If you want to explore the beauty of Urbana, glamping is an excellent option. Glamping near Urbana is especially popular among campers who enjoy beds and electricity. Whether you're looking for a quiet location in the woods or a site closer to all the action, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect glamping spot.
There are 17 Class AA campsites, 277 Class A campsites, 9 Class B/S campsites and 5 Class C campsites at Clinton Lake, with most adaptable to either tents, trailers or motor homes. The campground is open year-round with the exception of the full week prior to first firearm deer season. No entry is allowed in the Mascoutin area during that time, for a special firearm deer hunt. Showers and potable water are available from mid-April to November (weather depending). Each site is equipped with a grill and picnic table. Reservations can be made online at the Reserve America website. Camping loops H, I, J and K are alcohol-free. Camp Quest Group Camp, located off Route 54 at Birkbeck, is an area for adults or youth groups and has room for 75. It provides a secluded wooded setting and has a large shelter with electricity, three RV pads with electrical hookups, toilets, tables, grills and water. No shower facilities are present at the group camp area. Portions of the Class AA, A and B/S and the group camp are handicapped accessible.
$10 - $30 / night
Take a break from it all without breaking your wallet by camping at Friends Creek Conservation Area. Pitch a tent and spend a night under the stars or hook up your camper to one of the electric sites. Friends Creek Campground is a quiet place to relax, explore nature, and spend time with family and friends. Open May 1 – November 1.
Campground includes electric and non-electric sites, showers, flush toilets, and a dump station.
Daily fees for electric sites are $17 for Macon County residents and $20 for non-residents. Non-electric sites are $10 for Macon County residents and $12 for non-residents. A large group campsite is also available for $25/night for up to 25 people, and $1/night for each additional person up to 60. There is a $5 non-refundable reservation fee for all campsites.
Complete campground information and rules.
Reserve your campsite by calling 217-423-7708 (Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm). There is a $5 non-refundable reservation fee.
Weekend reservations must be made by that Thursday at 3pm.
Minimum 2-night stay for holiday weekends (Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Forth of July).
$10 - $25 / night
$20 / night
Forrest W. ''Bo'' Wood Recreation Area has a large campground on the northern shore of Lake Shelbyville in the heart of central Illinois. The lake and surrounding land offer outdoor activities for people of all ages, including fishing, swimming, picnicking and simply relaxing. Click here for a virtual tour of the Lake Shelbyville area.
Lake Shelbyville offers a multitude of fishing opportunities for catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, muskie, walleye, white bass and bluegill. The campground has a boat ramp for easy access to the water, and for those without a boat, several ponds with farmed fish are available around the lake. Hunting areas located within a short drive offer numerous game species, including quail, rabbit, pheasant, deer, dove, turkey, waterfowl and woodcock.
This facility lies on the shoreline with a steep descent down to the water. Oak and hickory forests offer plenty of shade. Foliage turns a variety of red, orange, purple and yellow each fall, while prairie flowers dot the landscape in spring and summer. Numerous species of songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors inhabit the lake area, as do mammals such as cottontail rabbit, white-tail deer, gray and fox squirrel, muskrat and mink.
Wolf Creek State Park, Woods Lake Waterfowl Refuge and Okaw Bluff Wetlands Complex are popular locations for wildlife watching, birding and hunting near Lake Shelbyville.
$24 / night
Scout
Lovely little campground with its own little lake. Well maintained. Clean laundry. Friendly and helpful owner. Visible presence throughout campground checking that all is well.
Traveler
One of our favorite camping trips so far!
We stayed in the J loop, which was more family friendly and very close to the beach. There was a walking path from our site to the shore which was perfect for our young family to go back and forth on.
Sites were somewhat open but there were tons of trees and grass behind each spot so it didn’t feel so exposed. We loved the option for fishing and swimming in a nearby watering hole.
We heard the toilets and shower house were brought a portable toilet since we have small kids who might not make it to the outhouse so we never used the campground toilet/facilities.
Definitely our vibe of being more secluded and on the water.
Traveler
Friends Creek is a small campground with nice spacious sites and super clean bathhouses and pit toilets. The fire pits are well kept and the camp host was very kind! He came around with suckers for the kids and just to check in. We hiked a bit on the trails and played in the creek. Highly recommend.
