Looking to get away and reconnect with nature? Cabin camping near Monticello is the perfect choice. Finding a place to cabin camp in Illinois is easier than ever. Find your own little secluded paradise in nature. The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect camping cabin rental.
There are 17 Class AA campsites, 277 Class A campsites, 9 Class B/S campsites and 5 Class C campsites at Clinton Lake, with most adaptable to either tents, trailers or motor homes. The campground is open year-round with the exception of the full week prior to first firearm deer season. No entry is allowed in the Mascoutin area during that time, for a special firearm deer hunt. Showers and potable water are available from mid-April to November (weather depending). Each site is equipped with a grill and picnic table. Reservations can be made online at the Reserve America website. Camping loops H, I, J and K are alcohol-free. Camp Quest Group Camp, located off Route 54 at Birkbeck, is an area for adults or youth groups and has room for 75. It provides a secluded wooded setting and has a large shelter with electricity, three RV pads with electrical hookups, toilets, tables, grills and water. No shower facilities are present at the group camp area. Portions of the Class AA, A and B/S and the group camp are handicapped accessible.
$10 - $30 / night
Coon Creek is a large campground that sits on the western shore of Lake Shelbyville in the heart of central Illinois. Families enjoy the playground, swimming area and shaded campsites within the facility. The lake and surrounding land offer outdoor activities for people of all ages, including fishing, swimming, picnicking and simply relaxing. Click Here for the Lake Shelbyville Virtual Tour
Lake Shelbyville offers a multitude of fishing opportunities for catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, muskie, walleye, white bass and bluegill. Coon Creek provides a boat ramp, and for those without a boat, several ponds with farmed fish are available around the lake. Hunting areas within a short drive offer numerous game species, including quail, rabbit, pheasant, deer, dove, turkey, waterfowl and woodcock. Visitors can also explore the lake shore on foot via a 0.7-mile nature trail within the facility.
This facility overlooks the lake shore and is heavily forested with plenty of shade. Oak and hickory are the lake region's dominant tree species, and foliage turns a variety of red, orange, purple and yellow each fall, while prairie flowers dot the landscape in spring and summer. Numerous species of songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors inhabit the lake area, as do mammals such as cottontail rabbit, white-tail deer, gray and fox squirrel, muskrat and mink.
Wolf Creek State Park, Woods Lake Waterfowl Refuge and Okaw Bluff Wetlands Complex are popular locations for wildlife watching, birding and hunting near Lake Shelbyville.
$18 / night
This recreation area is part of Lake Shelbyville
$20 / night
Sites with water, electric and sewer. In-ground outdoor pool, pond, horseshoes, 2 playgrounds, game room, tent sites and showers. One-room cottages with bath air, heat and two bedrooms.
$20 - $50 / night
Scout
Check in crabby park attendants. Tried to change to another site that was available, I was told they only check people in and out, that was it! I was told to flag down a Ranger for help. My family will never come here again!
Traveler
One 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 and shower house were brought a portable toilet since we have small kids who might 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.
ScoutWe had a fantastic time here. We came during Fourth of July and never felt like it was overly crowded. Sites were spacious but wasn’t much privacy, which didn’t bother us because it allowed for our kids to play with the other kids easily. Our site was adjacent to numerous paths that easily led to the beach, playground, the rocky path for fishing, and a secluded swimming hole. We couldn’t have asked for a better location for our family and our interests. We did not use the toilets or showers, although it looked like they were in working order as others were using then. We had a cloudless night and the stars were spectacular.
Scout
Stopped here for lunch and stayed about an hour. Easy to find, multiple shelters with grills. Some light paths and a playground.
Traveler
This is one of our favorites. It’s close to home for us but also, very clean with nice staff and a fun environment. The pool is a huge plus, it’s so incredibly nice. There’s a small game room and little camp store with firewood and ice. The sites are kind of close together but they’re clean and have nice fire pits and tables. The campground is well cared for. We went 4th of July weekend and they even had a golf cart parade and through candy which was so fun for our son. We’ll always visit here.
ScoutCamped for a weekend trip. We had 3 sites and made one a home base. Grounds were full due to unseasonably warm weather but everyone was pleasant and respectful
GuideWe spent a long Columbus day weekend at Coon Creek at Lake Shelbyville. We tent camped and very much enjoyed our stay….even though the night time temps got into the low 30’s. This campground had many spacious sites. They were all different in size and shape and there was several “buddy” sites available. I was impressed with the space between the sites, the mature trees, and the overall peaceful setting of the campground. It was pretty full during our visit however it was relatively quiet and peaceful. There was plenty of shower houses and restrooms placed throughout the campground and we never had to wait to use the shower. The handicap accessible shower/restroom combo across from our site was ok. It didn’t have a place to sit to put shoes or clothes on. It needed a good bleaching and there was no hand soap which was pretty gross, but over all that’s my biggest complaint about the campground. I brought my own hand soap when I used the facilities, But I still had to touch the surfaces of others that did NOT wash their hands with soap after using the potty. 🤮😬🤮
There was a very well stocked store at the entrance called “Castaways at at Coon Creek” that had lots of helpful, unexpected, and fun items. You could buy ice, filtered water, beer, groceries, bait, firewood ($6 a bundle), and lots of other items!
