but definitely not my favorite. we decided to stop and ch cknit out for a night because it looked like a cute location. nice if you like being around people as there are permanent rv sites and lots of friendly people who like to talk. my son had fun in the water and on all the water toys.
Nice large sites. gravel spot for arc/trailer. fire pit and picnic table. trails for hiking are nice, but the overall camping area isn’t very big. 100 sites only. 30 with electric. this was the first time all season that the bugs Annoyed us. the beach is about 10 feet of sand off a busy road and is not pet friendly. nice spot to stay if you want to avoid paying lake Geneva prices for a room.
Campground Review
Although it is a beautiful location, our site, 124 it was situated next to the lake. And across the lake was Timberlake playhouse where they had live music several times throughout the day. To the other side of us was the live music at the resort, which was impressive considering. If you like that kind of thing. It was way too loud for me to enjoy this particular campground. Most of the sites had concrete pads and overall it was well-maintained. To me there is just nothing wilderness like about this place. The fishing was less than par. My son enjoyed the pool and some of the activities, it was Lego weekend.
Product Review
What I really appreciated was the opportunity to use a couple items we received from Matador. The one thing I really enjoyed using was the Matador transit tote bag. That little thing was easy to pack in my bag and when I needed to use it I packed a Ton of stuff in it. It was incredibly durable and able to hold all of the stuff I needed for my puppy one day. And then I would give it a thumbs up for being puppy proof as well. She could not tear through that thing if she wanted to. I’m excited to use other Matador gear, but I can tell you that this tote will go with me everywhere, on every trip camping or not. It’s lightweight, durable, and a great looking tote. Overall it packs a lot of stuff into it. I can attest that 4 beach towels, suntan lotion, and a frisbee all fit comfortably in there.
if you’re into that thing….Great campground if you don’t mind being right next to others. ammenities are great! 9 hole, par 3. able to play twice. very general golf ettiquite expected. fishing was weak but we will try again tomorrow. 4 swimming pools. didn’t use them though. adult pool, kids sports pool and splash pad, and family pool. 2 ponds. lots of people, especially on the weekends!
The water on the Lake Michigan beach has a high bacteria level so swimming is at your own risk, however, we will swim anyways and then shower at the campground showers bc they are huge, well maintained, and worth using even if you don’t swim. The sites are well manicured, but trees are limited as they had to cut many down due to the emerald ash borer but they have replanted. sites are spaced well apart. Biking was awesome. great paths. both beaches werw kind of dirty and not very soft sand. water was freezing as expected even for early August.
You wIll defInItely want to bring a suit. The lake is surprisingly warm. No dogs allowed on the beach. The sites were spacious, and ours had a path to the lake. Filled with poison ivy, etc, so long pants recommended when waking thru. Hiking path all around the shore of the lake. Some hidden fishing areas but we didn’t have any luck.
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I sometimes get to test products. On our last camping trip to Lake Shelbyville, we stayed at Coon Creek Recreational Area, and I had the pleasure of testing out and evaluating the LEDLENSER, MH2, Headlamp.
CAMPGROUND REVIEW
We found this head lamp to be perfect for our campsite at Coon Creek Recreational Area as we were at the end of a peninsula, with paths all around us to explore! The gravel sites are surrounded by trees and depending on the site you choose, you can see the lake from your site. The campground has a very large playground, a great beach for swimming, a trail for hiking, tons of fishing spots, and lots of up and down roads for great bike riding. Overall, the campground is peaceful, clean, and well maintained. It’s one of our personal favorites so far!
PRODUCT REVIEW
To begin, the quality of the LEDLENSER, MH2, Outdoor series Headlamp is amazing. Strong, but comfortable head band (although it can get a little sweaty under the band if the temperature is hot outside). My son and I were easily able to adjust it to fit both our heads in a matter of seconds.
The headlamp came in handy during the early morning fishing hours when the sun wasn’t fully up. We were able to see, and avoid, all the spider webs in our path. The range on the headlamp is incredible! I was able to see at least 250-300 feet in front of us, and the span of the light ranges from about 100 feet or more to about the size of a basketball. You can easily adjust the light span by a small dial on the front of the headlamp.
The on/off, and intensity switch, is also easily accessible right on the top of lamp, and fairly easy to depress, although my nine year old son said he had to push down really hard to use the button.
At night, I was able to switch on the headlamp quickly and explore the area for glowing eyes, after hearing sticks breaking and other eerie nighttime noises. I found the headlamp to be very useful for other mundane things too, like just needing a flashlight for a second. It’s light, small, convenient to pocket, and it definitely packs a punch when it comes to illuminating your surroundings.
Overall, this headlamp has made its permanent home with our camping gear, and we plan to use it on every camping trip in the future!
Lake Shelbyville has never disappointed us as a family. This is our third time here and our first time at Coon Creek. We chose a buddy site even though we weren't camping with another family because we like the location. It was right at the end of the peninsula, and it is by far the biggest and beautiful site we have ever stayed in. There are several paths down to the waters edge and the beach, lots of little hiking, tons of Geocaching, and a great little beach That my son really like to swim and even if we thought it was a little dirty. Very warm water. The sites are mostly gravel and level. The only thing I would say is make sure that you bring a screen tent for eating outside as the bugs really get bad at night. They email you a pre-check in form so it was really easy to register and get to our site. Overall every site we've been to at this lake is incredible.
Great boating. Beautiful nature. Not something you would expect near Rockford.
This is by far one of our most favorite camping spots today. Nothing beats the Hocking Hills. Each trail is unique and absolutely gorgeous, and you could spend hours just playing in the creeks and the waterfalls all day every day! It can get crowded and some of the more popular trails, but overall we had a great experience at this wonder!
A little cold but perfect weather for exploring! Great little site.
Everything was great overall, but most of all my son was pretty enamored by all of the awesome wildlife we saw on the strip. Might've been the time of year but it was just beautiful.
Not a long stay place for us. Weekend was enough. Sand isn't soft and people are slobs.
Very nice campground. Would definitely come again.
Beautiful beach. Crystal clear waters and soft sand. Great for kids! Excellent site too although we needed a bobcat to help us in and out, but the owner is super friendly and assisted us with no problem at all. The acres has lots of sites tucked away in the woods and many out in the open sun too! Rental trailers and cabins right on the lake too. Great ice cream too. We will be back!
Very nice sites. Pretty and the beach is beautiful.
Big sites along the river. Fun to float, kayak or canoe. Very expensive, but all amenities are included in daily fee. Most expensive campground I've ever been to.
Our site was the best as it was the last on the river and we couldn't hear any of the loudness, and it is loud when you stay in the heart of the campground.
Great place with reasonable rates and tons of family friendly activities, but also tons of people. We explored to grounds along the river and found a few secret beaches and spots to enjoy nature. Good place for fishing too. Seasonal spots looked nice as well. Very open sites. Close to others.
We enjoyed this site as it backed up to a creek that was perfect for building stone structures and exploring. Sites are rather close together and most are fully shaded. Campground is pretty expansive and was close to rafting and state parks for hiking.
Not a bad place for exploring the river. Big sites. Lots of mosquitoes so come prepared!