Best Cabin Camping near Lake Shelbyville

We've been camping at Coon Creek, on a beautiful Lake Shelbyville, for a few years now, the place is perfect for family vacations. And that's exactly what we do. Gather 10-12 of us, reserve a buddy site, so we can all be on one campsite (big enough to fit 5 tents and an RV). If you have a small group and want to get a small site, there are plenty of those. Some even with lake views. The campground is really big, with tons of different sites. Some are closer to each other, but still very private. Nestled in trees. Equipped in fire pits, and lantern posts. Gravel surfaces, with grass around. The site we always get, is situated along the camp road, but once we are set up, it becomes very private. there is no one in a close proximity, just the road traffic. Which is not bad at all. Good overflow parking, perfectly hidden in the trees. Showers and toilets are in great condition, and usually very clean. Well maintained campground. Illinois is pretty boring, and I know this web site is for more remote camping, but all facts considered, if you're looking for a camping getaway, in Chicago area, only about 4 hours drive (south on I-57) - this is a perfect place for you. Lithia Springs Marina offers boat rentals, we usually get a 12 person pontoon boat for few days, to cruise the 26 mile long lake, or chill in one of many, many beautiful coves. Coon Creek is not too far from town of Shelbyville, where you can stock up on camping food, and beverages. Also few quick-bite restaurants in town. There might be some hiking and biking trails, visit the website for more information. You can book on reserveamerica.com.

Nice big spots. 30 and 50 amp available. Right on lake Shelbyville. 309 spots 141 are reservable

There are many sites on this campground that are wooded and have views of Lake Shelbyville. Boat ramp to put in your boat or kayaks and sand beach for the kids to go swimming. We had the spot right on the end by the lake. What a beautiful site! Some sites you can reserve and some are walk in only. Call ahead. Also has camp store just outside campground in case you need something or the kids want a frozen treat! Due to proximity to water and amount of shade, this is my favorite campground.

Lake Shelbyville has never disappointed us as a family. This is our third time here and our first time at Coon Creek. We chose a buddy site even though we weren't camping with another family because we like the location. It was right at the end of the peninsula, and it is by far the biggest and beautiful site we have ever stayed in. There are several paths down to the waters edge and the beach, lots of little hiking, tons of Geocaching, and a great little beach That my son really like to swim and even if we thought it was a little dirty. Very warm water. The sites are mostly gravel and level. The only thing I would say is make sure that you bring a screen tent for eating outside as the bugs really get bad at night. They email you a pre-check in form so it was really easy to register and get to our site. Overall every site we've been to at this lake is incredible.

I have camped here in a motorhome with full hookups and tent camped as well.

The camp sites are divided into many loops and have side pullin sites and backin sites. The RV and tent sites are grouped in the same loops and there are many that have trails from the site right to the lake and people leave the boat near the campsite but still on the water. The restrooms and shower houses are clean as all the Lake Shelbyville campgrounds are maintained by the Corps of Engineers. This campground is very busy in the prime camping season, but if you are camping with a group and have a boat this is the place to go. There are several buddy sites here that are set up very well for groups of RV's and tents camping together. There are a few isolated sites on corners of loops, but most are fairly close together. There is a swimming beach here and lots of boat traffic, but quiet hours are observed, so you can get a good night's sleep before an action packed day on the lake. The fishing is good if you have a boat, but there is very little bank fishing areas available. Part of the campground is open after Labor Day, but the main season is Memorial day to Labor day.

Just finished our second trip/vacation here. We stayed in the rental cabins, but are in the waiting list for a seasonal site. Right next to the lake. Plenty of room for everyone, from tents to the massive RVs. The pool very clean and never gets over crowded. Staff are knowledgeable and polite. Friendly/quiet dogs allowed. Wonderful pirate ship playground. Weekend activities for the kids. Electric golf carts allowed. Very inexpensive compared to campgrounds closer to me.

