Best Tent Camping near Sesser, IL

Recent Tent Reviews near Sesser, Illinois

543 Reviews of 12 Sesser Campgrounds

• 

  Michael M.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 23, 2017

  Giant City State Park Campground

  Campground Improving in 2017

  There are currently 25 equestrian camp sites in this park in a different area than the normal RV and Tent campground. The campground is being upgraded this year in which I belive they are adding 50 amp full service to many of the electric only sites. There is currently walk in only unless you are reserving a horse camp. There are fantastic hiking trails and equestrian trails here and you would think you are in the mountains here. The geology is much like the Missouri area near the other bank of the Mississippi river. I have tent camped here and camped in a pop-up camper in the fall both times. Hiking is the best activity here unless you ride horses and that is great here too. This one and Wolf Creek on Lake Shelbyville are the best parks in Illinois for horse trails.

• M

  Mary F.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 19, 2018

  South Sandusky Campground

  Picture perfect

  Full hookups to tent camping and spacious sites. This is a Corps of Engineer Campground so bring your America the Beautiful pass! Well maintained on beautiful Rend Lake in southern Illinois. Reservations accepted on reservation.gov. Walk ins also welcome.

• 

  Carrie J.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 31, 2016

  South Marcum Campground

  Nice and quiet

  These sites are pretty run of the mill average camping sites. They're very close to the Illinois state fair grounds. There are tent sites as well as RV sites that are very close to the lake.

• 

  Chad K.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 30, 2016

  Redbud Campground at Bell Smith Springs

  Quiet

  Stopped at this campground on the way to St. Louis. It is remote with several trails to explore. The sites were level and good for tent camping.

• 

  Annie C.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 1, 2016

  Pharoah - Garden of the Gods Rec Area Campground

  Garden of the Gods

  Primative camping at its best. This is heavily used in the summer and early fall. Picnic tables and fire rings, vault toilets. Go in the off season and you will have plenty of privacy. Fairly level tent sites , some with nice trees for hammocks. Close to Little Grand Canyon, a really neat natural bridge, and Illinois wineries.

• 

  michael G.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 16, 2022

  Randolph County State Recreation Area

  Tent camping

  Plenty of tent camping sites. There are primitive also. Great Lake to fish and plenty of trails to hike. Looks like the rv site can get booked up on weekends.

• 

  Bob P.

  Traveler

  

  Feb. 18, 2019

  Pine Hills

  Remotely lovely

  Tent sites with no electricity or water. Clean toilets and a covered pavilion for getting out of the rain when needed.

• J

  Jamie E.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 30, 2018

  Lake Murphysboro State Park Campground

  Murphy lake

  Camper area is well cared for but tent camping needed to be mowed desperately. Lots of bug spray required. the area is very hilly and narrow to drive through. Over all very nice place to camp!

• 

  Brennan M.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 26, 2020

  Deer Ridge Campground — Ferne Clyffe State Park

  Very RV heavy

  I actually didn't end up camping here because it looked like a rock site. I maybe saw two tents, everyone else in big RV's. If you are doing tent camping I would look elsewhere. I might've missed an area that was more tent friendly but I didn't see it. I would do primitive with a tent probably.

• 

  Chelsea D.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 23, 2020

  Pine Hills

  Beautiful new Picnic shelter, quiet campground

  This is a very basic campground with some shade. No hookups, really good for tent camping. The new picnic shelter is beautiful and there is seating around a fire pit. This forest does a great job of keeping restrooms very clean.

• 

  Chad K.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 31, 2016

  Arrowhead Lake Campground

  Average

  We stayed here on our way to St. Louis and found it to be average. The campground was clean and run of the mill. The tent sites were adequate and semi level.

• 

  Jason W.

  Ranger

  

  Apr. 12, 2021

  Pharoah - Garden of the Gods Rec Area Campground

  Very nice hilltop camp.

  Not big by any means but we'll kept and cozy. Primitive with water and restrooms. Worth the stay for thise wanting a small area and tent camp.

  Plenty of hiking trails with a lot of information about the area. Pretty close to convenience stores for your needs.

• 

  Kirstin A.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 30, 2022

  Little Grassy Lake Campground

  Beautiful lake area!

  Great views and lots of waterfront sites. Stayed with family members who have a camper, some sites are on a hill so it makes it difficult to park an RV of camper. Tent sites around too. Lots of boats and fishing.

• j

  jeri

  Traveler

  

  May. 27, 2021

  COE Lake Carlyle McNair Campground

  Fantastic

  Cleanest bathrooms ever and heated and air conditioner. Quiet and plenty of trees and a walking path. A beach to swim at and a dock to fish off. A playground for kids. You can tent camp in a.few places but mai.ly for electric campers and.RV's. We camp here several times a year.

• 

  Rachel C.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 3, 2021

  Redbud Campground at Bell Smith Springs

  Good tent camping experience

  We found this little gem at a last minute camping adventure on the way home from out of town.  It was one of our first tent camping experiences.  Nothing fancy, but the pit toilet and water supply worked just fine for us and our kids.  We found some beautiful hiking and water holes.

