Biking

Sankoty Lakes

Sankoty Lakes Resort in East Peoria brings a genuinely exceptional resort experience to the Illinois River Valley — built on the crystal-clear waters of the Sankoty Aquifer, one of the deepest and cleanest natural water sources in the Midwest, where spring-fed lakes have the remarkable clarity of a mountain trout stream in the flatlands of central Illinois. Twenty minutes from Peoria and two and a half hours from Chicago, Sankoty Lakes offers resort-quality amenities and a natural setting that consistently surprises guests who didn't know this caliber of Illinois camping experience existed. Accommodations range from glamping safari tents and well-appointed RV sites to upscale lakeside cabins sleeping up to eight guests — each with fully equipped kitchens, decks, and outdoor fire pits — and the exclusive 1840 Ranch House, a private guest property suited for larger groups and special occasion gatherings. The Woolly Bugger, Sankoty's signature on-site restaurant and bar, provides full-service dining and evening atmosphere that sets this resort clearly apart from conventional campground food. A beach pavilion and bathhouse, outdoor fireplace, free bicycles for guest use, picnic spots, a 24-hour front desk, and a coffee shop deliver service quality alongside the outdoor recreation. Pets are welcome at Sankoty Lakes Resort. The Sankoty Aquifer lakes provide a water recreation environment of genuinely unusual quality — the kind of visibility that makes kayaking, canoeing, and swimming feel like engagement with a natural aquarium rather than typical Midwest lake recreation. A dedicated fly-fishing trout stream on the property adds a specialty fishing experience alongside the lakes' broader angling, birdwatching, and hiking trails that keep guests occupied from dawn into the evening hours. Peoria, 20 minutes from the resort, offers more cultural depth than its Midwest city reputation sometimes suggests. The Caterpillar Visitors Center chronicles the engineering achievements of one of the world's great manufacturing companies in an interactive exhibition that resonates well beyond industrial tourism. The Peoria Riverfront Museum combines natural history, art, and a giant-screen theater in a well-funded facility anchoring the riverfront. The Peoria Zoo and the Historic District's restaurants and live music venues fill an evening excursion with ease. Starved Rock State Park, roughly an hour east, provides the Illinois River's most dramatic canyon scenery with 18 canyons, waterfalls, and trails for a full day of hiking. Sankoty Lakes Resort operates through the Illinois camping and resort season, with summer representing peak demand for the lakes' swimming, kayaking, and fishing recreation. The Woolly Bugger restaurant and the resort's premium amenity level have created a devoted local following — Sankoty lakes guests often describe the resort as a destination in its own right rather than a base camp for elsewhere. Reserve early for summer weekends and cabins, which fill ahead of RV and glamping tent availability.

eXplore Brown County

11 RV Sites, 14 Tent Sites, 5 Onsite RV/Trailers

eXplore Brown County in Nashville, Indiana, offers 16 full-hookup RV sites, 14 tent sites, and five named retro camper rentals — Betty, Gladys, Lucy, Sophia, and Wanda — across 500-plus acres of hardwood hills, with 30-amp service and rigs accepted to 40 feet. Zip lines, a four-acre fishing lake, and an event gallery make this the most activity-dense outdoor complex in the state. Sixteen back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 30-amp, sized to 40 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables; water-and-electric sites are also available. Fourteen tent sites and the five retro campers round out the accommodations. A dump station, restrooms, showers, firewood, and WiFi handle the practical side. Recreation is the entire proposition. Fourteen zip lines, two sky bridges, and a rappelling tower run through the canopy above the forested ridges, including the longest, fastest, and highest twin zip line in Indiana. A four-acre lake supports fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and boat rentals, with mountain biking, hiking, walking trails, volleyball, horseshoes, corn hole, and a playground besides. A recreation center and cabins fill out the property, and off-roading is nearby. The Gallery serves as a wedding and event venue, seating up to 165 guests indoors with additional porch seating. Pets are welcome. The property sits within the landscape of Brown County State Park, Indiana's largest, 15 minutes from the artists' village of Nashville. Southern Indiana's hardwood hills make this one of the Midwest's most celebrated fall color destinations. October foliage and summer adventure programming drive demand. With 16 RV sites on a property this busy, reserve well ahead.

