River views, big lots, and abundant nature make this Illinois state park an easy decision
Shhhh. We’re about to let you onto one of our best-kept secrets. But we’ll only tell you if you promise not to tell anyone. Illinois has some fantastic state parks!
Our most recent go-to, long weekend, first trip out, and last trip of the year spot has to be Illini State Park in Marseilles, Illinois. Located literally right on the Illinois River, this park is a hidden gem.
It’s perfect for big picnics and family gatherings. Civilian Conservation Corps building and structures give it that 1940s vibe and the views of the river, forestland, and even rural farmland make it a great choice for those looking to get away from the crowded, cramped, and overpriced commercial RV parks.
There’s a large barge canal that features barges all times of the day, a great bike path through the woods (the state park is over 500 acres), and even a canal lock if watching tugboats and their barges going up and down is your kind of thing.
Like a lot of state parks, the lot sizes are pretty ginormous. Yes, some along the river, farther to the east side are a bit smaller (and do tend to flood in heavy rain), but those on the west end of the Great Falls Loop are almost as big as our backyard at home!
The park provides metal campfire grates with grilling surfaces. There’s a home business right across the entrance to purchase firewood (you can’t go into the park’s woods for anything other than tinder) — they do not allow firewood to be brought in from out of the area due to insect concerns. The bathhouse is modern, well-kept and little used. We found the shower water scalding hot, so take care.
All sites in the Great Falls Loop feature 30-amp power (there may be 50-amp — we never checked it out) and they are pretty easy to back into. A dump station is available as is a water supply near the park host site. We don’t generally recommend the water there — for years it had a very sulfuric smell, so we just bring in a full fresh water tank when we camp.
Downtown Marseilles features some very basic restaurants (Subway, sandwich shop), liquor store, small supermarket, and gas stations. Not a lot to do there. We do recommend going west about 10 minutes to the city of Ottawa with its exceptional restaurant (B.A.S.H. or Burger and Sushi House is exceptional), historic sights, little shops, markets, and conventional stores and shopping.
Reservations for camping at Illini State Park are made through the Reserve America system (here’s the link) and the park becomes quite busy during the summer and fall (especially the weekends), so plan accordingly.
Now that you know the secret — remember, keep it quiet.