Petersburg, IL is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Petersburg, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Petersburg. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
$6 / night
"Like the quite agricultural Illinois environment but suggest shopping for your needs prior to leaving larger cities as most of the few small towns are limited to a Bar and Dollar store."
"From our cabin we walked grassy paths to a lovely bridge. Around the pond's perimeter are dispersed sites for tent-camping or possibly day-use."
$10 - $30 / night
"Not their fault but sites became a lake and couldn’t even step outside. Barely any AT&T service. Couldn’t use phone as hotspot at all."
"I love to walk through all the old buildings and learn about Lincoln's way of life. They even had horses and a bull out in the pastures!"
$20 / night
"Not too close to your neighbor. Take time to walk around the fairgrounds as they are pretty. The 4H building has a lovely garden out front."
"$20 per night for a a pull behind RV on an electric/water site. $30 for a full hookup. Large clean bathrooms, dated but useable."
"Nor did we know there were hiking trails! The hiking trails are located on the road up the hill directly across from where you turn off of the highway to drive up to the village."
"Praire Lake Campground has 3 facilities on the lake. FAMILY camp for Rv, Tentand cabins. 1. 84 sites with Electric or 19 have FHU. 2."
"We stayed here in order to visit Springfield, Illinois, and we really enjoyed this spot."
"The campground is next to a large corn field that has recently been cut; I suspect during the growing/harvest season there may be dust and noise from equipment, and perhaps overspray from any chemicals"
$20 - $50 / night
"All RV/ camper sites are close to the bath and shower houses. We had electricity and water hookups and a picnic table available."
"Lots of fun trails with great views! Most trails are accessible from the parking area. Good for pictures at sunrise and sunset!"
$20 / night
"Trails are well marked and maintained over 26 miles of trails."
"If you need a place to get away from city life but don't want to travel far away from town, you can't beat this place."
"Right outside of Jacksonville, Ashland, Virginia, and close enough to Springfield. We were there last weekend and will be there again at the end of the month. Happy Camping!"
$8 / night
"The trail is a mix of sand and soil. It’s quite an unexpected discovery in Illinois. We didn’t see anyone else on the trail but we saw cars parked so hikers were out there. "
"It’s a nice get away from the city. I haven’t stayed at any of the backpacking sites, but the main campground. It is located under a bunch of tall pines, and feels fairly open."
LegendThis is one of the larger Walmart stores that I have across in my travels and is conveniently located right off of I74 just due south of Peoria and across the Illinois River. You will immediately discover that this Walmart is easily accessible from just about any entrance point that completely surrounds this blue big box retailer. And even though this retail outlet is massive, as is its accompanying oversized parking pad, the place was very frenetic, and jam-packed with lots of traffic zipping around in multiple directions.
But hey, if lots of ping-pong match-style traffic doesn’t dissuade you from parking here, then you’ll be treated to a decent ton of amenities as you are situated within a massive retail complex that is surrounded by other big box retailers like Lowe’s and Bass Pro Shop, a number of gas stations as well as a decent assortment of smart restaurants, like Texas Roadhouse, Childer’s Eatery and Godfather’s Pizza. Of course, there’s no shortage of drive-by fast food joints nearby like McDonald’s, IHOP, Bob Evans, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell, but take it from me, you’d be better off crossing the Illinois River into Peoria to check out some better haunts like Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery or Thyme Kitchen & Craft Beer.
Should you decide to park at this oversized discount retailer parking haven, I would suggest parking either on the southern or northern perimeters as while they are next to their own respective inner 2-lane roads, the traffic is slow-moving and isn’t stopped for any lights around those areas, making for less noise pollution. You’ll find that the lot is very flat and level, well-paved albeit dated as well as offering really great lighting at night along with very good rotating security that remain constantly vigilant in this overgrown shopping mecca.
While scoring criteria may vary from one person to the next, here are the 5 most important criteria that informed my rating of this overnight location: convenience (EZ on- and off-access), safety & security, quality (of facilities), peace & quiet and amenities (either on-site or nearby). Here’s how I ranked this particular overnight spot:
Convenience: 3
Safety & Security: 2
Quality: 3
Peace & Quiet: 2
Amenities: 3
Overall, I scored this location a 3
Happy Overnighting!
GuideSpringfield KOA is actually in Rochester, but it is only about 25 mins into Springfield and all the wonderful Lincoln historic sites. The campground is very nice, a lot of amenities for families like pool, little bikes, miniature golf and horseshoes. Shop has laundry, ice and oropane, there's free wifi. Sites have power and water, you have to go to dump station on the way out as there aren't individual sewers. But there is grass, picnic table and fire ring at every site, trees all around.
GuideNice campground with most spots directly at the waterfront. Easy self check in this time if the year and not busy at all. It was a perfect overnight stop on the way south. One star less due to some strange long term campers and a bad experience with a unleashed dog at night on the way to the restroom.
TravelerStopped here overnight in late August. Only a few other campers on a Sunday so nice and quiet. Typical midwest tent camping on dirt, lots of mosquitoes, pit toilets.
TravelerI've stayed here a couple times now. Each time there has only been one other person. It's quiet and peaceful, however there's not much to do. As far as I know there's no running water. There are portable toilets that are kept clean. There's also a 4 consecutive day per month limit.
GuideThese walk in sites check all the boxes. At the western part of the RV loop, is a peninsula of primitive tent camping spots to choose from. About half the sites were filled by the second day we were there. We settled on 62, which is spacious and provides access to the path from the front and behind where you can walk into site 64 as well. A parking area with a single spot for each camp site is well marked and by two vault toilets. Park staff and host were great. A decent fishing spot is just in front of site 64. $8 for IL residents is hard to beat, if you don't need an RV spot with electric. A water source is also by the parking spots. The weekend we were there the weather had cooled some and a great breeze was coming off the lake. Springfield being so close is a bonus.
The only negative is like any spot and how previous people leave the camp looking before you are there. Some garbage in the fire pit and random spots are par for the course in any state park. Pick up the trash and dump it in the dumpster by the parking lot. Leave the site better than you found it is our motto.
GuidePraire Lake Campground has 3 facilities on the lake. FAMILY camp for Rv, Tentand cabins. 1. 84 sites with Electric or 19 have FHU. 2. Primitive Camp has seven three-sided shelters to camp near or in for a fee of $6 per night 3. Group camp area. A separate location has the equestrian campground, Questing Hills, with 51 electric sites.
ScoutLove to swim in the pool, play in the bags tournaments, enjoy the fundraiser in July for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, mini golf, basketball and theme weekends. My favorite is the chili cook off and Halloween weekends are a blast!!
GuideGreat place for kids. Decent little parks. Huge slide in the holler. Spots are kind of cramped and close together, one of our favorite places though!
Camping near Petersburg, IL, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a fun family adventure, there are several campgrounds to choose from.
Camping around Petersburg, IL, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Just remember to check the amenities and plan accordingly!
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Petersburg, IL is Primitive Campground — Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area with a 4.4-star rating from 21 reviews.
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 8 parks near Petersburg, IL that allow camping, notably Bankhead National Forest and Chugach National Forest.
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