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Boulder Recreation Area on Carlyle Lake welcomes pets at all 219 campsites, which feature spacious waterfront locations with full hookups for RVs or electric-only options for tent camping. The campground maintains well-kept grounds with paved roads throughout, making it ideal for dog walking, and air-conditioned bathrooms provide comfort during hot weather. Dogs must remain leashed throughout the campground, though they can enjoy lake access at designated areas. Most sites offer excellent shade and privacy, creating comfortable spaces for pets and their owners during summer months.
Coles Creek Recreation Area provides another pet-friendly option nearby with large waterfront campsites that accommodate tents, RVs, and glamping setups. The area offers extensive shoreline access where dogs can cool off during walks around the campground. Clean bathrooms and shower facilities make extended stays with pets comfortable. Both campgrounds connect to walking paths suitable for daily pet exercise, though neither offers dedicated dog parks. Carlyle Lake's 26,000 acres of water and surrounding natural areas create ample opportunities for outdoor activities with pets. Local pet owners frequently mention the spacious sites provide plenty of room for dogs to relax while maintaining appropriate distance from neighboring campers.
"Water and dump at the entrance. Shower houses. Very nice pool and camp store. Hosts scattered and occasionally hard to find to pay for your spot. Wildlife galore. Next to largest lake in Illinois."
"This State Park is located outside Carlyle,Illinois. This park offers playground areas and more. Cabins, campsites with power or no power the choice is yours."
from $15 - $30 / night
Check Availability"Boulder is a lovely campground tucked away on Carlyle Lake. It has it's own marina where you can rent a slip for your boat. The sites are well spaced and have a beautiful view of the lake and sunsets!"
"The bathrooms, showers, and laundry all close by. Good hot water in the showers. The host was friendly and helpful. I’d go back again!"
from $20 - $40 / night
Check Availability"There’s a very nice updated playground and a pond with a walking path around it. The place is very well taken care of. If we ever came back this way we would stay again."
"Beautiful walking paths, convenient, great pricing. They filled us up on LP too. Thanks again, Barb and Gary!"
"This is our favorite campground in Central/southern illinois. The sites are very nice and most have shade. There is a beach for campers to use, and a really nice playground."
"Coles Creek is a nice, large campground located on Carlyle Lake in Illinois. It has full hook up, 50 amp sites with many located right on the water!"
from $20 - $250 / night
Check Availability"Most of the sites are large and a good distance from the next one. Shower house is alright. The store/restaurant has been closed for a year or two now because of the Illinois budget."
"Lots of squirrels for the dogs to chase and lots of wood in & around the campground. Hosts told us they were making more space for specific species of trees so “take all you want” from the area."
"Full hookups, reservable sites, walk up sites, and all sites are large! Full hookup sites are booked solid so make sure you go online 6 months out or you are out of luck."
"We camped right on the lake with a great view. "
from $20 - $60 / night
Check Availability"Family and pet friendly, nice bath houses, most sites are spacious. Minutes away from beach access."
"It is directly on Carlyle Lake, ,the largest lake in Illinois. It has activities for children on the weekends."
from $30 / night
Check Availability"Overall Rating: 4 for cleanliness and location for travels on nearby highway. Spillway is not particularly pretty."
"Every camping spot has trees surrounding it so it’s very"
"McNair ACE: Tate 4 for cleanliness and stopover location for travels on nearby highway. Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)"
"Bathroom close by and very clean. Shower house only available at the main campground, which was a distance away and not reasonable to walk with a little one."
from $20 - $125 / night
Check Availability"Long spots, friendly owner, easy access to hardware store across the street, coin laundry available. Downsides is wifi is poor, gravel is unlevel, limited menu on DoorDash."
from $30 / night
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TravelerThe campsite is nice plenty of spaces spaced out nicely, but there’s absolutely no signage. took us forever to decide where we could park and what to do. tiny little sign on the Rangers house. Led us to a website and then charged us $50. Not what we were expecting. Plan ahead on this one.