Jellystone Park™ Indianapolis East

34 RV Sites, 7 Cabins, 4 Onsite RV/Trailers, 1 House, 1 Wagon

Jellystone Park Indianapolis East in Knightstown, Indiana, offers 38 RV sites, eight cabin and house units, and a wagon about 30 miles east of the city, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 65 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Hilltop premium and Valley premium categories join a pool, jumping pillow, disc golf course, and boat rentals. Thirty-eight sites span Hilltop premium back-in water-and-electric, Hilltop premium pull-thru, and Valley premium back-in categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 65 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Confirm your tier, as the Hilltop back-in category carries water and electric but not sewer. Naming categories Hilltop and Valley makes the property easy to picture. Eight cabins and houses, a wagon, and RV and trailer rentals round out the lodging. A propane fills and exchange station, dump station, restrooms, firewood, RV storage, and a snack bar handle the practical side. Refunds are not issued for weather, voluntary departure, acts of nature, or evictions. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a lake and boat rentals supporting paddle boats, fishing, and swimming. A disc golf course, jumping pillow, gaga ball, gem mining, sports courts, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, corn hole, golf cart rentals, a recreation center, playground, pavilion, and community fire pit fill the rest. Indianapolis and its museums, motor speedway, and downtown are a straightforward drive west. Summer is the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $35/night

Sleeping Bear Retreat

1 RV Site, 4 Tent Sites

Sleeping Bear Retreat near French Lick, Indiana, offers 1 water-and-electric 20-amp RV site and four tent sites across more than 60 acres of mature woodland, with rigs accepted to 20 feet. A disc golf course, pond, walking trails, and community fire pit serve a quiet retreat in the southern Indiana hill country. The RV site is water-and-electric on 20-amp, sized to 20 feet, with a fire pit and picnic table. The retreat is direct about this: they offer small camper sites only, for rigs up to 20 feet, and no large RV sites. Plan accordingly — this suits vans, teardrops, and small trailers, and nothing bigger. The sites carry water and electric rather than sewer, with a dump station on site. Four tent sites round out the lodging. A dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. A disc golf course, pond, walking trails, sports courts, volleyball, community fire pit, and firewood fill the grounds, with fishing, hiking, biking, and productive birding. Planned activities run through the season, and a golf course is nearby. Pets are welcome. Sixty acres of mature woodland for a handful of sites is the entire proposition — genuine quiet and space rather than a numbered pad. Orange County holds an unusual combination. French Lick and West Baden Springs are historic mineral spring resorts with grand hotels — the West Baden atrium was once called the eighth wonder of the world — alongside the Hoosier National Forest's hiking, Patoka Lake, and one of the darkest night skies in Indiana. Spring and fall are most comfortable. Reserve ahead, and check your rig against the 20-foot limit.

from $20/night

Hickory Grove Campground & RV Park

11 RV Sites

Hickory Grove Campground & RV Park in Sheffield, Illinois, offers 11 full-hookup RV sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 90 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, in Bureau County's Illinois River valley. Back-in and pull-through categories join tent camping, cabins, walking trails, and a dog park. Eleven sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp in back-in and pull-through configurations, sized to 90 feet. The 90-foot capacity is generous for a park this size and handles a long coach with a tow comfortably. Tent camping and cabins round out the accommodations. Clean restrooms, showers, and laundry handle the practical side. At 11 sites, reserve rather than counting on availability. Pets are welcome. A playground, dog park, and walking trails fill the grounds, with hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, fishing, horseshoes, and picnicking from the area. Boating and a state park are nearby. Sheffield sits in the rolling agricultural and woodland countryside of north-central Illinois, between the Hennepin and Walnut river communities in the Illinois River valley's northern corridor. The Illinois and Mississippi Canal State Trail runs nearby, and the Bureau County landscape carries good hunting and fishing alongside day-trip range across the region. The campground serves the Illinois season, with summer travel and fall hunting both drawing steadily. Spring and fall deliver the most comfortable conditions in the river valley. With 11 sites, reserve ahead for holiday weekends.

