We had an easy after-hours first come first serve check in experience. Directions were easy to follow and the campground itself was well-kept. Having a power hook-up for a night was a huge plus.

The state park trails aren't really accessible from the campground but are a short drive away. They are doing A LOT of work on the trail system so not all trails are open at this time. Definitely check out some of the canyons and overlooks if you are staying in the campground.

We loved site 89 at Starved Rock State Campground, in the wooded area of the east loop. Felt enveloped by nature among the trees and birds. Nice privacy, with neighbors at a distance through the trees. The pit toilets weren’t far and were well-kept. The only disappointment was the shower house. The shower itself was excellent—hot and powerful—but one men's and one women's shower for more than 70 sites isn't sufficient, and those facilities felt neglected. 

The location of this campground is perfect if you’re there to explore the canyons, as it’s an easy drive to so many trailheads. We hiked up to Starved Rock and also down into seven canyons over the four days there: Illinois, Ottawa, Kalkaskia, Council Bluffs, St Louis, French, and Wildcat. We enjoyed a riverboat cruise down the Illinois River among bluffs of sandstone. We had lunch in Ottawa one day and Utica another; both cool towns. We also loved our time just relaxing at the site in such a beautiful setting.

Nice campground, but make sure you are on the outside. Very little shade.

May 15-20, 2025 

Easy check in, empty on Thursday, site 47 Is full sun and level. 

Not much shade in the western sites, plenty of grass, pads are gravel, mostly even. ADA sites are concrete. Site 49 and 51 have some shade. The eastern sites are wooded, narrow and secluded cept for a few near the shower house. 

Electric was 20&30amp, newer metal fire pit with adjustable ring. Large wooden table. Pit toilets are ADA compatible, shower house has 2 showers, 2 stalls and urinal. Push button with good pressure and heat. 

Cellular, T-Mobile 5G 2 bars outside, 3 bars LTE inside camper. 

The Hosts were great, and very helpful. The campground overall is old and could use an upgrade. The toilets, showers, and playground, although the youth area has a newer area for the kids. 

The park could use more water fill stations and there are two spots for dumping but only one septic hole. Trash dumpsters are located away from the camping area which makes for a nice walk in the evening.

Picked this spot outta the air. What an amazing history and geological area. The campgrounds were large and dark with shade trees. Limited 50 Amp sites as it is old.

It is a nice campground (sites are great and it was a reasonable price for out-of-state), but the facilities are in need of updating. There is only one shower for about 60 sites. Campground bathrooms are portable toilets. Campground is about 1 mile away from visitor center and park/trails.

Stayed in the east loop, overlooking the ravine, had a small trail behind our site that was all wooded. Decent pines and brush separating sites on both sides. Didn't feel like the sites were on top of each other. Not too far from refill station, farther from toilets which is nice to reduce flies and bugs. We'll definitely stay here again.

Didn't bother with $9 bundle of firewood from the vending machine. Jacks had a wagon load of firewood for $20 cash, much better deal and it lasted for 3 nights.

Keep in mind the grounds are fully separated from the state park, you'll need to drive 8 to 10min to get to the hiking trails. Biking out of the campgrounds also didn't seem close enough with young kids.

Very friendly host at the gate! Just what my wife and I were looking for. Quiet campground not far off the highway! Didn’t expect this kind of camping in Illinois! Nicely wooded and picturesque area, similar to northern Wisconsin!

We stayed in the east loop which is heavily wooded compared to the west loop. Site 99 has no grass but is very large - ended up camping behind the RV on a little point that overlooks a ravine. Very neat, rustic feel. Heavy tree canopy means no Starlink. Verizon and AT&T both had only 1 bar. TV was nearly impossible to hold a signal. From our site closest bathrooms were a short walk but are port-a-pots. Shower house is likely a drive away especially if you have women and children in your party. All of the Starved Rock State Park trails and sites to see are a drive away, not part of the campground. For me the most annoying thing we encountered… there must be a small airport nearby because there was nearly constant small planes buzzing around thought out the day. Would stay here again, but not a favorite.

Easy walk-in process. Well maintained grounds and facilities Near Starved Rock Lodge for hiking and a meal with a view. Dog friendly on back deck.