• 

  Lori W.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 20, 2021

  Arrowhead Lake Campground

  Arrowhead Campground

  Very clean, level sites, large lake with a well maintained walking trail. Lake side sites, wooded sites and regular sites in the middle. Water, 30 and 50 amp, shower house, small laundry facility. Wifi fiber being installed, boat ramp, primitive cabin, tent camping, large childrens playground. Very nice, quiet, clean. We come here often. $25.00/night.

• 

  Gina J.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 15, 2018

  Turkey Ridge Campground — Ferne Clyffe State Park

  Great Hiking

  There are a lot of hiking trails and we really enjoyed them all! The tent camping accommodations were less than stellar, simply because of the “outhouses “. There was a ton of wildlife though and it was really neat to listen to all the different species throughout the night. Overall the grounds are quite nice.

• 

  Joel R.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 6, 2021

  South Sandusky Campground

  Relaxing spot on the water

  South Sandusky campground is a Corps of Engineers campground on Rend Lake, just off I-57 in Southern Illinois. There are 8 tent sites & 119 sites with electric and full hook-ups. 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. There is a dump station, flush toilets, showers, a sand beach, boat ramp, 2 picnic shelters, a paved bike trail, and playgrounds. There is no internet. Sites can be reserved on the Internet at www.recreation.gov.

• 

  Julie M.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 11, 2018

  Illini Campground — Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area

  Quiet, peaceful waterfront escape!

  while there are many full service sites available, this campground offers dozens of rustic tent sites right next to Carlyle Lake as well! Our tent site was shaded and our one neighbor was quiet and friendly. We felt secluded yet had easy access to the campground shower house, swimming pool, wooded nature trail, campground hosts and camp store. We were within a few minutes drive of the main lake beach and facilities that include a restaraunt and visitors center. A 7 minute drive gets you into the town of Carlyle which has all the necessities- food, gas and Walmart.

  We were incredibly pleased with the quiet tranquility of this site and the views were fantastic. We woke up to hear the lake lapping at the shoreline. We had a nearly private cove to fish as well.

  This is a wonderful campground and we will certainly Be back again!

• 

  Tye K.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 8, 2020

  Backpack Campground — Ferne Clyffe State Park

  Just an easy going stay

  Not a lot of tent sites, but enough. Nice wooded primitive sites with easy access to water and toilets. Had my pups with, and no problems at all. Nice trails for different hiking skill sets. Only issue I found at all was firewood is surprisingly difficult to come by.

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  Crystal H.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 6, 2019

  Gun Creek

  So beautiful

  There’s not a bad campsite here. There are sites with electric, water, and sewer. Several sites are right on Rend Lake. Most sites have concrete picnic tables and fire rings. The bath houses are really nice, they are individual shower houses that are clean and well lit. The grounds are very well maintained. The park was full while we stayed there, but was really quiet. You can tent camp or use a camper.

• 

  Frank H.

  Guide

  

  May. 25, 2022

  Archway RV Park

  Primarily RV

  I am tent camping as I travel westbound. 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. No on sight water or electric. There are 2 private room restrooms with showers & sink. These are shared by all. Basics. Lots of stores & restaurants nearby.

• M

  Matt M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 23, 2020

  South Marcum Campground

  Pretty Nice Lakeside CG

  This is a very nice Corps of Engineers campground. The RV sites are paved and pretty level. Tent sites look nice too. Bathrooms are nice and clean. Didn’t use the shower facilities. The lake has a lot of boats flying around, but it’s placid after dark. Bugs weren’t bad at all.

  No water or sewer hookups on Site 86.

  Have fun!

• 

  Chad K.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 18, 2016

  Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area

  Nice SP

  This state park is a basic but nice state park facility, The tent sites were basic but fairly level and clean. Most of the sites had fire pits and picnic table. The bathrooms were big and clean, At the time of our visit it was raining so we didn't get a chance to explore much but its someplace we will come back to.

• 

  Joy H.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 9, 2017

  Giant City State Park Campground

  Great experience!

  Camped here for a weekend and was not disappointed! There are multiple easy to get to "primitive" campsites for tent camping but all are within an easy walk of the outhouse, water hydrant, and parking lot. There are several easy hikes within a short drive to other areas of the park. The park also has a 6 mile hike-in campsite for backpacking and a lot of electrical hookups for RV camping. The trails are over cliffs and through gorgeous boulders.

• 

  Dusti M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 20, 2022

  Redbud Campground at Bell Smith Springs

  Just ok

  Only stayed here for 1 night. Pit toilets were dirty even for pit toilets. Decent primitive sites, not very level though. Good for tent camping or small camper. Unfortunately some other “campers” showed up late in the evening, played music, yelled and partied until around 3am. It seems to be an ongoing problem at that campground. The only plus is the amazing rock formations, good trail system and great little swimming hole. Great place to spend the day and maybe the night if you can sleep though all the commotion.

• 

  Scott N.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 24, 2018

  Turkey Ridge Campground — Ferne Clyffe State Park

  Spacious, great trails, and even better views.

  My brother and I camped here in September on a weekday. We were the only tent campers, so it was nice and peaceful. The sites are large and include a cooking grate. It was easy to find firewood with out having to go very far, becareful there is a good amount of poison ivy. The only trail I hiked was Happy Hollow. A large portion of it is an equestrian trail, so the path was very wide. The veiws on the trail were amazing.

  Click here for my video.

  Click here for my write up.