from $63 $55/night

Elkhart RV Resort

36 RV Sites, 22 Cabins, 4 Tent Sites

Elkhart RV Resort in Granger, IN, offers 36 full-hookup pull-thru RV sites, 22 cabins, and 4 tent sites, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 70 feet. Every site is a pull-thru, in three categories: 30-amp, 50-amp, and deluxe 50-amp with a patio. All carry water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi and a barbecue. Nothing needs unhitching, and at 70 feet the sites take long coaches. The resort is rated big rig friendly. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, a snack bar, on-site dining, a bar, a library, firewood, propane fills and exchange, and a dump station cover everything. Wristbands are not required to use the amenities. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. The recreation runs long: a water park, an outdoor pool, mini-golf, a game room and arcade, a pavilion, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, a playground, walking trails, live music, and paddle boats, kayaking, boating, and fishing on the water. Granger sits in St. Joseph County in northwestern Indiana, minutes from South Bend and Notre Dame. Rates for every accommodation type are on the booking page. Notre Dame home football weekends are the tightest of the year.

from $45/night

Jellystone Park™ Pittsfield

90 RV Sites, 52 Cabins, 5 Tent Sites, 4 Glamping Sites, 6 Cottages

Jellystone Park Pittsfield in Illinois offers 90 RV sites, 52 cabins, five tent sites, and four glamping sites on a private lake, with 30 and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 60 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, open all year. Back-in and pull-through categories at both amperages join a splash pad, beach, jumping pillow, and boat rentals. Ninety sites run in back-in 30-amp, back-in 50/30-amp, and pull-through 50/30-amp categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 60 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Fifty-two cabins, five tent sites, and four glamping sites make the lodging inventory unusually deep. A general store, boutique shop, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. Day passes run 11am to 6pm and include the jumping pillow, wibit, pool, slide, splash pad, paddle boards, and kayaks. A splash pad and outdoor pool anchor the summer, with a private lake, beach, and boat rentals supporting swimming, boating, paddle boats, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, inflatable water toys, and fishing. A jumping pillow, arcade, game room, gem mining, sports courts, volleyball, gaga ball, horseshoes, golf cart rentals, walking trails, hiking, biking, a recreation center, playground, pavilion, dog park, bar, and snack bar fill the rest. Pike County sits where the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers define the western Illinois landscape. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $43/night

Kaskaskia River Camping & RV Park

34 RV Sites, 7 Tent Sites

Kaskaskia River Camping and RV Park in New Athens, Illinois, offers 34 full-hookup RV sites and seven tent sites on the riverbank, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 90 feet. Back-in categories at four amp combinations join pull-in and pull-through tiers, with a pavilion and direct river access. Thirty-four sites span back-in 20/30/50-amp, back-in 20/50-amp, back-in 30/50-amp, back-in 50-amp, pull-in 20/30/50-amp, and pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric, sized to 90 feet. Listing the exact amp combination in every category removes any doubt about what you are plugging into, and 90 feet accommodates anything on the road with room to spare. Seven tent sites round out the lodging. A pavilion handles the practical side. The river carries the recreation, with boating, fishing, hiking, and biking all from the property. The amenity set is deliberately spare, which keeps rates low and suits a park built around the water rather than on-site programming. Pets are welcome. St. Clair County sits in the rolling agricultural country between East St. Louis and the old river towns of the American Bottom. The Kaskaskia is Illinois's second-longest river and runs navigable here, with a lock and dam system and good catfish and bass water. St. Louis is about 40 minutes northwest, which makes this a quiet base for the metro without metro pricing. Summer drives the heaviest demand, with spring and fall fishing strong and considerably easier availability. Reserve ahead for holiday weekends.

from $18/night

Eby’s Pines RV Park & Campground

Eby's Pines RV Park & Campground in Bristol, IN, offers full-hookup RV sites carrying water, sewer, and electric, with a fire pit and picnic table at each site. Both pull-thru and back-in layouts are available. Contact the campground for site count, amp service, and maximum rig length, since those specifics aren't published here. Cabin check-in is 3pm with a noon checkout, and late checkout is not permitted. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, propane fills, a dump station, RV storage, golf cart rentals, and cabins cover the practical side. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. The recreation is deep: an outdoor pool, a pavilion, sport courts, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, corn hole, a playground, a pond, creek frontage, and walking trails, with swimming, fishing, hiking, biking, and planned activities. Bristol sits in Elkhart County at the heart of the largest Amish settlement in the United States — a patchwork of farms, roadside stands, and back lanes where horse-drawn buggies outnumber cars on many township roads. Rates for sites and cabins are on the booking page. Call ahead to confirm your rig's fit, and note the firm noon checkout.

