Canoeing/Kayaking

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

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.

Sun Retreats Rock River

142 RV Sites, 52 Tent Sites, 7 Cottages

Sun Retreats Rock River in Hillsdale, Illinois, offers 142 RV sites, seven cottages, and 52 tent sites on the Rock River, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 55 feet behind a gated entrance. Deluxe waterfront and 50-amp pull-through categories join a splash pad, beach, mini-golf, and fitness center on concrete pads with patios. One hundred forty-two sites span deluxe water-and-electric 30-amp, deluxe water-and-electric 50-amp, deluxe water-and-electric 50-amp pull-through, and deluxe waterfront categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 55 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Seasonal concrete-pad sites with patios are the property's signature. Seven cottages and 52 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, restrooms, showers, firewood, RV storage, and boat storage handle the practical side. The property was formerly Sunset Lakes RV Resort. An outdoor pool and splash pad anchor the summer, with a lake, beach, and boat docks supporting boating, paddle boats, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Mini-golf, a fitness center, craft room, library, jumping pillow, gaga ball, tennis, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, and corn hole fill the grounds, with walking trails, a playground, dog park, snack bar, and on-site dining besides. Pets are welcome. The Quad Cities sit 15 minutes south, with the Rock River's limestone bluffs framing the property. Summer is the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $49/night

Sweet Minihaha Campground

26 RV Sites, 50 Tent Sites

Sweet Minihaha Campground in Brodhead, Wisconsin, is a riverside family campground with RV and tent sites on the Sugar River, and kayak rentals available on site. Sites accommodate rigs up to 27 feet, which makes this a better fit for smaller trailers and vans than for big coaches. The campground sits in Green County on US-14, about an hour south of Madison. RV sites take rigs to 27 feet, and tent sites serve campers who want the riverbank without hauling a trailer. Facilities are deliberately simple: bathrooms on site, firewood available, and recycling provided. Guests who need full hookups or extensive infrastructure should note that this is a riverside campground rather than a resort, and it is priced and equipped accordingly. The Sugar River is the reason to come. Kayak rentals are available on site, and the river's flatwater character makes it forgiving for paddlers of any experience level — a genuine advantage over the faster Wisconsin rivers to the north. Fishing and canoeing round out the water recreation. The Sugar River State Trail, a 23-mile rail-trail crossing five historic river bridges between New Glarus and Brodhead, runs close by for cyclists and, in winter, cross-country skiers. Pets are welcome. New Glarus is nine miles north on WI-69 — the most authentically Swiss village in the Midwest, founded in 1845, home to the New Glarus Brewing Company and the Wilhelm Tell outdoor drama each September. Monroe, 14 miles southwest, is the Swiss cheese capital of the United States and hosts Cheese Days in even-numbered years. Sweet Minihaha runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Summer river recreation and rail-trail cycling drive peak demand, and the fall cheese-country touring season follows through October and November. Reserve ahead for summer weekends and for the Wilhelm Tell and Cheese Days event dates.

