3 campgrounds with availability this weekend
Camping areas near Salem, Illinois feature several water-focused destinations on major lakes and rivers. Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area, located about 15 miles east of Salem, provides tent, RV, and cabin camping options with sites that offer good separation between neighbors. Carlyle Lake, Illinois' largest manmade lake, anchors multiple campgrounds including Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area and several Corps of Engineers facilities like Dam West and Coles Creek, with options ranging from primitive tent camping to full-hookup RV sites and rental cabins. These mixed-use campgrounds typically offer electric hookups, with many providing water access directly from the sites.
Reservations are highly recommended for most developed campgrounds in the region, particularly during summer weekends when waterfront sites fill quickly. Campgrounds operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers accept America the Beautiful passes for discounted rates. Many campgrounds on Carlyle Lake and Rend Lake operate seasonally from spring through fall, though some remain open year-round. Weather can significantly impact camping experiences, with potential for flooding at some locations during heavy rain periods. Cell service is generally adequate throughout the region, with 2-3 bars reported at most campgrounds. According to one visitor, "South Sandusky campground is a Corps of Engineers campground on Rend Lake, just off I-57 in Southern Illinois. Most of the sites are wooded with space between them, and many have lake views. They are not very level so some adjustments were needed."
Waterfront access stands out as the primary draw for campers in this region. Many developed campgrounds feature sites directly on Carlyle Lake or Rend Lake, offering fishing, boating, and swimming opportunities. A recent review noted that 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!" Shaded campsites are prevalent throughout the area's campgrounds, providing relief during hot summer months. Most campgrounds maintain clean facilities with bathhouses and showers, though amenities vary by location. Several visitors commented positively about the spaciousness of sites, particularly at North Sandusky Campground where the sites "all seem to be fairly well maintained and roomy." Wildlife viewing opportunities abound, with one camper mentioning hearing whip-poor-will calls around their campfire at Washington County State Recreation Area.
"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."
"It's a small campground that offers a playground,bathhouse, hiking trails, and a small swimming area. There is easy access walking down to the marina. With small towns close to this state park."
"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!"
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $20 - $40 / night
"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
"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!"
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $20 - $250 / night
"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!"
"Long first day drive, but so handy and staff couldn’t be more accommodating to our late arrivals. Just far enough from Interstate so noise isn’t an issue. Lots of services at the same exit."
"This is primarily a RV park near I-64 and on a highway. Noisy!! Bad noisy. Camp site was nice. Grassy, level, near a picnic shelter with tables. Shade trees. But only about 2-3 such sites."
from $60 - $75 / night
"It is directly on Carlyle Lake, ,the largest lake in Illinois. It has activities for children on the weekends."
"Right next to the marina and with many sites right on the lake, you can’t go wrong here."
from $30 / night
"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. "
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $20 - $60 / night
"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."
Available this weekend
from $20 - $125 / night
"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"
TravelerThis is a 100 site campground on Rend Lake in Illinois. Lots of trees. Level paved sites unless you book right by the lake. Some are very steep. Bring lots to level with! We are in site 92. Away from the lake but beautiful sunshine.
GuideGreat place easy on off the hyw sites are old so you may need to block up your RV to level it . Some sites only have electric so be careful when you book it. Heard some road noise from the HYW but the campsite had plenty of room
LegendWe had never stayed at Whittington Woods, but several of our camping friends have stayed here over the years while traveling through the area. At a recent RV open house, we talked with the campground (CG) owners and decided to switch our reservation from another private CG to Whittington Woods to check it out. The owners suggested sites 92 or 97, and we were able to reserve back-in site 92 with FHUs for our two-night stay. Site 92 is one of the better sites, with a large yard and good separation from neighboring sites. The CG was easy to find off I-57—follow your GPS or the signs. Check-in was quick, and we were escorted to our site. Unfortunately, one of the CG’s regular guests had set up in our reserved site 92 instead of site 93. After a brief discussion between our owner/escort and the guest, moving him was clearly not going to be a quick process. We were offered a couple of other available sites and decided to take site 93. Site 93 was a significant downgrade, with only a sliver of yard and very little separation from site 94. The sewer and electrical connections are near the center of the gravel pad, while the electrical breaker is on the opposite side of site 94. The water connection is at the very back, requiring more than 30 feet of hose for our rig. The owners were very nice, probably too nice when dealing with their“regulars,” and made the situation more tolerable by giving us a good discount for site 93. We received two bars on both Verizon and T-Mobile. We normally get good performance from our T-Mobile internet with two bars, but download speed was only 41.2 Mbps. The CG Wi-Fi was better at 69.3 Mbps download. There are a lot of mature trees, so satellite/Starlink reception could be iffy depending on the site. The CG is conveniently located near I-57 and right off IL-37, although there was quite a bit of highway noise that was manageable for us. The property provides plenty of room for walking, especially with a dog, and has a decent-sized dog park. There are quite a few full-timers and regulars, with some keeping their sites well maintained and others not so much. We also saw some of the same latitude given to“regulars” when it came to keeping dogs on a leash and picking up after them. They have 5 pull throughs that are mainly used for overnighters that are handy but close together. We understand why several of our friends regularly stay here for a night or two while traveling to and from Florida. Whittington Woods is conveniently located off I-57 and offers FHUs, making the CG a practical overnight stop. Our home base is only about an hour and a half away, however, and we have better options in the area when we need a final stop to flush tanks before heading home.