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I sometimes get to test products. On our last camping trip to Lake Shelbyville, we stayed at Coon Creek Recreational Area, and I had the pleasure of testing out and evaluating the LEDLENSER, MH2, Headlamp.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW

We found this head lamp to be perfect for our campsite at Coon Creek Recreational Area as we were at the end of a peninsula, with paths all around us to explore! The gravel sites are surrounded by trees and depending on the site you choose, you can see the lake from your site. The campground has a very large playground, a great beach for swimming, a trail for hiking, tons of fishing spots, and lots of up and down roads for great bike riding. Overall, the campground is peaceful, clean, and well maintained. It’s one of our personal favorites so far!

PRODUCT REVIEW

To begin, the quality of the LEDLENSER, MH2, Outdoor series Headlamp is amazing. Strong, but comfortable head band (although it can get a little sweaty under the band if the temperature is hot outside). My son and I were easily able to adjust it to fit both our heads in a matter of seconds.

The headlamp came in handy during the early morning fishing hours when the sun wasn’t fully up. We were able to see, and avoid, all the spider webs in our path. The range on the headlamp is incredible! I was able to see at least 250-300 feet in front of us, and the span of the light ranges from about 100 feet or more to about the size of a basketball. You can easily adjust the light span by a small dial on the front of the headlamp.

The on/off, and intensity switch, is also easily accessible right on the top of lamp, and fairly easy to depress, although my nine year old son said he had to push down really hard to use the button.

At night, I was able to switch on the headlamp quickly and explore the area for glowing eyes, after hearing sticks breaking and other eerie nighttime noises. I found the headlamp to be very useful for other mundane things too, like just needing a flashlight for a second. It’s light, small, convenient to pocket, and it definitely packs a punch when it comes to illuminating your surroundings.

Overall, this headlamp has made its permanent home with our camping gear, and we plan to use it on every camping trip in the future!

Low price. Nice site managers. LOTS of graffiti. AC in cabin only cools front room

If you love fishing or enjoying sunsets on a quiet lake then this campground is for you. Spacious shaded sites with many sitting right on the lake. There are even cabins to rent if that’s more your speed!

Beautiful state owned campground that is well maintained and has everything you could want including mostly shaded sites that are level and have plenty of room and many sit right on the lake. There are even cabins to rent in the hickory point campground.

This park is pretty quiet, the lake itself looked nasty - no swimming allowed. Primitive sites were walk in. Other sites had electric. There were some cabins available. The bathrooms were not cleaned the whole time I was there, and they were disgusting. Showers required a push button activation every 10-15 seconds, but after About the 10th time I did get a little hot water.

I have been here hiking many times but camped only 1 time in July of 2017. There are good campsite for both RVs and tent camping with clean restrooms and shower house. The park and trails are usually busy since the park is near the Eastern Illinois University. The no-drinking campground prevents many noisy student campouts. The hiking trails are some of the best in the state because the glaciers dropped of mountains of soil in the area where this park is located. The surrounding farm land is flat as can be, but the forested hills and creek beds in the park are almost mountainous. Bring everything you need for the weekend with you, there are no businesses close to the park. This is a great place for day hiking and a weekend getaway.

This is a KOA Journey, it is right off the interstate in a nice little town in East Central Illinois. It has full hookup, and electric and water sites.
The ground seems pretty level throughout the entire place so getting your rig setup should be fairly easy. The sites are pretty close together but I expect that at a commercial type campground. The staff was nice and responsive when needed. The playground is old and could use an upgrade along with the recreation room. The pool was nice and well maintained and so are the showers and restrooms. But the shower house does not have AC so keep that in mind.
Overall it’s a nice get away we did stay on Labor Day weekend so there a lot of people coming and going but it worked for us and the kids enjoyed themselves.

A great little park close to Eastern Illinois university. A great place to camp with family and friends.

Great little campground close to Charleston and Eastern Illinois University. Not really anywhere to fish close, but nice quite park.

This is a real nice small park. Each site has great privacy and has very spacious sites. Close to Eastern Illinois University and lake Charleston which has trails.

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

I visited Fox Ridge frequently as a student of nearby Eastern Illinois University, but never camped there. We came back to visit campus and stayed in site #12 at Fox Ridge.

All sites were spacious and shaded. We did not use any of the facilities but were impressed with how secluded our campsite felt. Each site is Isolated by trees and growth and the entire camoground is shaded.

There are plenty of trails in the park and things to do in the area. Be sure to check out the Worlds Fastest Soda Machine in Lerna, IL!