“a peaceful nature getaway”
Illini State Park is the type of park you think of when you think of big picnics and family gatherings. With its rustic Civilian Conservation Corps buildings and riverside picnic areas, Illini State Park offers beautiful views and a sense of history not found in many other parks.Named for the native Americans who once inhabited the area, Illini State Park is located south of the Illinois River between Marseilles and U.S. Route 6. The northern edge of the 510-acre park is bordered by the Great Falls of the Illinois River. In just 2 miles, the river drops 3 feet, creating beautiful, roaring rapids. The east end of the park is the former site of the prestigious Marsatawa Country Club. Hickory, ash, walnut, elm, cottonwood, oak and maple trees provide shady coolness in the summer and beautiful colors in the fall. Spring is highlighted by blooming wildflowers, White-tailed deer, squirrels, opossums, beavers, raccoon, groundhogs and a variety of waterfowl and songbirds can be seen throughout the year. Several reminders of America's Industrial Age can be seen at Illini State Park. The area is part of an old glacial feature called the Marseilles Moraine and is underlaid by 100 feet of coal. A large coal mine 1 mile south of the park supplied coal to Marseilles industries until World War II. The Illinois Traction System, an interurban electric transit system that ran from Chicago to Princeton, was one of those industries. The Marseilles powerhouse for the ITS can still be seen on the north bank of the river.Less than 1 mile north of the park is the historic Illinois-Michigan Canal, completed in 1848 when the section from Marseilles to Morris opened. The I & M Canal carried the area's commerce until the railroads became the transportation giants.Although the Illinois River rapids are wonderful to watch, they made barge traffic difficult. In the mid-1920s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a barge canal to bypass the rapids. The canal borders the park on the north, and visitors can watch as large barges pass and through the Marseilles Locks.The prestigious Marsatawa Country Club once graced the east end of the park. Organized by Ottawa resident W.D. Boyce, who also founded the Boy Scouts of America, the club boasted one of the premier golf courses of its day.In the 1930s, two companies of the Civilian Conservation Corps converted the golf course to a park and constructed buildings still in use today. The former country club building was moved into Marseilles and serves as the American Legion Hall.
Reviews of Illini State Park
10 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G
Confirmed by 6 users | Last reported on August 30, 2022AT&T 4G
Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on August 30, 2022T-Mobile 5G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on August 10, 2022Stayed in the tent section with my teardrop. 50 is on a corner going in/out, but one of the larger lots. Downfall was it was basically dirt. Glad it didn't rain. Do not, I repeat, do not use the pit toilets in the tent section. Just plain nasty. I'll leave it at that. Down further by the RV section they have flush toilets and showers. Go there. In both areas, just a handful of sites that give you any room. The rest you are sitting on your neighbors lap. But will do in a pinch. Cool veterans memorial in the park itself.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 5
Site Number: 50
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
We stayed in the wooded dry camping area of the Great Falls campground. It was $10. It would have been $20 with electricity. It was mid-week in October so it was pretty empty but most sites showed reservations for Friday and Saturday so be forewarned. We took a lovely 2.5 mile walk around the park which extends quite a ways down the river. Clean restrooms but low water pressure.
Nightly Rate: $10.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: -
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Beautiful camp with many sites located right along the Illinois River. We have been 1 of 4 campers seen during our stay. It’s a bit confusing, the IDNR website provides a link to “Reserve America,” & if you pick dates between November-April it appears that the park is “closed.” In reality, you aren’t able to make reservations during this time, it’s first come first serve. No water, it’s been turned off for the cold months. There is a dump area, but again, no water available right now. They offer recycling, which we have rarely seen when camping! There are 2 camping areas in this large park, but only one of them appears to be open. In the open area there are sites with electric ($18/night) and non-electric ($10/night). There is a shower house, but it’s closed for the winter. The pit toilets, are basic, but clean & well maintained. There are a number of day use areas with grills, shelters & picnic tables. We have found 2 hiking trails, as well as Lock #5 & a nice war memorial. We found the 1 geocache located in this park along one of the trails. It’s a nice easy walk over the bridge from the park into the town of Marseilles. The park ranger has made rounds. We will definitely come back here. Our cell service has been very good, so working remotely would be an option here!
Nightly Rate: $18.00
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: 17
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
We decided to stop last minute. Nice site, has a playground. There is an ice cream and concession stand. Hard to find keepers of the ground, and we took the last envelope at the rangers station. Tent sites (camping van in our case) are $10 and $20 for electric sites
Nightly Rate: $10.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 29
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Great place to stop on I-80
Nightly Rate: $10.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 82
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
We stayed just one night in the Whitetail campground at Illini State Park. Our site was nice, quiet, and decently spacious. The electric situation is very strange, every two campsites share an electrical box. The parking pads are not close to the electrical boxes so bring an extension cord. I'd recommend bringing 50 feet, our 25 was too short. The tent sites at Great Falls are very nice and shaded with trees between them. The RV sites at Great Falls are on the river but very open. In Whitetail, the tent sites are very open but the RV sites have a bit more privacy, at least the sites in the loops. Great Falls had a lot of RVs, Whitetail had hardly anyone. There is a boat launch, lots of places to fish, and a consession stand with ice cream and other snacks. We brought our bikes and rode to the boat launch in one direction and down to the lock in the other. Round trip it was about 8 miles. Marseilles can be reached by long walk or bike ride and the town has some restaurants. We enjoyed our stay and will be back!
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 80
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Reserving online there is a 5$ fee and 1$ concession fee. You share power box with neighbor. Signage in park could be better.
Nightly Rate: $26.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 65
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
Nice Pretty Park For An Overnight. Open Large Sites. Wash house a little tired. Site 5 and 6 on the river.
Combination of gravel and asphalt pads accommodating 40 feet or so. Friendly and knowledgeable host the evening we were there.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 5
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
T-Mobile 5G
Right on the Illinois River, nice to watch the barges and tugboats. Good biking to the lock, about 3 miles.
Site 25 was hard to level our 30 ft class C; better for a smaller rig.
Signage was bad. Hard to find our way around at first and camp hosts were both off duty.
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 25
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
AT&T 4G
We stayed 2 nights as a break on our drive from NY to WY and are so glad we did. The campground is beautiful and well maintained. Many of the sites have a gorgeous view of the water and the wooded (tent) sites are equally as pretty. We stayed in site #20 it had a water view and was next to a small rentable cabin. The groundskeepers/camp hosts were very friendly and knowledgeable. The electrical set up is a little different, in site our electrical box was on the opposite side than usual so park as close as you can to it or bring an extension cord. We would definitely stay again. I saw a google review complaining about downed trees which there are a few very large ones but they are way off to the outskirts of the area against the woodline and not a problem.
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 20
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Illini State Park
Hours
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Back In RV Sites Count
- 12
- Last Nightly Rate
- 10.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 32.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 10.0
- Max Stay
- 14
- Sites Count
- 100
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Paved Sites
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Fifty Amp
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Full Hookup
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Back In RV Sites
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Potable Water
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Sites
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Standard Tent Sites
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Vehicle Wash Permitted
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Water Hookup
Campground, Restrooms
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