Lincoln is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Lincoln is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Lincoln. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
"Near the back you can camp right alongside the river.
Amenities are minimal, there are just port-a-potties for restrooms but they are very clean."
"When Unhitching if there is anyone waiting to drive by, you feel kind of rushed. Don’t let it make you forget wheel chocks or something important. They have a nice pond."
"We stayed here last year and will likely stay there again this year when we are back in Illinois. The park has two sides, one side closer to the stage."
$10 - $30 / night
"We stayed in the J loop, which was more family friendly and very close to the beach."
"Some walking trails. Beach is nice to have, does cost to get in. Restaurant on site is good! Big nice lake if you have a boat/kayak or like to swim or fish. Pretty lake area in general."
"Comlara is a beautifully laid out hidden gem in Illinois. Evergreen Lake is the perfect back drop to the campground."
"Lots of grass and wooded area tons of great trails multiple places to fish, swim beach, I think I saw two different parks."
"These walk in sites check all the boxes. At the western part of the RV loop, is a peninsula of primitive tent camping spots to choose from. "
"Most sites have lake views and have electric hookup but no water hookup. However communal bathrooms and showers are clean. Sites are fairly close together tough."
$20 - $50 / night
"We were looking for somewhere last minute on the 4th of July and we were welcomed here. All RV/ camper sites are close to the bath and shower houses."
"Lots of fun trails with great views! Most trails are accessible from the parking area. Good for pictures at sunrise and sunset!"
$10 - $25 / night
"Friends Creek is a small campground with nice spacious sites and super clean bathhouses and pit toilets. The fire pits are well kept and the camp host was very kind!"
"In mid-Illinois a campground waits for you. Well tended grassy sites with an impeccable grassy picnicking area. There was plenty of room in our site but most of the campground is empty."
"No trains, no interstate noise. It was great after a long day traveling. Bathrooms/showers are very clean& decorated nicely. Staff was courteous. Our site was fine."
"Springfield KOA is actually in Rochester, but it is only about 25 mins into Springfield and all the wonderful Lincoln historic sites."
$18 - $100 / night
"Perched on Upper Peoria Lake where the Illinois River conjoins, this family-friendly and pet-inviting lush camping outpost is completely surrounded by Spring Bay Fen Nature Reserve, absolutely guaranteeing"
"This place has beautiful views of illinois river. Nice sized campsites. Everything was clean and well taken care of! Not a lot of amenities, however that isn’t what camping is all about!"
"is formed where Upper Lake Peoria meets the Illinois River."
"Along the Illinois River. Includes showers and laundry house."
LegendThis waterfront campground is perfect for anglers and particularly boaters who want to have their vessels close at hand, tied up at the marina, providing quick and EZ access to a fresh body of water that is formed where Upper Lake Peoria meets the Illinois River. For campers who want to get away from it all, while still being within close driving distance to civilization, Carl Spindler offers the convenience of a nearby major city (Peoria) while still providing a decent escape for some rest & relaxation within a fairly decent vicinity to nature. The best part about this lakefront getaway – apart from the incredibly cheap prices for an overnight stay – was hands down, the very friendly staff who offer up everyone a very strong dose of Midwestern hospitality.
This pet-friendly CG offers a lot of amenities including: FHUs featuring electric, water and sewage as well as playground, community fire pit, restroom and shower facility that are in pretty good (not pristine) condition, laundry, fresh tap water, boat launch, 2 dump stations, WiFi (although very poor connection) and a beachhead. All sites are very level here and come with a picnic table, fire ring and electric, while a good number of the RV slots have a combination of electric amp options in addition to water and sewage hook-ups. At the marina, you can purchase ice, small sundries and camping supplies and / or simply use this spot to launch your boat, kayak or canoe from. There’s also options to rent a slip, store your boat and / or trailer for the winter. There’s even a deluxe cabin to rent in case you don’t have a tent or RV.