from $43/night

Pecatonica River Trails Park

30 RV Sites

At 400 Washington Street in Darlington, Wisconsin—in Lafayette County in the rolling driftless landscape of southwest Wisconsin where the glaciers of the last ice age missed the Driftless Area's ancient terrain and left the Mississippi River tributary valleys in a ridge-and-coulee topography that the Cheese Country ATV Trail and the surrounding Lafayette County trail network has made the most specifically mapped ATV recreation landscape in southern Wisconsin—Pecatonica River Trails Park provides 32 electric campsites along the Pecatonica River with direct access to both the Cheese Country ATV Trail and the Darlington ATV Club's local trail system, a canoe launch, a handicapped-accessible fishing pier, restrooms and showers, a dump station, a playground, and a lighted walking path in the Lafayette County park configuration that trail users and river paddlers find the most practically positioned camping option in the immediate Darlington trail corridor. The direct Cheese Country ATV Trail access and the Pecatonica River canoe launch at the same property define what makes this park specifically useful for the multi-recreation visitor. Thirty-two total campsites include 8 electric sites in a grove of walnut trees with 30-amp service and 22 open electric sites with 50-amp service, plus 2 non-electric sites. Each site provides the open space for the RV plus the tow vehicle and the ATV or UTV trailer that the park's trail-access orientation specifically accommodates with the additional ATV day-use parking for trail users not camping overnight. Restrooms and shower facilities serve the hygiene infrastructure. A dump station handles the black-water disposal need for the RV camping population. A handicapped-accessible fishing pier on the Pecatonica River provides the bank and pier fishing access to the river's bass, catfish, and rough fish population without requiring boat launch access. A canoe launch serves the paddling guest with the flat-water access to the Pecatonica's southwest Wisconsin corridor. A playground and lighted walking path complete the non-ATV recreation options. The park operates on a first-come, first-served basis with self-registration, reflecting Lafayette County's practical management of a rural park resource without reservation system overhead. Maximum stay is 14 nights in any 21-day period. The Cheese Country ATV Trail—accessible directly from the campground—is one of the most celebrated multi-use recreational trail systems in Wisconsin, covering 47 miles through Lafayette and Iowa Counties on converted railroad right-of-way that the trail authority paved and graded for ATV, UTV, bicycle, and snowmobile use through the driftless southwest Wisconsin landscape. The trail passes through the small communities of Blanchardville, Mineral Point, and Calamine, with the trail-access restaurants and bars in each community providing the mid-ride destination that organizes the all-day trail itinerary into an out-and-back or loop structure around a midpoint lunch stop. Darlington's Lafayette County Courthouse Square and the surrounding small-town Wisconsin commercial character represent the driftless region's agricultural community heritage, with the Pecatonica River's historic mill sites and the county's dairy farming landscape providing the context for a region that the Cheese Country trail name accurately describes as the productive agricultural center of Wisconsin's southwest quadrant. Pecatonica River Trails Park is open seasonally through the ATV trail season and into the hunting and late-season outdoor recreation calendar. Summer represents the peak ATV and paddling season. Fall brings the hunting activity and the driftless landscape's hardwood foliage color in the ridge-and-valley terrain that the glaciers' absence left in a more topographically dramatic state than the glaciated plains to the east. Arrive early for peak summer ATV weekends when the walk-in sites fill by midday, launch the canoe at the Pecatonica, and let the Cheese Country Trail earn the southwest Wisconsin ATV reputation that 47 miles of converted rail corridor makes available from the park's Washington Street gate.

from $25/night

Coconut Cove RV Resort

52 RV Sites, 10 Cabins, 4 Glamping Sites

Coconut Cove RV Resort in Hazel Green, Wisconsin, offers 52 RV sites, 10 cabins, and four glamping sites on a lakefront property in the Driftless Area, with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 72 feet. Five categories include deluxe waterfront back-ins, alongside a water park, jumping pillow, bar, and live music. Fifty-two sites span standard, premium, and deluxe back-ins, deluxe waterfront back-ins, and premium pull-throughs, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp, sized to 72 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Ten cabins and four glamping sites round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, RV storage, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. Two wristbands are included with each reservation for the pool, sandy beach, and beach playground; additional wristband access is required beyond that. The amenity scope is exceptional for the region. A water park, outdoor pool, sandy beach, and jumping pillow anchor the summer, with a lake supporting boating, kayaking, paddle boats, paddle boarding, and fishing, plus kayak and boat rentals on site. A clubhouse, recreation center, arcade, bar, on-site dining, and snack bar cover meals and evenings, with live music through the season, golf cart rentals, a playground, pavilion, and dog park besides. Pets are welcome. Hazel Green sits in Grant County near the Mississippi's Wisconsin shore, in the unglaciated Driftless hill country. Dubuque, Iowa and Galena, Illinois are both close. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $50/night

