Canoeing/Kayaking

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.

Camp Lakewood Campground

52 RV Sites, 3 Tent Sites

Camp Lakewood Campground in Effingham, Illinois, offers 52 RV sites and three tent sites within a mile of both I-70 and I-57, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 120 feet. Premium pull-through categories, including one with a patio, join full-hookup and water-and-electric back-in tiers, with an outdoor pool, boat ramp, and game room. Fifty-two sites span back-in 30-amp, back-in 30/50-amp, back-in water-and-electric, premium pull-thru, premium pull-thru with patio, and pull-thru 30/50-amp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 120 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. One hundred twenty feet is among the most generous capacities anywhere and accommodates anything on the road. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric category does not carry sewer at the site. Three tent sites round out the lodging. A laundry, propane fills, dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. If you arrive after the office closes with a reservation, your name will be on an envelope with your site details. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a boat ramp for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing, and a game room, playground, and swimming filling the rest. Pets are welcome. Effingham is the crossroads city of downstate Illinois, where I-70 and I-57 meet — one of the most convenient overnight stops in the Midwest. Demand tracks interstate traffic rather than a season. Reserve ahead for holiday travel periods.

from $35/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

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

Sun Retreats Rock River

44 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 $45/night

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.

Muncie RV Resort

40 RV Sites, 2 Cabins, 10 Tent Sites, 2 Yurts

Muncie RV Resort in Anderson, IN, offers 40 full-hookup RV sites, 2 cabins, 10 tent sites, and 2 yurts, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 100 feet. Site categories cover back-in 30/50-amp, back-in 50-amp with a deluxe patio, pull-thru 30/50-amp, pull-thru 50-amp, and pull-thru 50-amp with a deluxe patio, plus ADA-accessible sites. All carry water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi, a fire pit, and a picnic table. The resort is rated big rig friendly, and at 100 feet the pull-thrus take anything on the road. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, a dump station, and propane fills handle resupply, and there's a storm shelter on the property. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. The resort sits on about a mile of White River frontage, with a lake, pond, and beach for swimming, boating, kayaking, and paddle boats, plus an outdoor pool, a water park with inflatable toys, mini-golf, a clubhouse, on-site dining, volleyball, a playground, and walking trails. Hiking, fishing, and birding fill out the rest. Anderson sits in Madison County along the Mounds State Park corridor in north-central Indiana. Rates for every accommodation type are on the booking page. Deluxe patio sites are limited — reserve early.

from $27/night

Meramec Campground

30 RV Sites

Meramec Campground in Stanton, Missouri, offers 30 full-hookup pull-through RV sites along the Meramec River, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 87 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, open all year. Full-hookup and water-and-electric pull-through categories mean no backing at any site, with an outdoor pool, pond, and general store. Thirty sites span pull-thru, pull-thru water-and-electric 30/50-amp, and pull-thru water-and-electric 30-amp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 87 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric categories do not carry sewer at the site. An all-pull-through layout at 87 feet accommodates anything on the road. A general store, laundry, propane fills, dump station, and restrooms handle the practical side. If you arrive at night with a reservation, your name will be on an envelope by the front door with a map and your site details inside. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a pond for fishing, an arcade, playground, community fire pit, and dog park filling the rest. Canoeing, kayaking, hiking, biking, and swimming run on the river. Pets are welcome. Franklin County sits where the Meramec's spring-fed limestone clarity meets the forested Ozark foothills, and Meramec Caverns — Missouri's most famous cave system and a Route 66 landmark — is right here. Float trips, Meramec State Park, and St. Louis an hour east round it out. Summer float season drives demand. Reserve well ahead.

from $52/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 $45/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

Blue Springs Ranch

142 RV Sites, 33 Cabins, 65 Tent Sites

Blue Springs Ranch in Bourbon, Missouri, offers 142 RV sites, 33 cabins, and 65 tent sites on a spring-fed Ozarks property in Crawford County, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 65 feet. A zip line, horseback riding, kayak and boat rentals, and spring-fed swimming run on site, and the ranch is open all year. One hundred forty-two sites run in back-in, water-and-electric back-in, and pull-through configurations carrying 20, 30, and 50-amp, sized to 65 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Thirty-three cabins and 65 tent sites make this one of the larger and more varied properties in the Missouri Ozarks. A general store, laundry, dump station, RV storage, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. The spring water is the difference. Constant clear cold water feeds the creek and ponds, setting the ranch apart from the warm-water lake resorts that dominate Missouri summer camping. Swimming, kayaking, paddle boats, boating, and fishing all run from the property, with kayak and boat rentals on site, plus a zip line, horseback riding, paddle boarding, an outdoor pool, and a beach. A playground, pavilion, and barn round out the grounds, with planned activities through the season and strong birding in the surrounding timber. The ranch also operates as a wedding venue. Pets are welcome. You can reserve a cabin or campsite any time of year, and groups can be accommodated year-round with notice. Note that floating and trail rides close from October 31 through April 15 — worth checking if either is central to your trip. Summer is peak for the spring-fed water. Reserve well ahead.

Pecatonica River Trails Park

30 RV Sites

Pecatonica River Trails Park in Darlington, WI, offers 26 back-in RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 84 feet. Sites come in two categories, back-in 30-amp and back-in 50-amp, each with a fire pit and picnic table. This is a municipal campground rather than a resort, so plan on the on-site dump station and confirm water availability at your site when you reserve. The park is rated big rig friendly, and at 84 feet it will take a longer rig than most parks its size. A bathhouse with showers and a community fire pit are on site, and pets are welcome. One rule worth knowing: no one may camp or leave a unit in the campground more than 14 days in any 21-day period. The Pecatonica River runs along the park with a fishing pier, walking trails, a playground, and a basketball court, and the surrounding country is good for hiking, biking, paddling, horseback riding, swimming, and birding, with off-road riding nearby. Darlington sits in Lafayette County in southwest Wisconsin's Driftless Area, the ridge-and-coulee terrain the last ice age never flattened. Rates and availability are on the booking page. Note the 14-day limit when planning a longer stay.

from $25/night