Best Equestrian Camping near Benton, MO

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.

Maybe it's because I am from WI and we tend to rip on IL a lot, but I really found this park sub-par. I am also spoiled from getting to see some of the larger parks in the country. Would probably be nice for a long weekend with the kids. But I don't have kids. It's more of a touristy place than a real campground in my opinion. If you are in the area check out the view of Tower Rock. There are a lot of campsites available for both tent and RV, and they do offer grills, tables, camp fire pits, toilets, and a playground. Pets are welcome. Part of a foundation of an old house built on a rock is still around and is a neat part of history.

Kind of a bare bones campground but this state park does offer rock climbing (if you have the expertise and your own gear). A few picnic shelters and an amazing CCC lodge that has a cabin rentals and a pretty good area restaurant. The park used to have an interp center but I believe the state closed it do to funding. The trails aren't always maintained it definitely depends on the season but the park itself is not to be missed.

Campground here has both electric sites for campers and primitive sites for tents. All are shaded and quiet. Showers/bathrooms are really nice and clean. In addition to campgrounds, there's a very nice lodge with a good restaurant, and the cabins here are pretty good too.

Lots of amazing, beautiful hikes in this park, especially if you're into bluffs and large boulders. Easy drive to many other picturesque and unique parks (i.e. Garden of the Gods, Ferne Clyffe), and easy drive into town if you want something more civilized.

Came here for a weekend getaway, to camp, hike and visit wineries, and was not disappointed. The campground is good, and camp hosts very friendly and helpful. Lots of trees for shade. Narrow roads with tight curves, along with the trees, made for a bit of a challenge. The hiking trails are beautiful, and not too crowded. There are many wineries within a short drive of the camp, which made for a fun afternoon. Really enjoyed our weekend here, and plan to return.

This wasn’t our first choice for a campground but Oak Point was full and sites were open here! I’m so glad that was the case as this definitely turned out to be an awesome campground. The sites are flat and open, but most are still shaded by a y’all tree canopy. The lodge and restaurant are a great way to escape the summer heat for a few hours! The Trillium Trail in the Park has beautiful views and rock formations. Get ice cream and walk the Secret Garden in Makanda. Lake Glendale is close by for swimming and kayak rentals. Of course you have to hike to the Garden of the Gods, but our favorite was the Little Grand Canyon. Both require some level of experience hiking and good hiking shoes/boots.

We spent 8 days in the campground. The host was excellent and clearly there to make the stay pleasant. Each site has electricity and access to water. Some have more.

All the hiking in the park is some of the best in Illinois. The visitors center has a lot of great information. The lodge has some of the best fried chicken anywhere and is very reasonable. Saturday night the dining hall was packed because of the all you can eat venue not to mention the excellent service

This is a park that would be better labeled as an unforgettable experience.

This is a great state park campground. They have electric sites, and water is available but you need to fill your tank before setting up camp. Sites are flat and most are pull through. Giant City has great hiking and wildlife viewing.

We came down for a spontaneous camping trip to explore SNF and found Giant City to be a great place to stay. We stayed in the primitive camp site, while there were others there, everyone was dispersed far enough that it felt private. Camp grounds were clean, quiet, and the camp host and park ranger were very kind. There is a nice trail across from the primitive camping site which also has a pond for fishing as well. Bathrooms and shower house were all clean! Overall we had a great time and will absolutely be back.

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.

The sites are gravel and some are extremely unlevel. Electric hookups. Pit toilets but the shower house was nice and clean. The trails in this CCC era park are marvelous. We also loved the Lodge for dinner and climbing the water tower. We will definitely be staying here again.

So first of all- I think it’s fair to state before I leave a review that my husband and I prefer primitive and private camping. The fewer people we see while we’re out, the better. We live in a city so when we camp, we want the opposite. If you enjoy RV camping or don’t mind not so Private spots, this is a decent spot to spend the night. If you like primitive/private camping- il fill you in below!