Oh and you could call in and custom order Hunt Brother’s Pizza and wings. They would call you 5 mins before your order was coming out of the oven so you could come pick it up.
There was a couple of places along the road on the way in that had wood bundles for sale on the honor system. One offered fairly large bundles for $5. I was impressed by this! it was certainly not the tiny firewood bundles at the gas station! I will include a photo of one of the bundles for reference.
Excellent place to camp overall. I would encourage them to put some hand soap in those bathrooms. 🤮 I had to dock them a star for this!
GuideThis was our first experience at a Federal Campground and it was great.
We had a full hookup site that was pull through. Our area was nice and flat and large, which was great for our kids to run and play. The sites at the campground are kind of hit or miss as lots are very slopy so make sure to bring plenty of cribbing if you’ve never stayed here before. They have a nice shower house and laundry facilities.
They also have a great beach area with life jackets available for the kids too. Our kids also had a blast on the playground. There is a nice walking trail and my wife and I found several edible mushrooms on our walk.
Overall it’s a nice campground and the price on these federal campgrounds is absolutely the best!
TravelerWe stayed in Site 20 for 5 days and had a great experience. The hosts at the time of stay were Alice and Jim. Very sweet old couple.
It was very quiet, even during the day. Nobody was too loud or disrespectful. Sites vary in size and some are FCFS (20-32) while the rest are reserved. Site 20 is the largest FCFS available. Site 14 seems to be the nicest and largest site on the grounds and is where we’ll be staying during our next visit.
Women’s bathroom was in good shape. Kept clean but stained due to age. Women’s vault toilet is fine, but spend the extra 5 minutes and walk to the actual bathhouse if you can.
Cell coverage for Verizon was 1 bar consistently, 2 bars occasionally. Fine for basic tasks but don’t expect to game or stream HD video.
TravelerGreat campground. The oldest and largest on lake shelbyville. Every campsite has electric 30amp or 50amp. Some sites most sites have full hookup for rvs. ome sites are pull through while others are only pull in. Boat launch on grounds. Beach access. Water access throughout although somewhat troublesome to get to in certain areas. Tons of tree coverage for shade. Great, quite campground with an onsite store for groceries, camping and fishing needs and some other supplies. I'd recommend this to anyone looking to get away from the city life for a a few days.
Scout
I was looking to stay at a state park with swimming and had never been to this one. I stayed here from Wednesday to Saturday. I was surprised when I arrived that there wasn’t a ranger, host, or campground office to check in with. There was a self registration kiosk on the site that was supposed to be the host. I never saw a ranger the entire time I was there and the host didn’t show up until Friday. The bathrooms were dirty and weren’t cleaned until Friday. The beach was small and also not well kept. I only saw one hiking trail. Many of the other campers had boats, so I guess it might be a good place to stay if you’re a boater, but not so much if you’re looking to do much hiking. The campsites weren’t bad, but most were kind of small and close together.
ScoutWe have camped here previous years and had a good time. However we it here for the first time this year and man has it gone down hill. The host is crazy and can be rude, he didn't even ask who we were. Just tried to be funny. Our campsite was dirty. We had to pick up a bunch of trash. On the way to the bathrooms we had to step over dog poo. The bathroom in c loop should just be torn down. The brick is falling appart. Hubby said someone pooped on the floor in the stall on the men's side. We went swimming and there were people drinking and smoking weed on the beach and not even trying to hide it. Funny they closed the bathrooms at the beach at 6:30 to clean. That man did not clean them. He just locked the doors and left. Went to shower after swimming at the shower house by the host and hubby says it smells like sewage and there was poop on the floor in the shower house as well. Probably will find somewhere also to go the rest of the season. We camped at Clinton Lake State Recreation Area in a Travel Trailer
GuideGreat campground. We really enjoyed it here. We got a pull thru 100ft site with full hookups and it was so nice. Gravel looked brand new, and brand new concrete pad for the fire pit. The picnic table was in great condition and xtra large too. My table cloth was too small. Not really any area of the campground to shore fish, but bring a boat and this site is for you. Plenty of room for your rig, vehicles and a boat. The beach for swimming was the kids favorite part.
