For those who want to get away from civilization for a weekend, but still want the comforts of home, consider renting a cabin for your Mount Zion camping trip. Finding a cozy cabin in Illinois has never been easier. You're sure to find the perfect cabin for your Illinois cabin camping excursion.
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 - $48 / night
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
This recreation area is part of Lake Shelbyville
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.
We are your premier Effingham, Illinois Campground family owned and operated by Kiefer Campgrounds. We are an RV Park and Campground ideally located on the north shores of Lake Pauline in scenic South Central Illinois. If you are searching for a quiet and peaceful setting within 1 mile of I-70 and I-57, call or book online today!
Camp Lakewood Campground is open year round
**Hours of Operation: **
All Kiefer Campgrounds are open 24 hours a day. Our registration office and store hours vary depending on season. Site deliveries will be made only during open office/store hours. Night check-in is available anytime the office is closed and you can reserve online 24 hours a day.
Campground Policies:
Pool Policy:
The pool is open Memorial Day through Labor Day from 9:00 a.m. to dusk. There is no lifeguard on duty. State law requires that anyone (15) fifteen years old or younger be accompanied by a guardian of (21) twenty-one years of age or older while in and/or around a pool area. Therefore, we will ask any children swimming without an appropriate guardian to leave the pool and pool area. We put your child’s safety above all else, and we hope you agree with us. We also must stipulate the following while in the pool area: NO smoking, NO pets, NO food nor drinks, and NO diving and/or running for safety purposes.
Golf Cart Policy:
We now allow privately owned golf carts on our properties! All drivers must be 18 years or older with a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance. All drivers must sign a liability waiver before using their cart on property. The owner of the cart is financially responsible for any damage caused by their cart to the campground property or any other camper’s property on the grounds.
Pet Policy:
We love pets! We welcome all non-aggressive pets that visit us on a leash with their owner attached. Please remember that others walk where you and your pet walk, so please pick up what they leave behind. If we all do our part, no one will be stepping into anything unpleasant. Please keep your pets feeling safe at all times. Pets often do not like being left alone in a strange place or around strange humans and may need your assistance and reassurance.
Check In/Check Out Policy:
All campsites will be paid for in advance (at check-in). Check-in time begins at 1:00 p.m. Check-out time is 12:00 p.m. for campsites and 11:00 a.m. for cottages and cabins. If you need a late check-out, please make arrangements with the office.
**Campsite Policy: **
We allow only one (1) camping unit and six people per site. Additional charges will occur for more than two adults per site. Only one passenger vehicle allowed per site. All others are asked to park in the visitors parking. If you have concerns with this guideline, please contact the office.
$35 - $999 / night
$20 / night
Scout
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.
Guide
We were coming here to camp with a group of friends. On the way down we had an issue with our camper and had to take it back to the shop. We called and the owner was willing to change our spot to a cabin with no notice. The cabins are nice and comfy and our friends camper spot was nice and spacious. The rest of the campground was clean, especially the bathrooms. Definitely check it out!!!
Traveler
Low price. Nice site managers. LOTS of graffiti. AC in cabin only cools front room
Legend
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!
Scout
This is a small family owned campground. It has a pond for fishing, no boating or swimming. Shower house is nice. Nice playground in the shade next to a pavilion. Nice mix of shaded and sunny sites. Cabin onsite also.
LegendBeautiful 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.
GuideThis 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.
Ranger
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.
Ranger
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.
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.
Traveler
This was the perfect spot for a family get away. We went swimming, and fishing every day off the boat. There is also a beach available to swim at if you don't have a boat. It was $2 a person to go to the beach. The facilities are well maintain, and we had no issues with bugs the entire trip. (We stayed 4 nights). There is a small store and a concession stand that acts as an indoor/outdoor restaurant. The shower house is serviced several times a day, and always had plenty of hot water for our showers. My family goes every Memorial and Labor Day weekend to this campground as we have found it to be one of the best around. There are 3 families that come with us every time in their own RV's that agree.