Natural Springs Resort

98 RV Sites

Natural Springs Resort in New Paris, Ohio, offers 68 RV sites across 46 acres around a 12-acre spring-fed lake, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 72 feet. Full-hookup and water-and-electric back-in categories at both amperages join a water park, splash pad, beach, and boat ramp — with scuba diving on the lake. Sixty-eight back-in sites span 30-amp, 50-amp, water-and-electric 30-amp, and water-and-electric categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 72 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Confirm your tier before booking, as the water-and-electric categories do not carry sewer at the site. Seventy-two feet is generous for the region. A general store, laundry, propane fills, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. A water park and splash pad anchor the summer, with an outdoor pool alongside. The spring-fed lake is the property's centerpiece, with a beach, boat ramp, paddle boats, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, fishing, and scuba diving — the clarity of spring-fed water makes diving viable here in a way it simply is not on most Midwestern lakes. Basketball, volleyball, biking, golf cart rentals, and a playground fill the rest. Pets are welcome. New Paris sits in Preble County's western Ohio countryside, a few miles from the Indiana border and within comfortable driving range of Richmond, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead for June through August weekends.

from $48/night

Fireside Resort Campground

15 RV Sites, 1 Cabin, 2 Onsite RV/Trailers

Fireside Resort Campground in Greenville, Ohio, offers 17 RV sites and a cabin in Darke County's western Ohio farmland, with 30 and 50-amp water-and-electric service and rigs accepted to 50 feet. A pond with a beach, a jumping pillow, and — unusually — an on-site storm shelter round out a small wooded resort, with RV rentals available for guests without a rig. Seventeen sites carry water and electric on 30 or 50-amp in back-in and pull-through configurations, sized to 50 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Note there are no sewer hookups at the sites, though a dump station is available. Transcend and Zinger RV rentals plus a cabin serve guests arriving without equipment. A general store, laundry, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side, and a storm shelter is on site — a genuinely reassuring feature in western Ohio. An emergency phone sits in the camp store hallway by the restrooms. Check-in is 3pm and check-out 11am; all guests must stop at the camp store before going to their site. A pond with a beach anchors the on-site recreation, with swimming, fishing, and a jumping pillow for families. Sports courts, basketball, walking trails, hiking, biking, and picnicking fill the grounds, with a community fire pit for evenings, on-site dining, and planned activities through the season. The dark rural sky makes for good stargazing, and the property also serves as a wedding venue. Pets are welcome. Greenville sits in the upper Great Miami River valley, with Annie Oakley heritage sites, Fort Jefferson, and Fort Recovery all within day-trip range. Summer is peak — reserve ahead for weekends at a 17-site property.

from $36/night

Forest Haven Campground

39 RV Sites, 14 Tent Sites

Forest Haven Campground in Decatur, MI, offers 39 full-hookup RV sites and 14 tent sites, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 80 feet. The campground publishes both back-in and pull-thru site categories, each carrying water, sewer, and electric with a fire pit and picnic table; confirm which layout you're booking when you reserve. At 80 feet the sites take long coaches. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, a barn, and golf cart rentals cover the practical side. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. An outdoor pool, mini-golf, a game room, sport courts, basketball, ping pong, a playground, a pond, and walking trails fill 70 wooded acres, with swimming, fishing, paddle boats, paddle boarding, hiking, and biking. Decatur sits in Van Buren County in southwestern Michigan's fruit belt, where hardwood forest and pond-dotted farmland meet the Lake Michigan shoreline and the Paw Paw wine corridor. From I-94, take exit 56 and head south on M-51 for 6.7 miles through downtown Decatur, then turn left at the BP station on Williams. Rates for sites and tent spots are on the booking page. Summer weekends in the fruit belt book early.

from $35/night