Hiking

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.

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

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 $45/night

Hickory Haven Campground

50 Tent Sites

Hickory Haven Campground near Keokuk, Iowa, offers full-hookup RV camping and 50 tent sites across 27 shaded acres, with EV charging, a general store, laundry, pond, walking trails, and pickleball. The property has built a devoted following since 1993 at the confluence of the Des Moines and Mississippi Rivers. RV sites carry full hookups. Contact the campground to confirm amp service, length limits, and current category availability for your rig — the published site records are incomplete. Fifty tent sites make this substantially a tent property. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, firewood, and EV charging handle the practical side — charging is still uncommon at campgrounds this size and worth knowing about if you tow with an electric vehicle. Ask about the Loyalty Club discount when you arrive. A pond supports fishing, with walking trails, hiking, a playground, pavilion, community fire pit, dog park, pickleball, corn hole, and genuinely good stargazing filling the rest. Planned activities run through the season. Pets are welcome. Twenty-seven shaded acres and more than thirty years under the same devoted following is the kind of continuity that says more than a feature list. Keokuk sits at Iowa's southeastern tip where the Des Moines River meets the Mississippi — one of the most historically significant confluences on the inland waterway. The Keokuk Lock and Dam is among the largest on the river, the eagle watching each January draws crowds, and the George M. Verity River Museum and the National Cemetery are both in town. Nauvoo, Illinois, and Mark Twain's Hannibal are within reach. Summer drives demand, with the January eagle season a distinct second wave. Reserve ahead for holiday weekends.

from $25/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

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

Lake Joy Campground

30 RV Sites, 57 Tent Sites

Lake Joy Campground in Belmont, Wisconsin, offers 30 RV sites and 57 tent sites on a 60-acre private spring-fed lake, with 20, 30, and 50-amp water-and-electric service, ADA-accessible sites, and rigs accepted to 42 feet. Lakefront and lake view 30-amp categories join a 30/50-amp tier and a shower house group pull-through, with a pool, beach, and boat ramp. Thirty sites span 30/50-amp, 30-amp lakefront, 30-amp lake view, and pull-thru 30-amp shower house group categories, carrying water and electric, sized to 42 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Plan around the hookups — sites carry water and electric but not sewer, so manage tank capacity and use the dump station. Accessible sites are available, and the group category is worth knowing about if you travel with a caravan. Fifty-seven tent sites make this overwhelmingly a tent property. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. An outdoor pool and beach anchor the summer, with a boat ramp opening the lake for boating, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and inflatable water toys. A game room, arcade, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, ping pong, walking trails, biking, a playground, and picnicking fill the rest. The property operates as a wedding venue. Sixty acres of clear spring-fed water surrounded by nothing but countryside is the whole proposition, in the Driftless Area of southwest Wisconsin. Summer is the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $40/night

Whitetail Bluff Campground

46 RV Sites, 5 Cabins

Whitetail Bluff Campground in Cassville, WI, offers 46 full-hookup RV sites and 5 cabins, with 30 and 50-amp service. Sites come in three categories — back-in 30-amp, standard back-in, and pull-thru — all carrying water, sewer, and electric with a fire pit and picnic table. The campground is rated big rig friendly; confirm your rig's dimensions against the specific site when you book. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, a dump station, golf cart rentals, and on-site dining cover the practical side, with cabins for guests without a rig. Pets are welcome. The recreation runs deep for a bluff-top campground: an outdoor pool with inflatable water toys, a jumping pillow, gaga ball, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, ping pong, horseshoes, a clubhouse, a pavilion, a playground, a beach, a pond, and hiking trails, with planned activities through the season. Cassville sits on the bluffs above the Mississippi in Grant County — one of the most commanding positions of any campground on the upper river, with trails climbing to views across the whole valley floor. Rates for sites and cabins are on the booking page. Bluff-side sites and summer weekends book first.