We do tent camping and Saw there were walk-in sites and hike in sites at this campground. Usually walk-in sites are pretty private and dispersed well - atleast where we’ve been before. The 14 “primitive” camping sites were right next to eachothwr with little to no privacy at all. Good tree cover for shade but otherwise you’re basically setting up your tent and area in an open field. That was a little disappointing to us because it wasn’t what we thought we would find. The RV spots also seem super close together but again- we like things spread out so maybe it would be an OK place for some.

The vault toilets near the tent sites were...as clean as vault toilets get! And we did not use tje shower facilities so can’t speak on that.

If we had been just the 2 of us, we would’ve hiked in to do our camping along one of the hiking paths but we were meeting two other friends and were unsure if they would want to hike miles to a spot so we opted for the tent spots just after the RV campground. If you want more privacy for an evening of camping, you’ll need to come with your gear packed up decently enough to hike it out atleast a mile onto the trails. There is camping allowed along the trails as long as you are 100 ft from the trail so that was an option, but in certain spots along the trail it’s challenging to find a clearing (hammocks would be great along the trail). There is also an official primitive camping site halfway through the 12 mile loop of the Red Ceder Trail. We day hiked almost the whole loop but made a Weird little detour so we didn’t get to check these spots out.

We were hoping to find a campsite that- as get as difficulty of accessibility level- was in between a 6 mile hike and the tent spots in the field but there isn’t any official spot like that even tho there’s tons of space and potential for it. Rant over about the campground. Let’s talk about the hiking! The hiking was truly awesome and felt like it balanced out my disappointment with the campground. Doing the whole 12 mile loop of tje Red Cedar Trail was a challenge for us! We really enjoyed it. In some spots, the trail markers are a little confusing, but overall it’s decently marked and the map is somewhat helpful just to kindve know vaguely where you are. The 2nd day, we went back and did about half rhe loop and also checked out the more popular section of the trails back there that include Giant City Nature Trail, Devils Stand Table, and a few others. Very cool rock formations. Pretty busy in the weekend over there but the test of the trails away from that area with those big landmarks was completely deserted and there are some super cool rock formations not on the map at all.

Over all, this was a fun 4 days. We would return and plan on hiking out into the trails to camp for our evenings. If you like privacy around your campfire at night, I can’t recommend the campground.

Great campground, park ranger very close and comes around often. Nice big spaces for rv or tents.

Down side its not super close to alot of trails.

Wanting to explore some of the Shawnee Forest, we selected Giant City as it was recommended by a friend (and one of the few places that accepts reservations ahead of time!)  The campsite was good and we loved that it backed up to some woods, which our kids explored often.  The vault toilets were fine and the play ground was good.  We really enjoyed the hikes, seeing the sandstone "walls" that makes the area famous.  We found several short but gorgeous hiking trails, which was perfect for our young children.  We also had the entire loop of the campground to ourselves, as it was early spring and our spring break was an off time. We ate a great dinner at the lodge, which has beautiful panoramic views and the food was tasty too.  We liked the family style fried chicken dinner! Very prompt service, too.

There's about 80 total sites, ranging from electrical hookups to primitive (there's about 15 of these). You can reserve, or walk-in. I went in October and didn't need a reservation. I also chose primitive. Showers and bathrooms are available to all, and sites have fire pits. You're most likely looking for a camp + hike adventure, and there's a trailhead for Red Cedar Trail off the site grounds. It's about 6 miles in a large loop, with one stop along it taking you to a primitive Red Cedar Campground, which is like a bunch of old tee pee looking structures. 3 stars because although this hiking is beautiful in the fall and the amenities are decent, the trail itself is tricky. It does have markings, which keep you on the trail, but there's no way of knowing how far along the hike you are, or how long the hike even is (I learned later it was 6 miles from the website). It would be nice to see sign posts or mile markers to give you some idea how your hiking pace is. It's a great place with the fall colors to go and explore, but plan your hike with enough time to not get caught in the lower amount of daylight. Hike is about 2-4 hours, depending on your pace. I suggest photos of the trailhead signs before you set out.

