Clinton Lake State Recreation Area is a great state park in the central Illinois area. It is a very pretty hike through the woods, with parts of it having lake views and a couple of tiny little sandy beaches. The area is densely wooded and a great place to hunt or hike trails, with lots of easily accessible well maintained trails, some with handicap passage available. It is a very nice campground that is affordable, quiet, with sites wide and well maintained. It is an enjoyable spot for camping, especially for a fisherman, with ample fishing and boating opportunities and swimming options. The power plant helps keep the water warmer than most lakes, so in the early and late summer the water is warm and it is a great place to swim. The campground has water, electric and a dump station, decent showers, bbq pits and grills in several different locations, and safely contained fire rings. Guests and other campers are friendly and site hosts are very knowledgeable and helpful. The only bad side is most toilets are outhouse pit toilet design, hot and waspy in the summer and cold and unpleasant in the winter, and the bathrooms could use an upgrade.
This is a very pretty hike through the woods, parts of it with lake views. There’s even a couple tiny little sandy beaches you’ll likely have all to yourself.
October 2026
Enjoyable spot for camping,especially if you are a fisherman. Has all the needs for a good trip: water, electric & dump station. Decent showers too.
October 2026
Went camping with friends for 3 days had a 10 out of 10 experience! I was a little confused cuz I've never booked a camp site before but after meeting the host and them explaining everything it was pretty easy from there!