Lake Joy Campground

30 RV Sites, 57 Tent Sites

In the gently rolling hill country of southwestern Wisconsin, Lake Joy Campground occupies the shoreline of a pristine, spring-fed lake near the town of Belmont. Sixty acres of clear water define the experience here, and the campground has been built around that lake in every meaningful way—from the swimming beach and boat rentals to the fishing access and lakeside campsites that let you fall asleep to the sound of water. It's the kind of place where the agenda writes itself: swim until lunch, take a kayak out in the afternoon, and watch the stars come out from a lakeside fire after dinner. The lake anchors virtually everything on offer at Lake Joy. A sandy swimming beach gives families a safe and inviting place to splash around, while rentals for rowboats, kayaks, canoes, and pedal boats open up the entire lake to exploration. Anglers will appreciate that no fishing license is required for the campground's water—just bait a hook and work the edges for bass and panfish. Three separate playgrounds keep younger campers occupied between swims, and basketball and volleyball courts provide higher-energy options for those who can't stay still. An arcade and game room offer a welcome indoor fallback when the weather doesn't cooperate. The natural character of the lake is one of its strongest selling points. The spring-fed water stays unusually clear through even the hottest summer weeks, and the lake attracts herons, kingfishers, and occasional deer that wander to the shoreline at dusk. Surrounding the campground, the soft hills and open meadows of southwestern Wisconsin's Driftless Area create a landscape that feels both intimate and unhurried. Campsites are positioned to capture lake views, and the overall pace of the grounds encourages the kind of day where your phone stays in the camper. The Belmont area puts some of Wisconsin's most distinctive countryside within easy reach. Governor Dodge State Park, one of the state's largest, offers more than five thousand acres of oak forest along with swimming beaches and rugged trail networks. The historic mining town of Mineral Point—restored by Cornish immigrants and now home to galleries, excellent restaurants, and working artists' studios—makes for a compelling afternoon excursion. Cave of the Mounds, a nationally designated Natural Landmark with impressive underground formations, is worth a half-day detour. ATV and UTV riders will find roughly 140 miles of trail riding terrain winding through the surrounding region. Lake Joy is a warm-weather campground that earns its reputation through sheer lakefront simplicity. Summer weekends fill up quickly, particularly for waterfront sites and the most popular cabin units, so planning ahead pays off. Whether you're coming for a fishing-focused long weekend, a family vacation, or a week of slow mornings on the water, the campground delivers the full Wisconsin lake experience without a lot of fuss. Reach out early for peak summer dates, pick a site with a view, and let the spring-fed lake set the pace for your stay.

from $40/night

Jellystone Park™ Monticello

188 RV Sites, 8 Cabins, 9 Tent Sites

Jellystone Park Monticello in Iowa offers 188 RV sites, eight cabins, and nine tent sites on the Maquoketa River, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service, ADA-accessible sites, and rigs accepted up to 120 feet. Premium riverside, full hookup, and electric-only categories join a splash pad, disc golf course, and beach in Jones County. One hundred eighty-eight sites span 20/30-amp electric back-in, 20/30/50-amp electric back-in, 30/50-amp full hookup back-in, 30/50-amp full hookup pull-through, and premium riverside categories, sized to 120 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. The 120-foot capacity is exceptional, and the electric-only tier gives self-contained rigs a lower rate. Accessible sites are available. Eight cabins and nine tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, boutique shop, laundry, propane fills, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. Day use runs $10 per person, with WIBIT passes $20 Sunday through Friday. A splash pad, outdoor pool, and inflatable water toys anchor the summer, with the river and lake supporting boat rentals, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and a beach. A disc golf course, jumping pillow, basketball, gem mining, golf cart rentals, a playground, on-site dining, and a bar fill the rest, with live music and planned activities through the season. Pets are welcome. Monticello sits between Dubuque and Cedar Rapids, near Maquoketa Caves State Park. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $31/night