GuideGreat campsite very large easy to get in and additional parking for your truck right next to your trailer
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.
Camping sites near Salem, Illinois cluster around three major bodies of water: Carlyle Lake, Rend Lake, and Forbes Lake. These water-based destinations sit in a region with elevations typically between 450-550 feet above sea level and experience warm summers with temperatures regularly exceeding 85°F from June through August. Several campgrounds operate on a seasonal schedule from April through October, with a few offering year-round accessibility during milder winter months when nighttime temperatures rarely drop below 20°F.
Swimming opportunities: Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area features a dedicated swimming area, though maintenance varies based on state funding. "There's a swimming pool and campground store. The pool was closed when we were there but looked nice," reports a visitor to Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area.
Fishing access: Multiple designated fishing areas exist around Carlyle Lake, particularly at the spillway locations. "Depending on what site you stay in you will have an amazing view of the lake. With several picnic areas and the marina close. I have enjoyed camping and fishing at this campground," notes a camper at Boulder Recreation Area.
Hiking options: Several campgrounds connect to trail systems with varying difficulty levels. At Stephen A. Forbes State Park, one camper shared: "Main trail was nice but could be better marked. Lost our way a few times but still a good hike. Definitely want to go back when the restaurant is open (mid-May I believe)."
Lake views: Many sites at Dam West Campground offer direct lake access or views. "We camped right on the lake with a great view. 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," explains one visitor.
Spacious sites: Several campgrounds feature larger-than-average sites with good separation. At Coles Creek Recreation Area, a camper noted: "Large waterfront campsites, full hookup loop, and 4 other large loops that have electric."
Clean facilities: Campground cleanliness receives consistent positive mentions. "Bathroom was the cleanest I have seen at a campsite. The sites are close as it is a small campground. But it was easy as people were respectful of each others spaces and it was quiet," reported a camper at Okaw Valley Kampground.
Reservation timing: During peak season, especially weekends, advance reservations become essential. "There is a reservable section and an extensive first come, first serve section. There are usually always spaces available. Sites are pretty level, are gravel, wooded, and spacious," explains a visitor to Eldon Hazlet.
Flooding concerns: Several campgrounds experience periodic closures due to high water. "This park offers playground areas and more. Cabins, campsites with power or no power the choice is yours. This is one State Park I enjoy visiting. However there are times this park cannot be accessed because of flooding," notes a visitor to Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area.
Varying cell service: Connectivity ranges from adequate to poor depending on location. "Cell service was only 1-2 bars LTE with AT&T but able to stream with hotspot to the SmartTV with only 1 bar so not bad," shared a Stephen A. Forbes visitor.
Playground access: Multiple campgrounds offer playground 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," noted a camper at Eldon Hazlet.
Educational opportunities: Some campgrounds provide structured activities for children. A visitor to Dam West Spillway mentioned: "It has activities for children on the weekends. The campsites have sewer and water on some sites, as well as other sites with electricity available."
Beach proximity: Several campgrounds feature swimming beaches within walking distance. "Big, spacious campsites with really pretty, big trees for lots of shade. The bathroom and shower facilities are FABULOUS, and super clean. Marina and beach are close, and most of the drive up sites are concrete or at least rocked," notes another Dam West visitor.
Site leveling: Several campgrounds feature uneven sites requiring adjustment. At Stephen A. Forbes State Park, one RVer mentioned: "We were here 1st week of April. Still rather cool weather but had a great time. There are 3 loops only one of which is reservable & we were at the rear of that loop."
Water quality issues: Some campgrounds experience seasonal water challenges. "Only complaint that I have was the potable water supply. I filled my trailer's tank at the drinking water supply when you enter the campground. It was extremely dirty with a lot of copper colored solids," reported a visitor to Eldon Hazlet.
Electrical hookup options: Most campgrounds offer 30-amp service, with limited 50-amp availability. At Archway RV Park, a camper noted: "Full-hookups with only a 50amp connection so if you are using 30 make sure you have a 50/30 adapter. Overall very nice campground, well maintained."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular campground near Salem, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Salem, IL is Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area with a 3.8-star rating from 13 reviews.
What parks are near Salem, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 13 parks near Salem, IL that allow camping, notably Carlyle Lake and Rend Lake.
Keep Exploring
