I sometimes get products to evaluate. This trip I tested out the Horizon hat by Banner and Oak. 

The Freedom to Explore hat has material over the entire head (not mesh like many other hats of this type). This caught my eye since my lack of hair requires sun protection. I was perfectly happy with this hat. The material is soft and it adjusted to fit perfectly. It was a comfort to know my head was protected. 

A side job I asked of it was swatting away all the spiderwebs. We were the first on the trail and they were everywhere! Banner and Oak to the rescue! Their hat slipped on and off easily as I quickly swung it into action.

(Side comment: the Banner and Oak carabiner was great at being a second attachment for my dog’s leash. She broke the metal on her last harness and it’s nice having some reassurance) 

I’m recommending this Banner and Oak hat! It works beautifully and carries a message to encourage everyone to find the courage to get outside.