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This recreation area is part of Lake Shelbyville
Ranger
Just to let everyone know this used to be a Great campground and boat ramp, but the campground closed 24 years ago. The boat ramp is still available, but the Corps of Engineers closed the Whitley Creek pay and free tent campgrounds in 1994. In 1980 - 1984 I used to camp 14 days a month in the free tent camping area which gave you access to the shower house in the pay electric sites area. This was a nice campground and my home 6 months out of the year when I was young and carefree. Now there is nothing left but camping memories and it is strange to walk through it. Check out the video clip to see what 24 years of forest growth looks like. I want to set the record straight here, so someone doesn't go looking on the website and expect to find an open campsite in this area while travelling. You'll need to go to Wolf Creek, Bo Woods or the Sullivan Marina campgrounds if you want to camp in this general area of Lake Shelbyville. The boat ramp is a good place to launch here because not very many people use this ramp. Photos taken October 11th 2017.
Legend
Camped here twice-once tent and once in new camper. Well kept campground. Nice lake-good fishing. RV sites fairly close together with not many/any trees for privacy. Tent sites a bit more spread apart however all traffic from campground routes by tent sites due to one way traffic. There are more hike in tent sites that would provide more rustic experience.
Traveler
Small. Quiet. Pretty. Two small lakes with fountains. You can hear the fountains at night, it's nice. Excellent price for tent camping.
Traveler
RV Park with 5 tent sites, a lake, small playground, and a dog run. The bathrooms and showers were very clean and well maintained.
The host was extremely friendly and helpful. Our reserved tent site was waterlogged from torrential rainstorms just before our arrival. He created a space for us that was elevated, dry, and actually more private than the original site.
Our only “problem” with the park can’t be changed. The interstate noise could be heard all night, and at times overpowered the sounds of nature. This is probably only an issue for tenters, though.
Guide
this has a 12 mile loop for backpackers to camp on (although be sure to register for it) and tent camping! it has a really cool look out tower. definitely recommend
Scout
Located on Lake Shelbyville, Bo Wood is an Army Co of Engineers park. Plenty of full hook ups and tent camping spots. Most by the lake. Well kept with bathroom and shower facilities, a playground and laundry.
ScoutWe tent camped for one night the weekend of Independence Day. Very quiet campground. Clean and spacious camping areas with a nice bathroom and multiple shower stalls. Bring firewood with you. We plan to stop again on our next road trip!
Guide
I live about 30 minutes from Kickapoo SP and anytime I feel I need to camp I head over. Great little campground in Central Illinois. Some pretty trails overlooking, beside, and sometimes through water. The RV sites are great for either rv, van, or tent camping with a lot of level ground at most sites. There are some real diamonds of a campsite hidden here that you can basically be in the woods with clear ground for a level tent. I love this simple campground and have brought a handful of friends here who also enjoyed it.
ScoutIt’s a shame that this park is located so close to a motor speedway! The Saturday night tent camping ambience was ruined by the sound of cars rounding a track at high speeds from about 8-10 pm.
Before you book here, make sure the nearby speedway doesn’t have an event.
Scout
We came on Memorial Day weekend so the campground was very full. It didn't feel too crowded though except when playing on the playground there were lots of kids and its not a very big play area. But it was fun for the kids to play with other kids.
While I wish the tent are and comfort station were closer to one another, the walk really wasn't all that bad from our campsite. I loved that the tent sites (especially as you go further back (like to sites 6-10 probably) just had a secluded woodsy feeling to them. I loved how convenient our site was though being right by our car and the road to the restrooms.
Some of the tent sites are close together with some having a little more seclusion. There are a lot of trees and plants with it being in the woods so this does help. But with the trail running right down the middle that cuts out a little of your privacy. But the seclusion is definitely better than the RV sites that we saw in the main big loop of the campground.
We walked a couple trails and they were lots of fun for us and the kids/dogs.
There is a STRICT no alcohol rule in the tent sites. A sign said coolers are subject to inspection, but from our experience and the vibe of the place, I don't see this really being an issue unless your group gets kind of rowdy ;)
All in all a great experience.