While most of Carl Spindler is designed more for the RV-driving or 5th Wheel toting kind – and to be honest, some of these look like longer-term residents and / or traveling professionals – offering up some 55 individual slots (some of which I would definitely describe as ‘very snug’), this outfit does provide 2 different options for decent camp sites with me tent pitchin’ bredren in mind, both of which sit right in front of the Illinois River. In these areas, and actually for the entire campground, there’s not much (if any) shade, tree cover or brush that contributes to an overall lack of privacy – so whatever your activities might be, you and your camping brood will be on full display to the rest of the campground. At least if you chose to set up your tent over in the primitive camping area, this area is still pretty underdeveloped (for now), so over in these parts, you’ll have a greater feeling of solitude, peace & quiet.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you’d like to knock some pins down while slurping some delicious local cold brew, head on over to Landmark Bowling Center; (2) Should you be looking for some decent trails to hike check out nearby Powerton Lake State Park; (3) You will want to time your sundowners correctly, because if you do, you’ll be sipping Mai Tais leaning back in your camp chair listening to some Amy Winehouse watching the sun set in the west over the Illinois River as the twinkling stars come out to shine their brightest all with a crackling bonfire keeping you warm and lit on a gorgeous Midwestern night; (4) While I always pack a long 100 foot electrical cord for all of my electricity needs, I’ve never had to use it, except here, where the electrical outlet in the primitive tent camping area is shared by all 4 sites and ours was the furthest away – so we got lucky; and (5) In the event that you grow weary of conjuring up that next meal from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler or onboard mini-fridge and want to check out some local flavor, there’s a handful of options, but all will require a bit of a drive, of which I highly recommend Avanti’s Ristorante for their excellent pizza and Italian subs, the Blue Duck BBQ Tavern for outstanding smoked brisket and Obed & Issacs Microbewery for the finest local taps as well as their signature dish, Kitchen Sink Pie (don’t ask, just order).
Happy Camping!
GuideWe were late reserving a campsite for Memorial Day Weekend. But Don had a spot for us. We are glad we stayed.
The campground sits along the Illinois River: many campsites face it. It's secluded and quiet. Campsites are spacious and well-distanced.
There is much to do on site. The campground is situated between a nature preserve with nice walking paths and a beach. There is also an old barge to explore.
A little further away is Old Mill Vineyard. Well worth the 20 minute drive! The wine and ambiance are very nice. Ask for Ellen.
The campground only had two restrooms available during our stay. But they were nice. And don't forget your RV water filter! The water here is very rusty.
LegendIf you want to visit Peoria, this is an ideal place to stay. The campground is part of a marina on the Illinois River and not too far from downtown. We wanted to stay here so we could visit the Caterpillar Visitor Center which is totally worth the visit.
We visited the park in November and since it was the shoulder season the park was not very crowded. The park is open year-round and you will find more seasonal people during the off season. They close most of the park in the winter time which only leaves 22 paved sites available. Otherwise, they offer a mix of paved, full hook-up sites or electric only sites. Sites that are close to the river have a great view of the skyline at night and if you don’t mind having just electric and being on sand these are great sites. There is a small beach area where you can access the water and a community fire pit which seemed to draw a lot of people in the evening.
The park has shower/bath house that was clean as were the laundry facilities. Wifi was non-existent but our Verizon 4G phone and hotspot worked well. We were able to get a decent number of antenna television channels. The roads are paved and easy for us to navigate in our 45’ RV. Our site was paved with a picnic table and fire pit and all the hook-ups worked well.
We enjoyed the short nature trail that leaves directly from the area. The trail starts off as a boardwalk over an interesting marsh area and then transitions to a primitive trail eventually leading you to the lake shoreline. This was a great walk for our black lab who loves trails and water. Of the four times we walked the trail we only encountered people once. After a heavy rain, the low lying areas of the trail were pretty muddy so wear appropriate shoes.
The nice aspects of this park were the location to downtown Peoria, the pretty view of the skyline and the access to water if you want to kayak, fish, or swim. The price of $27/night for full hook-up was a great rate. The downside of this campground is that sites are close and there is a bit of road noise. There are a lot of seasonal people who were up and going to work in the morning which may bother late sleepers but meant for a quiet campground during the day.
GuideThese walk in sites check all the boxes. At the western part of the RV loop, is a peninsula of primitive tent camping spots to choose from. About half the sites were filled by the second day we were there. We settled on 62, which is spacious and provides access to the path from the front and behind where you can walk into site 64 as well. A parking area with a single spot for each camp site is well marked and by two vault toilets. Park staff and host were great. A decent fishing spot is just in front of site 64. $8 for IL residents is hard to beat, if you don't need an RV spot with electric. A water source is also by the parking spots. The weekend we were there the weather had cooled some and a great breeze was coming off the lake. Springfield being so close is a bonus.
The only negative is like any spot and how previous people leave the camp looking before you are there. Some garbage in the fire pit and random spots are par for the course in any state park. Pick up the trash and dump it in the dumpster by the parking lot. Leave the site better than you found it is our motto.
GuideWe may have set the bar too high with our first camping trip. Comlara is a beautifully laid out hidden gem in Illinois. Evergreen Lake is the perfect back drop to the campground. Although we don’t fish, we saw many people fishing from the shore line and enjoying the water in boats and canoes. There is a designated swimming area (beach), but it wasn’t open at this time. There are many hiking and walking trails within the park that are within driving distance of the campground. There is one main shower house and several single outhouse style men/women bathrooms scattered throughout. The showers were very adequate, nothing fancy, but serve their purpose. There are fire pits and picnic tables at each site along with 30 or 50 amp hookups. Some have shared water hookups nearby also. There is also a typical dump station and potable water by it.
