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Camping in Illinois

Campers visiting “The Prairie State” can explore 57,915 square miles of flat prairies, rolling hills, and dense forests. Core Illinois regions include the Central Plains, Shawnee Hills, and Gulf Coastal Plains. Camping in Illinois ranges from backcountry areas to rustic boondocking to fully featured campgrounds with modern amenities. Campers should try to visit Starved Rock State Park, Shawnee National Forest, and the Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway.

Camping in Illinois - LandBetweentheLakesKYTN
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Camping in Illinois - Wildreturn
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Camping in Illinois - TaylorStudiosInc
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Camping in Illinois - Northwest Rafting Company
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EXPLORE OUR MEMBERS’ FAVOURITE CAMPGROUNDS

Top-rated campgrounds in Illinois

Rend Lake

Rend Lake is a 13-mile (20.9 km) long, 3-mile (4.8 km) wide reservoir located in Southern Illinois in Franklin and Jefferson Counties near the town of Benton. It contains 18,900 acres (76 km2) of water, stores 185,000 acre-feet (228,000,000 m3) of water, and supplies over 15 million gallons of water per day to 300,000 persons in over 60 communities. The reservoir is up to 35 feet (10.7 m) deep,...

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Lake Shelbyville

Lake Shelbyville is a reservoir located in Shelby County, Illinois and Moultrie County, Illinois created by damming the Kaskaskia River at Shelbyville, Illinois. The lake's normal surface pool is 11,100 acres (44.9 km2) at an elevation of 183 meters (600.4 ft). The area that surrounds the lake is the Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area. The lake is managed by the United States Army Corps o...

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Carlyle Lake

Carlyle Lake is a 25,000-acre (101.2 km2) reservoir largely located in Clinton County, Illinois, United States, with smaller portions of the lake within Bond and Fayette counties. It is the largest man-made lake in Illinois, and the largest lake wholly contained within the state.

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Fort Defiance State Park

Fort Defiance, known as Camp Defiance during the American Civil War, is a former military fortification located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in the city limits of Cairo, in Alexander County, Illinois. The strategic significance of the site has been known since prehistoric times with archaeological evidence of warfare dating to the Mississippian era. It is the southernmos...

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GET SPOTS AT SOLD-OUT Illinois PARKS

How to scan Illinois parks for cancellations

Is the Illinois park you want to camp at sold out? We can help! Campers often cancel their camping reservations. Campnab monitors Illinois parks and can text you when a suitable campsite one opens up! 🙂

Browse parks in Illinois

A map of campgrounds in Illinois

DISCOVER CAMPING IN Illinois

Campnab scans these Illinois parks for cancellations

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Tell us when, where, and how long you want to camp for. We’ll notify you (via SMS) when a suitable spot opens up at that campground—so you can nab that sold-out campsite reservation!

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