Silver Springs Campsites

152 RV Sites

Silver Springs Campsites in Rio, Wisconsin, offers 152 RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 42 feet, between Madison and the Wisconsin Dells. Full hookup and water-and-electric back-in categories join an outdoor pool, beach, pond, and jumping pillow on a family-oriented property. One hundred fifty-two back-in sites run in full hookup and water-and-electric categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 42 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Note the 42-foot cap before booking a larger rig. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. Golf carts rent at $75 per day with a two-day minimum on regular weekends and three days on holidays; drivers must be 18 with a valid license. An outdoor pool and beach anchor the summer, with an on-site pond supporting fishing, boating, paddle boats, canoeing, and kayaking. A recreation center, game room, billiards, ping pong, jumping pillow, basketball, volleyball, bocce ball, horseshoes, walking trails, hiking, biking, a playground, and a pavilion fill the grounds, with on-site dining and planned activities through the season. The resort also operates as a wedding venue. Pets are welcome. The self-contained recreation is the point — guests get a full outdoor program without driving to regional lakes or state parks, in the farm and lake country of Columbia County. Summer is the season. Reserve ahead.

Skillet Creek Campground

56 RV Sites, 8 Cabins, 56 Tent Sites, 1 Onsite RV/Trailer

Skillet Creek Campground in Baraboo, Wisconsin, offers 57 RV sites, eight cabins, and 56 tent sites across 70 wooded acres, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service, ADA-accessible sites, and rigs accepted to 45 feet behind a gated entrance. Full-hookup, pull-through, water-and-electric, and waterfront daily categories join a water park, beach, jumping pillow, and creek. Fifty-seven sites span 20/30/50-amp daily full hookup, 20/30/50-amp daily pull-thru full hookup, 20/30/50-amp daily water-and-electric, and 20/30/50-amp waterfront categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 45 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric category does not carry sewer at the site. Accessible sites are available. Eight cabins and 56 tent sites make the tent inventory unusually deep. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. You can lock a specific site during booking — it shows as locked on the reservation grid. A water park and beach anchor the summer, with a lake, pond, and creek supporting boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing. A jumping pillow, game room, gaga ball, sports courts, walking trails, hiking, biking, a playground, and dog park fill the rest, with live music and wine tasting nearby. Devil's Lake State Park is Wisconsin's most visited, and its north entrance is one mile away. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $19/night

Jellystone Park™ Wisconsin Dells

186 RV Sites, 42 Cabins, 59 Tent Sites, 2 Yurts, 2 Houses, 7 Lodges

Jellystone Park Wisconsin Dells in Baraboo offers 186 RV sites, 51 cabin, house, and lodge units, 59 tent sites, and two yurts with 20, 30, and 50-amp service, ADA-accessible sites, and rigs accepted to 52 feet behind a gated entrance. Red Carpet camp suites and theme sites near the water playground join standard categories — and every overnight stay includes the water activities. One hundred eighty-six sites span 20-amp and 30-amp water-and-electric, back-in, back-in theme sites near the water playground, back-in Red Carpet camp suites, and pull-through categories, sized to 52 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Accessible sites are available. Fifty-one cabins, houses, and lodges, 59 tent sites, and two yurts make the lodging range exceptional. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. The base fee covers one camping or rental unit, one vehicle, and a set number of people by site type. Firewood restrictions apply — check before bringing your own. Free water activities with every stay are the distinguishing claim in a town built on waterparks. A water park, outdoor pool, hot tub, sauna, and inflatable water toys anchor the summer, with mini-golf, an arcade, game room, craft room, recreation center, boat rentals, a lake, sports courts, volleyball, shuffleboard, gaga ball, ping pong, golf cart rentals, a bar, and snack bar besides. Summer is decisively the season in the Dells. Reserve well ahead.

from $39/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