GuideWhat started as a one-night camping trip quickly turned into a three-night stay—I just didn't want to leave! Most of the campsites feature beautiful lake views and are well-shaded by tall trees. Each spot is equipped with an electric hookup, a fire pit, and a picnic table, plus having access to hot showers made the stay super comfortable. To top it off, our cats loved taking walks with us around the campground!
GuideThis was a beautiful place to spend an evening on our cross country trip. We were able to secure site B7 -a nice level and shady spot on a beautiful tree lined lake. The site was dusty but there was a picnic table and electricity. It was 90 degrees in early October so I can imagine the open spots are really hot during the heat of the summer. Signs tell you to check in with camp host before parking but there was no one at their camper. I called the phone number and a helpful gentleman explained that the sites were first come, first served and someone would be around to collect our $20 fee. One large bathhouse for the campground was a good walk away but was spotless. I would have given this campground a 5 rating but after walking around, we realized that most of the sites by the lake were hard packed dirt, small and not level. However there is a new section I that has 10 long back in gravel pads with electric & water. They are away from the water but close to the shower house. Finally, google coordinates directed us to a private residence just short of the marina. Follow directions to the marina and find the road to the campground at the end of the parking lot.
ScoutRend Lake, in Whittington, Il is just a great place to camp. From primitive to full hook ups they have what you need for a Corps of Engineers campground.
TravelerJody, the hostess, is friendly and responsive. We stayed one night in the fall so the many permanent RVs were not occupied. The park is large and surrounded by woods and fields. We had a peaceful night near the cornfields where the short-term RV sites are located. Can hear the train horn in the distance. Note that they are tandem, so pull thru for the first person but back in for the second. We would stay here again.
TravelerI believe this is one of the best campgrounds I've been to. It is safe friendly, theres laundry, lp fill, close to rend lake, 20 mins from walmart, a great place to relax and visit, vacation, whatever you like.
GuideWe arrived at 7 picked a spot in the fcfs area and were surprised that it was almost empty. We got a premium site on the water, with no other campers in sight. The website says the reservation areas were full but that was not true, you have to book 4 days in advance. The camp host was great! It will be on my list of places to overnight in the future. But the lake is beautiful and you could spend multiple days there if you wanted!
GuidePaved roads and campsites. Convenient to the interstate but removed enough to be peaceful. Beautiful sunset at the lake. Bathhouse is outdated but functional.
ScoutAwesome place. Showers are small but very clean. Scenery is amazing. People are friendly. And they have a little mini store and a little mini pizzeria.
Carlyle Lake near Patoka, Illinois draws campers to its 26,000-acre reservoir with multiple campgrounds managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Located 75 miles east of St. Louis, the area maintains comfortable daytime temperatures in the 70s-80s during peak camping season from April through October. The flat terrain around the lake creates expansive waterfront views with minimal elevation changes between campsites.
Fishing at multiple access points: Dam East Recreation Area provides excellent fishing spots along the spillway. "Lots of fisherman bed down in the grassy areas at night, which was a fun thing to see!" notes Chelsea D. from Eldon Hazlet State Park.
Swimming at designated beaches: Illini Campground — Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area offers a zero-entry pool for $5 on weekends. "There is a swimming pool and campground store. The pool was closed when we were there but looked nice," reports Allen S.
Hiking nearby trails: Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area connects to hiking paths directly from the campground. "The trails around are nice and our family had fun hiking," shares Chelsea D.
Boating and water sports: Dam West Campground provides direct lake access with a marina. "Camping is wonderful here. Lots of watersports and a Marina," writes Maureen L.
Wildlife viewing: The lake attracts significant migrating bird populations. "This campground is heavenly and peaceful. Lots of migrant waterfowl. Pelicans, egrets, blue herons," notes Shawn from Dam West Campground.
Spacious campsites: Boulder Rec. Area - COE Campground offers generous sites with privacy. "Campground was well maintained with spacious campsites. I tried to get a spot on the water but they were all reserved," says Stephanie S.