TravelerPrices and availability for sites was easy great hiking trails clean shower and bath houses I recommend trying this campground to anyone.
GuideStayed on a Tuesday night in April. Only a few rvs, no tent campers besides us. Stayed at A19, the loop was quiet all day/night. Most loops look exactly the same, just the quality of the sites. Some are all dirt, some are all grass. Bathrooms are ok. Didn't use the showers. Good first time visit to the campground.
GuideLots of things to do. Most sites are good size and easy to back into. 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. Playgrounds aren't in great shape 😕 bathrooms aren't great either.
ScoutMy husband and I stayed there 3 different times now and we like it there. The owners are real nice.
GuideGreat campground for a chill entertaining weekend with kids. Beautiful new pool was perfectly maintained with plenty of tables and chairs to make a day of the time at the pool. Pavilion and picnic area near pool and playground perfect for family gatherings or kids birthdays. Even a small game room. Dog friendly too! Small pond to fish (catch/release). We will be back.
TravelerThis 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.
GuideWe love this place. Problem is it's a State park and the state has not fixed a shower house and dump station. It's been not working since 2020. Because of this, only three stars. If those items works like they should, then four stars.
TravelerA lot of golf carts driving around all day and night. Sites are a little to close. Trees in the shaded spots don’t allow you to put your awning out.
TravelerHave stayed here numerous times. Always very clean. We have only stayed in the electric only sites as the full hookup sites are hard to come by. Very quiet at night and depending on your site, there are nice views of the summer sky. Some camping areas are more wooded than others and those also seem to fill up fast. We’ll be making a couple of trips here this summer.
TravelerWe only live about an hour north of Fox Ridge, so we made a last minute trip down for an extended weekend when the weather was perfect. :) It took a bit of maneuvering to get into our site, due to the trees on each side of the site, but once we got in, we were really happy with the space and privacy. There was a playground for the kiddos across the street, a bathroom a few sites down, and the bathhouse was a short walk away. It was the perfect place to spend a low key fall weekend.
GuideWe found out that the back loop was not available due to downed trees, but that didn't diminish the stay for us. (Back loop was no electric and normally first come, first serve.)
We couldn't reserve a site because it was March and because of the time of year, and Covid I suppose, so it was first come, first served. You have to put your fee in the envelope provided when you enter the front loop. Reserved campsites were supposed to be posted on the board, but I didn't see a list.
$18 for electric was very reasonable. The restroom near our site, #13, was open, but no lights and no shower. We almost needed it as a tornado shelter the evening we stayed, but the thunderstorms were all we had to deal with.
There is a dump station. We didn't need it.
GuideWe spent the weekend at Coon Creek and had a great time. I enjoyed our Site #14. There was a path behind our site that led to a private "beach". Brought my camp chair down the path, and enjoyed my coffee enjoying the lake view while my kiddos were hunting for more frogs. There are flushing toilets, but weren't that great to me... doors wouldn't lock and there were no soap dispensers. Other than that we really enjoyed our stay.
GuideWe stopped in to Wolf Creek State Park later in the day on a Wednesday after trying to stop at a different campground that was closed. We were worried about finding a spot as the sun was going down so we called even though no one usually answers phones at state parks (esp during COVID). The woman that answered was SO nice and I was so happy to hear a voice on the other end. So that’s a huge plus. You can reserve spots online in advance but clearly we did not because we didn’t know we’d be headed there. Same day is first come first serve. We are tent people and love primitive camping in spots where we can really be away from everyone and at least pretend like we’re alone. Rolling in in the dark, we weren’t motivated to checkout the walk-in campsites. And it wasn’t necessary because the area - which if full would’ve been pretty cramped for our taste- was absolutely empty. So we were happy. Many many spots for RVs all next to one another but there was tree cover for some and the possibility of a little bit of privacy but not much in that area.
We had an almost full moon, but otherwise I think the stars would’ve been pretty awesome. The next morning we woke up and took a little hike down to Shelby Resevoir to see what was around. We were at campsite 18 and it was about 10 min hike down over there. Beautiful and big! Maybe good swimming I would assume? Too late in the year for us.
We will definitely be back to checkout more of the primitive/walk-in/hike in sites! Hiking trails look interesting and fun and Eagle Creek State Park is just across the water (that’s the bigger one). The 4 stars was because the sites are pretty close together which- even with RVs- I think people mind- but maybe not? We love to be back in the woods ans I do think there is an option for that. We just didn’t have time to check it out. Will update!
GuideA great hidden gem! Lots of full timers and still plenty of over nighters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Monticello, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Monticello, IL is Clinton Lake State Recreation Area with a 4.1-star rating from 19 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 7 cabin camping locations near Monticello, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
