Carlyle Lake near Centralia and Carlyle Illinois

[jkwilson]

Grandson will be attending college in Centralia. See there are a few campgrounds around the lake, but info is scarce on the web. Looks like most are walk ups with I assume 30A electric only.

Anybody know more about them? How busy in the fall? Dump station etc.?

Figure it would be nice to make a visit to see him a little getaway as well.

[doxiemom11]

Carlyle Lake is Corp of Engineer and there are 3 campgrounds around the lake. We prefer Dam West campground. It doesn't look like it on the map, but the smaller camping area across the street from the entrance station has just a few sites and there are pull-thru's there. There is a shower house on that side, not used by too many people. Paved sites and they do have 1 area with full-hookups, but it's sometimes difficult to find what sites those are on their website. You would need to reserve those well in advance thru recreation.gov website. There is also one called Cole's Creek, it's the oldest of the bunch but we were able to fit into a site with our 36' motorhome, utility trailer behind and jeep that I drive. All back-in.

[stevepk]

Eldon Hazlet state park. I live 10 minutes away

https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/Parks/Pages/EldonHazlet.aspx

[mleekamp]

Look into Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park -- a HUGE and nice state park with lake, cafe, and tons of camping. Only 1 loop reservable, all others walk up but again, very nice park. It is on Rend Lake and yes, it is about 60 miles south of Carlyle lake. Nice Winery just outside the park.

There is also Archway RV Park in Mt. Vernon IL. Small, KOA style park -- not my style but closer at 40 miles to Carlyle.

Northtown RV park is straight south of Carlyle on 127, about 33 miles. Looks like a parking lot more than "park", but full hookups.

[CharlesinGA]

Well, you are correct, virtually nothing on the internet. I looked at Google Maps and there is a S Campground Road in Raccoon Lake Park, but no evidence of a campground, There is nothing on the City Parks and Recreation web site about it at all and on https://seecentralia.com/raccoon-lake/ which I think is a city owned web site, it does not mention camping. Possibly the campground road is named after a old (1800's church campground).

Jumping over to Carlyle and Carlyle Lake, there is clearly a campground on the east end of the dam (McNair Campground), with paved sites and you can even see the shadows of the power pedestals on each site, yet the city parks and rec web site does not mention camping at all, HOWEVER, Carlyle Lake is Army Corp of Engineer owned, and on a COE CD-ROM I have of all Corp owned lake recreation areas, it shows campground, water hook ups, electricity, showers, etc. Another campground shows adjacent to the spillway, in the Spillway Recreation Area.

Recreation dot Gov shows a campground with 109 sites on the west side just north of the marina, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233483

Spillway east side has 15 sites.
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233478

The McNair Campground has 32 sites.
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233478

Campendium has this to say about campgrounds on Carlyle Lake
https://www.campendium.com/illinois/carlyle

It is 11 to 15 miles from the campgrounds in Carlyle to Kaskaskia College (US 50 east to State 5 south at Shattuc.)

Hope this helps.

Charles