The camp sites are spread apart nicely with some moderate elevation change giving many great views of the lake. All campsite pads were gravel and the access roads were paved. Site 40 where we stayed was right by the lake and absolutely beautiful!
ScoutThe layout is fairly straightforward here, entrance has a spot for firewood purchase (honor system) and then the dumpsters. So getting to firewood and garbage will take a little time if you're toward the back of the park.
Many spots for RV/campers, and as you venture further in, you'll find large open fields with camping spots - some are electric or not, so check while you reserve. The open field camping really lends itself to a community feel, some people have wonderful setups and especially at night, the more luxurious configurations attract the kiddos to checkout. People overall very considerate and nice, welcoming, friendly. VERY family oriented atmosphere - there was no nonsense loud drunkards in the evenings, relatively quiet and relaxing. This was a huge bonus to us, as we had younger kids and loud idiots would have freaked them out.
We reserved site 111, which had a nice long concrete pad for parking cars on - fits easily 2-3 cars. Firepit, a tree, pretty standard stuff. Close to the bathrooms.
Bathrooms are a basic affair, typical dirtyish campground pit toilets. Don't expect much, bring cleaning wipes etc if you want to help neaten the place up a bit.
If you're more into wooded areas/seclusion while camping, this place has them too - see site 123 or 124, along the lake - on reservations those are the square sites, not long rectangles. You'll be near the lake, probably could walk in and out of the lake if you wanted.
Site 123 in particular is directly across from the bathroom, but has thick wooded areas to keep things private and well shaded...but with an open area for some suntanning or whatever. We wandered over to 123 from 111 to see what it was like, and were so impressed we reserved it for this year.
LegendPerched on Upper Peoria Lake where the Illinois River conjoins, this family-friendly and pet-inviting lush camping outpost is completely surrounded by Spring Bay Fen Nature Reserve, absolutely guaranteeing a sublime encounter with nature on top of offering direct waterfront sites that will frame one of the most beautiful sunsets as you look west to Peoria during Happy Hour. In all, there’s about 80 sites – all of which are incredibly spacious, unlike a lot of other RV parks – to choose from at Millpoint, where a slow meandering gravel lane will have you navigating around the campground where you’ll take good note of the excellent shade that is provided everywhere.
From an amenity standpoint, Millpoint Park packs a punch with a combination of back-in and pull-thru sites offering up standard water, sewage and electric hook-ups, relatively new picnic tables and in-ground fire rings as well as a designated dumpster upon exiting the grounds. There’s a fantastic boat launch that will have you fishing, kayaking and experiencing this body of fresh water shortly after you anchor into your spot for the night. In fact, you don’t even need to get into a boat, by accessing one of 2 small little lakes where you can simply cast a line in from the dock or around the perimeter. The meticulously clean restroom / bath house facility is located near the front adjacent to the main office, where next to this are 3 cabins that can be rented, just in case you forgot your tent or RV. Additionally, there’s decent hiking paths to explore both north and south of the property, with the latter offering up a small beachhead at Funks Run. The place also sells firewood, but if you need anything else, you’ll need to head south towards town where there’s no shortage of shops and restaurants.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you are a tent camper, there’s 3-4 designated areas for primitive camping, but if you’d like something less primitive and with access to water and electricity, then book yourself into one of the 5 designated tent sites: #233-#237, of which I recommend #236 and #237 as they have a small waterfront area flanking the southern perimeter; (2) The water here has a lot of iron in it, so don’t attempt to drink it, but according to the locals, it’s fine to shower in, so I would encourage you to bring a decent amount of bottled water with you; (3) If you haven’t camped out here in central Illinois during the summer, you will want to bring good DEET spray to keep the ticks away as well as hard-core smoke or scent-fused candles that are peppermint, eucalyptus or lavender-scented to keep the gnats at bay; and (4) The owner, Don, is quite possibly one of the most accommodating and friendly campground owners I have ever met– so don’t be shy if you need anything at all during your stay, including a discount to his pizza restaurant.
Happy Camping!
TravelerFriends Creek is a small campground with nice spacious sites and super clean bathhouses and pit toilets. The fire pits are well kept and the camp host was very kind! He came around with suckers for the kids and just to check in. We hiked a bit on the trails and played in the creek. Highly recommend.
GuideOne of our favorite camping trips so far!
We stayed in the J loop, which was more family friendly and very close to the beach. There was a walking path from our site to the shore which was perfect for our young family to go back and forth on.
Sites were somewhat open but there were tons of trees and grass behind each spot so it didn’t feel so exposed. We loved the option for fishing and swimming in a nearby watering hole.
We heard the toilets/shower house were in need of TLC so we brought a portable toilet since we have small kids who would not make it to the outhouse so we never used the campground toilet/facilities.
Definitely our vibe of being more secluded and on the water.
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