Clean facilities: Boulder Recreation Area maintains excellent restroom facilities. "Also boasts the best shower house/bathrooms around. They are air conditioned and cleaned regularly," reports Phil W.
Lakefront views: Dam West Spillway provides premium waterfront camping. "Had a lake front site with beachfront access. It was flat ground, everyone was so nice and it was so clean and the area was lovely," writes Sarah J.
Family-friendly amenities: Campers appreciate the dedicated facilities for children. "There are three playground areas, a basketball court, sand volleyball and a pool during summer months. Lots of families with kids, bike rides and plenty of other lake and outdoor activities in the area," notes Brooke C. from Eldon Hazlet.
Reasonable rates: Carlyle Lake campgrounds offer good value, especially with federal passes. "This is a COE campground and takes our senior pass," mentions Rhonda B. about Dam West Campground.
Site selection matters: Coles Creek Recreation Area has varying site quality across loops. "Large waterfront campsites, full hookup loop, and 4 other large loops that have electric. If you are needing a full hookup site, make sure you book early!" advises Rhonda B.
Reservation timing: Popular weekends fill up months in advance. "The campground filled up by 11am on Friday, which was a surprise to us," reports Brooke C. about Eldon Hazlet.
Water quality concerns: Some campers report issues with water supply. "Only complaint that I have was the potable water supply. I filled by trailer's tank at the drinking water supply when you enter the campground. It was extremely dirty with a lot of copper colored solids," notes Allen S.
Flooding potential: Water levels affect campground access. "This park offers playground areas and more. Cabins, campsites with power or no power the choice is yours. However there are times this park cannot be accessed because of flooding," warns Jake L.
Bathhouse locations: Shower facilities may be distant from some sites. "Unless you have a restroom in your rig, be prepared to walk up to the showerhouse. The pit toilets that were spread across the campground were in horrendous condition," reports Chelsea D.
Halloween festivities: Eldon Hazlet State Park hosts special seasonal events. "They have a huge Halloween event every year where people decorate their sites (pretty extensively) and there's a haunted house, then kids trick or treat from site to site. The campground also provides pumpkin painting contests and other fun activities," shares Aimee T.
Kid-friendly recreation: Campgrounds offer designated play areas. "There are a couple of beach areas you can walk or ride a bike to," notes Jacqueline F. from Dam West Spillway.
Educational programs: Some campgrounds provide family learning opportunities. "They have outdoor informational presentations about plants and animals geared toward children," explains Chris B.
Proximity to supplies: Nearby towns offer essential services. "Walmart is just 5-10min away if needed as well as restaurants, gas station, and other amenities in Carlyle nearby," mentions Brooke C.
Site leveling variations: Dam East - Mcnair Campground offers level pads for easier setup. "The sites were a little closer together than normal COE's but still plenty of room. Sites were very level. Nice and shady," reports Lisa M.
Full hookup availability: Several campgrounds offer complete services. "We live an hour away in St Louis and park our RV near Boulder because we visit so often. Sites are either full hookup, or electric. Many can be reserved online some are FCFS," explains Shane E.
Seasonal considerations: Campground access varies by season. "This site and the site next to it are the best sites in the campground with a pull through layout for a great setup for a lake view from the side of your camper. There was not any shade on the site, so you will be dependent on an awning. Keep in mind that strong winds can sweep across the lake and pick things up if not secured," advises Cody S. at Dam West.
Pet-friendly options: All Carlyle Lake campgrounds welcome pets with standard leashing rules. "There are a lot of mature trees in the campground that provides plenty of shade in the summer," notes Jeanie H. about Dam West Spillway, making it comfortable for pets during hot weather.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Patoka, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Patoka, IL is Illini Campground — Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area with a 4.2-star rating from 26 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Patoka, IL?
TheDyrt.com has all 57 dog-friendly camping locations near Patoka, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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