Guide
I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place until this year. The walk in tent sites are in a shady woody area and with lake views. Clean pit toilets, serene setting, and a really cool hike to an abandoned observatory. 🙌🏕
Traveler
First stop on a cross county trip. We were directed to Catfish Bay for tent camping. It was lightly drizzling and on an overcast day most of the tree-covered campsites were dark. There are some nice sites right on the water (be prepared to walk your gear in from parking lot). Site #21 was private, with more open sky and a shorter walk to parking/outhouse. The outhouse was in really rough shape--looked like it hadn't been swept out or hosed down for awhile. Won't be back.
TravelerWhat a great little hidden gem. I don't get the four star reviews. I have stayed a lots of campgrounds in my years, if you are tent camping or even Pop-Up or RV it is a five star for sure. If you are a big RV'r looking for cement pads, this is not the place for you, but for what it is, it is a five in my book. Facilities are very clean and the park is kept very clean. Fishing, boating, hiking, biking, camping. Enjoyed it completely. Maybe on the high side price wise, but loved it anyway.
ScoutWe went here with a group of tent campers sight unseen, so that’s always rolling the dice. We stayed until the main part where you could reserve online through reserve America. Would not recommend that area to anyone. Sites are right on top of each other in every direction. Not sure who would seek this out or agree to it after seeing it.
Upon finding the rustic tent sites, we’d wished we’d known about that area before going. Those were still a little close together but were at least wooded and you could walk from your car.
The dispersed camping sites were the closest to what I’d been used to coming from New Hampshire, but it was more of a hike than I would be looking for.
LegendCounty campground with good rates. Nice no wake lake for fishing, kayaking. 4 RV sites with lake view, 2-3 tent sites with view. A lot of sites in wide open areas with few trees and privacy. Fire pits need work-many sinking. Shower house adequate but nothing to rave about. In general area nice picnic pavilions and play area. Firewood and ice for sale. Could use more than a single dump station-I waited in line for 1.5 hours during the week. Site 16 during heavy rain becomes a river of mud. They give discounts for longer stays, veterans and county residents. Site 30 level and with shade tree. On cul-de-sac so less traffic. Backs up to pond.
Ranger
The Forest Bo Wood Recreation area has grown each year since I first camped there in 1979.
In 2017 it has 150 camping sites, a boat ramp, fish cleaning station, several picnic areas and a bait shop at the entrance on Illinois Route 32 4 miles South of Sullivan. The camp sites all have parking space for a big rig and one vehicle. There are some tent only sites but most have been converted to at least 30 amp electric sites with water hookups near the site. Many lake side sites are available, some years back there was a problem with the bank, but that has been dealt with.
Bath rooms and shower houses are very clean and there is good bank fishing near the pavilion at the turn around at the west end of the area. There is a marina just 1 mile South and across the bridge another ½ mile is the Sullivan beach. Just 1 more mile South is a Rosatti's pizza located in a gas station with a liquor store. Rossati's delivers pizza's to the 2 campgrounds that are this close to the business. People that love the comforts of home while camping love this campground, so it fills up in the spring and summer months.
All sites are spacious and include a picnic table, lantern stand, fire pit with grill grate and some have added camp stove stands. I find that October camping at Bo Woods most agreeable with less people tent camping and less boat traffic on the lake. The fishing this time of year is also very good.
Guide
Il start this by saying: we prefer tent camping/primitive/atleast semi isolated spots. If you’re looking for RV camping, this is probably a decent spot so read no further!
We drove in to the Middle Fork Forest Preserve looking for a place to camp same day on our way down to Giant City. We weren’t able to make a reservation less than 5 days in advance online so we tried to call. No one in the office except Th-Sunday and it was Wednesday so we couldn’t get in touch. All good. It happens and it did say that clearly on their website and on voicemail. We needed a place for the night so decided to risk driving over from I57 S. Rolled in around 5 and all the campsites were marked reserved but there were about 3 people set up to camp there. We didn’t end up camping the night 1. Because we didn’t want to be jerks about the reservations although it seemed like no one else would be arriving until at the earliest the next day and 2. All of the campsites were pretty tight together and surfaced with gravel. That’s a personal preference thing. We always look for primitive/walk-in/hike in sites to set up tents/hammocks. This spot was mostly set up for RVs.