TravelerA great little park close to Eastern Illinois university. A great place to camp with family and friends.
TravelerGreat little campground close to Charleston and Eastern Illinois University. Not really anywhere to fish close, but nice quite park.
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.
TravelerNice and quiet campground, we stay there during the Illinois State Fair every August and it is about 20 mins away from the fairgrounds. Only down fall is there needs to be more rock on the sites, the sites get muddy after a rain!
TravelerI 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!
RangerThis 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.
Ranger
We have camped here many times and this time was awesome as well. The park is huge and is one of the only state park's in Illinois with horse camping and horse trails. There are 13 horse camp sites and additional trailer parking for about 6 more rigs with tie out posts for riders that will not be camping. There are several miles of horse trails and the area is set apart from hiking trails and the other camping areas. There are hundreds of campsites in this park in addition to the horse campgrounds and the entire area is maintained by the US Corps of Engineers. There are full hookup RV sites everywhere with tons of flush toilet bathrooms and shower houses in each large section. There is also a tent camp area without electricity, these sites are cheaper and there are lake front sites available here too. There is a beach that closes after Labor Day, but there are lots of sites available all year round. There are lots of hiking trails and deer run through the park in herds in the winter months. The hiking is OK in this park and good if you like short 1 to 1 1/2 mile hikes. I recommend visiting in the fall after Labor Day, October when leaves are changing is my favorite time for this campground. Clean restrooms, showers and a small store at the entrance for bait, firewood or forgotten items make this a great place to spend a few days.
Website: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/Parks/Pages/WolfCreek.aspx
GuideI should start this review by saying the day we got home from this trip, I booked the same campsite for the end of September. So yeah, it was great.
Living on the north side of Chicago, we were looking for campgrounds in Wisconsin for this trip but then, alas, the quarantine rules went into effect so we turned our search southward. I'm so glad we did! Illinois doesn't have a lot of lakes but boy is this a nice one. Rented a boat for a day and got to explore the lake and it's gorgeous. Also, there are a TON of campgrounds all around the lake and you could see from the water how many are right on the lake. I'm a sucker for a waterside campsite so I know I'll be back.
The site we had was at the end of the loop (not really a loop, just a straight road with a turnaround on a little peninsula.)
We had the lake on 3 sides and a private little area with trails to explore. This site was a buddy site so very large and plenty of room for two families. Social distancing was not a problem.
The bathrooms and showers were about as clean as I've experienced. Probably just got lucky but seems like every time I went in them they appeared to just have been cleaned. We went during the week and it was super peaceful in the campground and on the lake. I'd imagine in the Summer on the weekend, it will be a bit louder in the campground and more boats on the water.
One night our grand dinner plans were spoiled by a storm so I ran to Shelbyville and grabbed some pizza at Monical's Pizza. It was a quick 15 minute drive.
All in all, great experience and, as I said, we'll be back at the end of September.
GuideLots of equestrian parking and camping flush toilets neat trails very swell nice better if s en during the fall. Fishing and boatibg here as well.
Guidethe keepers are super friendly and accommodating. most lots are spacious. my only complaint would be that the trash dumpsters are too far away from the camping areas.
TravelerThis is a wonderful campground with drive in availability, equestrian camp and reservable sites! The have great camp hosts Dave and Sharon on the reservable side that will help out in anyway and are so friendly! This campground also has boat access and a beach and hiking trails. It is built into the woods so most lots are very shady and all are very level.
TravelerNice park, spacious sites, bring plenty of water hose. The water faucets for fill up can be a bit far away.. Shower house was older but was heated and water was hot.. Definately will be back again.
TravelerNice big spots. 30 and 50 amp available. Right on lake Shelbyville. 309 spots 141 are reservable
ScoutClean campground but camping proximity is very close.
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!
ScoutI 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.
Cabin camping near Mount Zion, Illinois offers a perfect blend of nature and comfort, making it an ideal getaway for families and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Mount Zion, IL is Coon Creek (IL) with a 4.3-star rating from 18 reviews.
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