I stayed here for 1 night- site#12 in the west loop. The staff was friendly and the grounds seemed to be well maintained. I loved that it was so close to Starved Rock Park(5 minutes). Electricity was available at the camp site. I wish that there was water at each site but luckily, we were able to fill up directly across from our campsite. If you have your hose connected, be sure to pull the diverter down so water will be redirected into the hose. There was a dump station at the campground entrance but we had issues with the hose working. Given the location, I would stay here again if I were to visit the park. I gave this 3 stars because I was comparing it to other campgrounds I've stayed at and the amenities they've offered.

Could’ve been much better. Somewhat dirty, dumpsters overflowing with trash. Campsites were a little on the small side. Really cool area with really neat hiking.

Great camping experience at Starved Rock Campground. Well maintained. Relatively level sites. Good space between campers. Heavy fire pits and grates. The hiking trails are challenging but rewarding.

The campground is separate from the park and it's a good thing. Super quiet.

one of the better campsites in the surrounding area. there is a decent amount of trees and vegetation separating each campsite which i loved! my only complaint is the grounds were busy and someone who was sitting outside kept shining a flashlight into our tent for what felt like all night.

The Starved Rock are is gorgeous. The campground is poorly laid out. It’s disconnected from the state park, there are no trails that lead from the CG. The loop with the lower numbered sites is very open, however sites are well spaced out. The other loop with the higher numbered sites offers more trees and privacy. Both loops have a shower building with toilets at the loop entrance which are not really close to any actual sites. There are pit toilets and port-a-potties but they weren’t in great shape. We’d recommend sites 50, 52, or 54 as they provide some tree cover and have good proximity to the bathrooms.

Love this campground! It was my first time going camping with just my boyfriend and his dog. Each campsite was very spacious and came with a table and fire pit. We had a site right next to a forest and we found a little river so we decided to go exploring a bit and had loads of fun! The bathroom and shower facilities were nice and clean. We heard coyotes at night (they were laughing, no joke) so that was a little scary! We went to Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Park for hikes and loved both!

We camp at this campground a few times a year. We love the quiet and simplicity of this place. Site 104 is a good sized inner loop site. Everyone knows about hiking Starved Rock, but I recommend the short drive down the road to Matthiessen State Park. Much less crowded with better trails, in my opinion.

Site 105 is one of the bigger outer loop sites. Behind the tent pad there is a nice trail to the ravine. Lots of tall trees and privacy. During a whole day of very heavy rain, there was minimal flooding. One of my favorite sites here. This campground is always clean and quiet.

Due to limited availability, I was forced to pick an inner loop site and was worried it would be small. This site was plenty big enough for our 8 person tent and a pop up screen house. Ample tree cover and privacy. One day had very heavy rains and the fire ring area did have some minor flooding but the tent pad section stayed drier. This campground is always quiet, well maintained, and never disappoints.

I got here after dark and paid for a walk-up reservation. They don’t differentiate tent and RV sites, so I picked one that looked like it wouldn’t be near other RVs since I’m tent camping. Registration was easy although a bit confusing about credit card options. Everyone was quiet and the bathrooms were clean.

A dog ran up to my tent and scared the crap out of me at like 11pm, but he quickly apologized. I’m not sure if he was unleashed or on a long leash, but there were a lot of dogs.

Typical RV camp ground in a wide open area.

Nice spot for an over night stay

The campground itself is pretty basic. The sites were extremely close together. I wish we would have been able to pick it out when we got there, because there are so really. It and open sites. I found 99, 101 and 105 to be the best ones! We stayed at 115 with not much room! The best part about this is the sites outside of the campground. There are several trails and history about starved rock! Unfortunately they recommend you drive to them. I understand why as biking or walking from the campground may not be the safest on the narrow country roads.

Grass was tall, several sites were flooded/standing water, felt bad for those campers. Most sites have very very little gravel for car/camper and no gravel around fire ring, just tall grass. Shower house is a joke. 2 showers, 1 stall, 1 urinal for men. No temp control, the hot water is blazing unsafe hot. My kids were in pain. No alcohol, no playground execpt 2 swings in a literal mud pit. Camp store had insane prices for wood and ice. For being such a huge SP, the campground was a joke.

We got there in the rain. The site had electricity and water. Standard site. The sites were paved and large. The bathroom near our site was not the greatest, the woman’s room door did not open so we used the men’s room. There is one toilet, which is non-flushable outhouse style. That was not a problem but it was not very clean.

The place was well run, sites vary from heavily wooded to wide open in grass. A decent amount of tenters mixed in with trailers. The showers were very hot, almost too hot for adults. Camp hosts were excellent.