ScoutWe had a fantastic time here. We came during Fourth of July and never felt like it was overly crowded. Sites were spacious but wasn’t much privacy, which didn’t bother us because it allowed for our kids to play with the other kids easily. Our site was adjacent to numerous paths that easily led to the beach, playground, the rocky path for fishing, and a secluded swimming hole. We couldn’t have asked for a better location for our family and our interests. We did not use the toilets or showers, although it looked like they were in working order as others were using then. We had a cloudless night and the stars were spectacular.
Guide
This is a really lovely spot! There’s 2 bars of Verizon service, a shower house with warm water and flush toilets, as well as pit toilets. There are a few hiking trails that leave from the campground as well. My only problem was that it was extremely busy when I visited and some of my neighbors were quite loud (although they quieted down by quiet hours).
TravelerI wrote out a 4 paragraph review and somehow it was just completley erased. Will update later.
Scout
Stopped here for lunch and stayed about an hour. Easy to find, multiple shelters with grills. Some light paths and a playground.
Guide
This was a quick overnight in a tent on a road trip for me. Site 75 was what was available when I booked last minute. It's level with grass to pitch a tent but definitely in a loop of the park better suited to travel trailers/RVs etc. Not much privacy between sites but backs up to woods. The bathrooms were clean with good hot showers. Would return again if I could snag a tent loop site.
GuideIt’s crowded near the road but spreads out well at the back of the site. Lots of people here today
ScoutCamped for a weekend trip. We had 3 sites and made one a home base. Grounds were full due to unseasonably warm weather but everyone was pleasant and respectful
ScoutCheck in was easy
TravelerWe stayed in Site 20 for 5 days and had a great experience. The hosts at the time of stay were Alice and Jim. Very sweet old couple.
It was very quiet, even during the day. Nobody was too loud or disrespectful. Sites vary in size and some are FCFS (20-32) while the rest are reserved. Site 20 is the largest FCFS available. Site 14 seems to be the nicest and largest site on the grounds and is where we’ll be staying during our next visit.
Women’s bathroom was in good shape. Kept clean but stained due to age. Women’s vault toilet is fine, but spend the extra 5 minutes and walk to the actual bathhouse if you can.
Cell coverage for Verizon was 1 bar consistently, 2 bars occasionally. Fine for basic tasks but don’t expect to game or stream HD video.
TravelerThis park is a gem! Friendly & helpful staff and very clean restrooms/showers. Some shady spots and a nice walking trail around the lake. Just off Hwy 57 & 74 - very convenient!
ScoutAmazing family owned camp. Full hook ups 50/30 and pull through. Super easy to get to from the highway. Super friendly and amazing service from the time you pull up till the time you pack up and leave. Level sites. Very peaceful and quiet at night. I 100% recommend.
ScoutWe have camped here previous years and had a good time. However we it here for the first time this year and man has it gone down hill. The host is crazy and can be rude, he didn't even ask who we were. Just tried to be funny. Our campsite was dirty. We had to pick up a bunch of trash. On the way to the bathrooms we had to step over dog poo. The bathroom in c loop should just be torn down. The brick is falling appart. Hubby said someone pooped on the floor in the stall on the men's side. We went swimming and there were people drinking and smoking weed on the beach and not even trying to hide it. Funny they closed the bathrooms at the beach at 6:30 to clean. That man did not clean them. He just locked the doors and left. Went to shower after swimming at the shower house by the host and hubby says it smells like sewage and there was poop on the floor in the shower house as well. Probably will find somewhere also to go the rest of the season. We camped at Clinton Lake State Recreation Area in a Travel Trailer
TravelerGood value, large level site, friendly. We only stayed overnight and didn't bathrooms or laundry but the campground is clean and nice, a very pretty pond and shades at sites. We would stay again!
TravelerThe best kept secret in Argenta, Illinois. We’re from Arizona and the lush green makes me speechless. The camp spaces are spaced far apart for privacy. The bathroom and showers are immaculate. We can’t say enough about Friends Creek.
TravelerPrices and availability for sites was easy great hiking trails clean shower and bath houses I recommend trying this campground to anyone.
