56 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
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
Check Availability
RangerThis campground is beautiful with lots of gardens and potted plants at a lot of the campsites The host is very friendly, the pool is well maintained, they have a dog park The Host even led us to our spot..
TravelerI called a day in advance and was able to schedule a reservation, the lady on the phone was very nice. Upon arrival I was greeted nicely and checked in quickly. While beginning setup, I noticed an issue with the power at my particular spot and decided to let the staff know of the issue. They offered to move us to another spot and were very nice. The WiFi works great as I was able to stream anything I wanted on Hulu. There is a nice playground and dog park as well as a pond at the location. Great place to stop traveling through or for a weekend.
TravelerWonderful private campground surround by woods, an open field and a small pond. There is a small playground, covered patio, bathrooms with showers and plenty of lawn space! Pet friendly and looks very ADA accessible, I had a great time spending one night here with my dog. $15 for tent/primitive camping, $25 for electric!
ScoutFamily and pet friendly, nice bath houses, most sites are spacious.
Minutes away from beach access.
GuideGreat place to stay and feel part of the community. Pretty scenery to walk around. Plenty of lakes/ponds to fish. We couldn't boat while there due to COVID but look forward to going back and taking our kayaks. Attentive and Friendly camp hosts. Pet friendly. Close to town if you've forgotten anything or want to have a restaurant dinner. Close to the highway for easy access. Full hookup available. Monthly or Season also available.
TravelerBig things happening at Country Bend Campgrounds in Montrgromy Co, IL. This beautiful campground has many things to offer and is only a few minutes from the local drive in movie theater in Litchfield Illinois. It has a pool, swing sets, playground, cabins, ponds with stocked fish, beautiful walking trails, camping, welcome center, baseball field, volleyball, games, horseshoes, paddle boats, miniature golf, and so much more. This family run business is under new management and is welcoming new seasonal campers and day campers with competitive pricing. This beautiful campground is nestled in a scenic area in the country and is pet friendly. It has clean shower houses with warm water. We just purchased our seasonal campsite earlier in the season. Come check out this amazing campground and all it has to offer! Our rough collies will be joining us at this dog friendly campground! There is always something to do here and the owners strive to make it a family place by providing many activities on the weekends. The owners have done an amazing job on this campground and have made it one of the best campgrounds around to create that lasting experience with our children before they grow up!!!
GuideCampground is off the beaten path, lots of space to spread out, and the top 4 amenities (electricity, water, flush toilets and showers). It’s not the cleanest bathrooms but certainly not the worst. Close to a Walmart for all your need and great sunsets too. Plus pets are allowed
TravelerWe loved staying here. Pet friendly and beautiful lake views from many of the camp sites. I recommend checking the grade of the camp site because some of the ones next to the lake were at a pretty big angle. Our site was nice and flat so no issues there. We loved it and would definitely stay again.
ScoutEasy on off, right by highway, pulled in after dark and they met us to show us to the site and got us settled. Easy pull thru site with 40' and toad. basically a big open flat field with sites and building spread throughout. Cute little fenced in pet area with benches for the pups to stretch. came thru in February, so only a few permenant people. very quiet and super clean. would stay again
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 56 dog-friendly camping locations near Patoka, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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