Terre Haute Campground

35 RV Sites, 7 Cabins, 5 Tent Sites

Terre Haute Campground in Terre Haute, Indiana, offers 35 RV sites, seven cabins, and five tent sites with 30 and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 89 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Every RV site is pull-through, including premium categories with patios, alongside an outdoor pool, fitness center, and clubhouse in Vigo County. Thirty-five pull-through sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 30-amp, 50-amp, and 30/50-amp service, sized to 89 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Premium categories add a patio. Every site pulling through means no backing after a long day on I-70, and the 89-foot capacity handles large coaches with a tow. Seven cabins and five tent sites round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, propane fills, dump station, RV storage, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side, with WiFi throughout. Late arrivals are covered: if you have a reservation and arrive after the office closes, your name will be on an envelope by the front door. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a fitness center, clubhouse, and game room open through the season. Sports courts, basketball, horseshoes, walking trails, a playground, a dog park, and a community fire pit fill the grounds, with planned activities besides. Pets are welcome. Terre Haute sits on the Wabash River at the Illinois-Indiana border, on the US-40 and I-70 corridors. The Lincoln Heritage Trail and Indiana's covered bridge country are both within day-trip range. The campground serves both through-travelers and longer Wabash Valley stays. Summer is peak — reserve ahead.

from $40/night

RJM Camping and RV

15 RV Sites

RJM Camping and RV in Wright City, MO, offers 15 RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service and back-in sites for rigs up to 50 feet. Sites are back-ins carrying water and electric — there's no sewer at the site, so plan on the on-site dump station. The property is gated and rated big rig friendly, with a community fire pit and walking trails. Pets are welcome. The lots are fully rocked, which matters more than it sounds after a wet week. The appeal is seclusion: private sites on a quiet rural property with a pond, a shared fire pit, picnicking, and the kind of dark sky that makes stargazing worth staying up for. Wright City sits in the gently rolling countryside of Warren County, 45 miles west of St. Louis via Interstate 70 — close enough to the highway to be practical, far enough off it to be quiet. Rates and availability are on the booking page. With 15 sites, calling ahead is worth the minute on a holiday weekend.

from $25/night

Starlight Trail RV Park

Starlight Trail RV Park in Kirksville, Missouri, offers oversized full-hookup RV sites with water, sewer, and electric, plus cabins, on a quiet country property minutes from town. A stocked fishing pond, billiards, and a general store serve guests staying a weekend or settling in for months. Full-hookup back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric with fire pits and site WiFi. The sites are generously oversized, which gives large rigs room to spread out rather than parking tight to a neighbor. Cabins serve guests without a rig. A general store, propane fills and exchange, laundry, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. The park suits weekend getaways, family vacations, hunting trips, business travel, and extended stays equally — that flexibility is much of what it offers. On-site recreation is calm by design. A stocked pond supports fishing, billiards fill indoor hours, and a campfire and the quiet of the surrounding countryside handle the evenings. A golf course, river, and boating are nearby. Pets are welcome. Kirksville sits in Adair County in northeast Missouri, home to Truman State University. The surrounding attractions are more varied than the location suggests: Thousand Hills State Park, the Kirksville Aquatic Center, West Winery at Jackson Stables, Jacob's Vineyard and Winery, the Sugar Creek Conservation Area, the Adair County Historical Society, and the Del and Norma Robison Planetarium are all close. The park operates through the northeast Missouri season, with summer travel and fall hunting both drawing steadily. University event weekends tighten Kirksville lodging — reserve ahead if your stay overlaps one.

from $45/night

Lakeroad Village RV Park

11 RV Sites

Lakeroad Village RV Park in Kirksville, MO, offers 11 RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 85 feet. Sites come in two types: full-hookup back-in 30/50-amp sites carrying water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi and a picnic table, and dry back-in sites for guests who don't need hookups. At 85 feet the sites take a longer rig than nearly anything else in the region. Laundry and a bathhouse with showers are on the property, and pets are welcome. The grounds are quiet and well kept rather than programmed, with picnicking and genuinely dark rural sky for stargazing. Kirksville sits in Adair County in northeast Missouri's rolling farm country, near Thousand Hills State Park, the aquatic center, and West Winery at Jackson Stables, with Truman State University giving the town its rhythm. Rates for full-hookup and dry sites are on the booking page. Ask about extended-stay rates if you're in town for a semester or a project.

from $45/night