GuideStayed on a Tuesday night in April. Only a few rvs, no tent campers besides us. Stayed at A19, the loop was quiet all day/night. Most loops look exactly the same, just the quality of the sites. Some are all dirt, some are all grass. Bathrooms are ok. Didn't use the showers. Good first time visit to the campground.
GuideWe stayed at Boo Wood Campground for about five days and enjoyed much of their amenities.
The campground featured a dog park which provided room for our dogs to run around. There was also multiple playgrounds and even a small amphitheater. There was a large boat ramp with ample parking. We put in our kayaks on the boat ramp and enjoyed a nice paddle on a portion of the Shelbyville Lake.
We paid less than$25 a night for full hooks up and we had an almost lake view.
Our biggest issue with this campsite was the extensive bugs, once the sun goes down the bugs get horribly bad. We let our dogs out past 8 p.m. and our camper was covered with swarms of psychodidae(sewer) flies. Once we quickly got in our camper, we spent the next hour killing the swarms of sewer flies that entered our camper. We learned our lesson and once the sun went down, we did not leave our camper.
GuideLots of things to do. Most sites are good size and easy to back into. Some walking trails. Beach is nice to have, does cost to get in. Restaurant on site is good! Big nice lake if you have a boat/kayak or like to swim or fish. Pretty lake area in general. Playgrounds aren't in great shape 😕 bathrooms aren't great either.
TravelerI would highly recommend this campground. It is close to the main highway, but far enough to not be noticeable. Sites are level and in good condition. Owner greets you on entering and then guides you to your site. Signage to get to the campground is excellent. The bath house is clean and up to date with lots of hot water. The lake is pleasant and has a trail around it for walking. There is a dog area that is fenced in for doggy pleasure and exercise. I would be happy to return here when I could spend more time and maybe wet a line.
GuideWe've stayed at this campground twice so far and enjoyed it both times. Our first visit was in April before they turned the water on (we were prepared for that). The campground was mostly empty and I don't believe the hosts were there for the season yet, but it was very quiet and peaceful. The shower house was closed until May but the pit toilets were open and still reasonably clean. The hiking trails are great (although be prepared for mud) and one even takes you right under an eagle nest. Bald eagles are visible on the river, and since the campground is right next to a Dark Sky Park, stargazing is amazing if you have good weather.
Our second visit was in August for the Perseid meteor shower and a local expert came to give a talk and there was a meteor viewing party of sorts, so that was very interesting. The camp was entirely full and got pretty loud Saturday night, but otherwise wasn't bad. At one site, people had squeezed a large camper, two large tents, and five cars on it, despite the limits - I felt bad for their neighbors! We also had a lot of rain that weekend and one of the pit toilets appeared to have a problem because it smelled very strongly - the people in the sites nearest to it, 21 and 39, probably had a rough weekend.
There are several fishing ponds around the campground and a small swimming area with a beach, playground, mini library, and shower house. The shower house is older but decent and clean. The showers themselves have a lot of hooks inside to hang your things, and the accessible shower was very thoughtful with a bench and handheld shower head (not like some which have regular showers, just bigger).
Some of the sites are very private, others are closer together. 42 - 47 had a lot of vegetation between them and were very private. I believe sites 34 and 27 could be great buddy sites. Site 25 has a trail that leads to the back row of sites (and no one behind it.)
The alphabetical sites are a little tighter, smaller, and with less privacy.
The water faucet/pump in the middle of the back row is broken and has been removed, although it is still on the map.
AT&T cell reception is good at any of the sites.
ScoutLocated on Lake Shelbyville, Bo Wood is an Army Co of Engineers park. Plenty of full hook ups and tent camping spots. Most by the lake. Well kept with bathroom and shower facilities, a playground and laundry.
TravelerThis is a real nice small park. Each site has great privacy and has very spacious sites. Close to Eastern Illinois University and lake Charleston which has trails.
GuideWe love this place. Problem is it's a State park and the state has not fixed a shower house and dump station. It's been not working since 2020. Because of this, only three stars. If those items works like they should, then four stars.
ScoutOne of the nicest on the lake. Clean, well maintained, nice spacious spots, boat ramp and parking, dog run, playground. Reservation made on Recreation.gov. Sometimes available spots for one night. Can stay for two weeks in thirty day period.
Frequently Asked Questions
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