The hiking looked pretty lovely and the grounds/facilities looked well kept! Just maybe not our preference.
GuideI really enjoyed my stay at Evergreen Lake. The rustic tent sites are located on the opposite side of the lake from the RV's in an area called White Oak. These sites are the way to go for privacy. It was roughly a quarter-mile hike to site 14, where I stayed. It initially took me longer to find the site since there are no signs along the way. I eventually found site 12 then 11. I turned around and made my way to 14.
Site 14 is very spacious like it could be used as a group site. I was surprised to see three picnic tables. It also had a fire ring with grill and a separate grill. There was always shade and two pairs of trees that are perfect for a hammock. The best part was the view of the lake. There was a spot that a person could get a kayak or canoe into the water but I opted to use the dock. The dock was just a short walk away. It’s very cool that the folks at Comlara put that dock there for the tent campers to use.
One thing to be aware of is the trash point is at the parking lot. Also, keep in mind that sound travels across a lake very easily. I could hear other campers that were a few sites over very clear as well as people fishing on the lake.
My Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D\_ZlAXbMLGY&t=3s
My Website: https://www.lost13.com/camping/2020/6/18/comlara-park
RangerGreat sites. Plenty to do. Favorite place to camp in Illinois.
RangerSuper nice owners of this driving range with campsites. It's extremely close to the popular Lake of the Woods Forest preserve. We've camped here in tents with no problems, but it is mainly for RV stop overs from I74. It is a close drive or walk to hiking, or small town amenities like Filippo's family owned Sicilian pizza (excellent) or a little further to Casey's gas station. A 2 minute car ride to more restaurants downtown Mahomet, a grocery store, and Dollar General.
Ranger
This is our go-to campground when visiting the U of I. It is a large campground with well spaced campsites for tents and rvs. Almost every site has plenty of shade with lots of tree cover. This also means in the dog days of summer the breeze is blocked by the trees so get an electric site even with a tent and bring a fan. They have a beach and a boat launch. The loops that allow alcohol can get a bit rowdy with weekend partiers, but the alcohol restricted loops can get loud from all the families. However, with full hook-up options there is no generator noise. The showers/bathrooms are kept up well given the massive amount of people served. If you own a boat and camp, this place is ideal for central Illinois.
TravelerI had a friend stay in the tent area and she had to leave in the middle of the night because the raccoons were so bad. The couple a few sites down had their tent destroyed. She had all of her food and smelly things locked in her car.
GuideThis was a quick overnight in a tent on a road trip for me. Site 75 was what was available when I booked last minute. It's level with grass to pitch a tent but definitely in a loop of the park better suited to travel trailers/RVs etc. Not much privacy between sites but backs up to woods. The bathrooms were clean with good hot showers. Would return again if I could snag a tent loop site.
GuideCamped here in a tent. Loved it. Raccoons are really brave and ate not afraid of humans. They know how to rip open a tent for food. Nothing is safe here. But a beautiful lake and campground.
TravelerStopped here for a quick overnight on a cross country trip. The 10 sites in the tent-only wooded area weren’t very appealing(no grass/uneven terrain) except for the ones furthest from the parking area. We didn’t feel like hauling our tent and stuff all the way in, only to haul it out first thing in the morning. Since there were few campers, we opted for site 81 which had nice grass and close parking. Made for great sleeping, but the bugs(chiggers?) were horrible and left us with painful itchy bites for the rest of our vacation. The camp host was very friendly and fun to chat with.
ScoutGreat camping and great fishing. Scenic little park. Tent and trailer camping here, but the real reward is in the primitive backpacking sites. Highly recommend.
TravelerStayed here 2 nights on our way to Northern Illinois, easy access off the interstate, sites are spacious, grounds are well maintained, staff was very courteous and friendly, nice lake with trail around it, would highly recommend this place.
Tent camping near Mahomet, Illinois offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the great outdoors. With a variety of campgrounds nearby, you can find the perfect spot to pitch your tent and unwind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Mahomet, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Mahomet, IL is Spitler Woods State Natural Area with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
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