This is a very family-friendly campground. Sites are one right after the other (gravel and pretty level) and no trees in between for privacy.  But still didn't feel too crowded.  Shower house was clean and had good water pressure.  Playground was closed due to COVID.  Lodge looked nice but only had outside dining or pickup due to COVID so we didn't check it out.  Trails were great.  There are a few that are very short so they would be good for beginner hikers.  However, they are still pretty rugged.  The one mile Nature Trail was very nice.

This is your run of the mill campground. Lots of RVs, close sites, not much privacy. That being said there is nothing wrong with it, it’s just not a campground I’d go out of my way to stay at again.

This is a wonderful place. I camped here as a teen and returning last summer was a great experience. In July the campground was nearly empty. We had our pick of nice shaded sites. The facilities were well maintained with new asphalt roads and clean pit toilets and water. The camp host was very welcoming and helpful. We had dinner at the historic lodge which is very popular and known for their huge portions and outstanding fried chicken. The lodge is worth the visit alone. The rock formations that make up the park are great for repelling and hiking. The hardwood forest provides great cover. If your visiting Southern Illinois this is high on the list.

This campground was wonderful! The campsites were huge. There were trees everywhere which were great for shade and hanging hammocks. Many of the sites were pull throughs which is nice for larger rvs. Several bluff hikes with large rock formations and lush greenery were nearby. The lodge offered a delicious all you can eat fried chicken family style dinner. Lakes nearby for fishing, kayaking & paddle boarding.

Park is extra clean. Pads are level. Lots of shade. You will love this campground. About a dozen wineries nearby. Love this area and camping ground.

We stayed Easter Weekend here in the campground and had a great time. The campground is clean and maintained. Some sites are gravel and some are asphalt. Not sure if they are upgrading a little at a time?? There are plenty of trees for shade. Some sites are close together and some have more room in between them. The picnic tables are old and seem to be spread around as camper are moving them around. The main bathhouse is older, but nice and clean! There is a vault only bathroom at the back of the campground. No water hook up at each site, only electricity. . While you are here, check out the Lodge for dinner one night and climb to the top of the water tower observation deck for some amazing views! Make the quick drive to Makanda and explore the little hippy town. Don’t forget to take a stroll through the secret garden! . The Giant City Nature Trail and Devils Standtable were really pretty, easy strolls. The Trillium Trail is a little more rugged for those who prefer less crowded, slightly tougher trails.

We stayed here during the winter while visiting my brother who was in college nearby. He and his friends seem to camp here quite often and it was a great choice. Even in the winter the sites were quite clear and clean and it provided great access to nearby trails and hiking.

Due to the somewhat rural location you could not beat the view of the stars at night.

For climbers, there is a ton of nearby trad and sport climbing. The main wall stays wet for a while so if it has recently rained you may need to find somewhere else.

Giant City is otherwise wonderful. A site wasn't hard to get in June, the campground is quiet and beautifully green with decent space between sites, the hiking trails are A+, and kid-friendly as long as you don't let them climb too high. The kids were able to ride bikes through the campground. Raccoons were numerous and fearless, and kept approaching us at the playground, around the fire at night and kept our friends who were camping with us up all night. We slept through. You can buy firewood at the stable, and I was pleasantly surprised it was properly seasoned and dry. We run into bad firewood often when buying at state parks. Overall Giant City is great and we will return.

We stayed at Giant City in February on a very cold weekend. It was still a fantastic trip! The campsites, fire pits and pit toilets were well maintained. The shorter trails in the park were beautiful even in the winter. The Lodge also had excellent food and a very cozy feel. Definitely visit the Lodge!!

Giant City is a great place to go with your family! The trails are fun and interesting while the lodge is fantastic! Amazing food there! The scenery is beautiful and the lookout tower gives amazing views!