Remove Ads
4.0
13 votes

Illini State Park

2660 East 2350th Rd., Marseilles, Illinois 61341 USA

  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
Add to Trip
Remove Ads

“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.

Read More >

Reviews of Illini State Park

10 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

4.8 Access
4.9 Location
4.6 Cleanliness
4.1 Site Quality
4.5 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G

Confirmed by 6 users | Last reported on August 30, 2022

AT&T 4G

Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on August 30, 2022

T-Mobile 5G

Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on August 10, 2022
Add Review
Thanks!
Your Rating
1
2
3
4
5
Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

August 11, 2018
Rated

Stayed 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.

Was this helpful?
This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: -

Days Stayed: 5

Site Number: 50

5 Access
5 Location
4 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

October 11, 2018
Rated

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.

Was this helpful?

Nightly Rate: $10.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: -

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

November 28, 2020
Rated

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!

Was this helpful?
This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $18.00

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: 17

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

June 21, 2021
Rated

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

Was this helpful?
This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $10.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 29

4 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

July 22, 2021
Rated

Great place to stop on I-80

Was this helpful?
This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $10.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 82

5 Access
5 Location
4 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
2 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

August 01, 2021
Rated

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!

Was this helpful?
This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 80

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

  • 19 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
September 18, 2021
Rated

Reserving online there is a 5$ fee and 1$ concession fee. You share power box with neighbor. Signage in park could be better.

Was this helpful?
roadtripper9194442 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $26.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 65

4 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

Reviewed by
Chris Angel

  • 102 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
August 10, 2022
Rated

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.

Was this helpful?

Nightly Rate: -

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 5

5 Access
5 Location
4 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

T-Mobile 5G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

August 30, 2022
Rated

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.

Was this helpful?
This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 25

5 Access
5 Location
4 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

September 14, 2023
Rated

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.

Was this helpful?

Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 20

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Be the first to add a review to the Illini State Park.

Illini State Park

2660 East 2350th Rd.
Marseilles, Illinois
61341 USA
Remove Ads

Hours

Hours not available

Problem with this listing? Let us know.

Has RV parking changed? Let us know.

Remove Ads
  • Unavailable
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Unknown
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Check
    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
  • Unavailable
    Paved Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fifty Amp
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through
  • Check
    Tent Sites
  • Check
    Dump Station
  • Unavailable
    Big Rigs
  • Unavailable
    Open Seasonally
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
  • Check
    Back In RV Sites
  • Check
    Boondock
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Unavailable
    Firewood
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
  • Unavailable
    Permit Required
  • Check
    Potable Water
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Check
    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
  • Check
    Reservations
  • Unavailable
    Sewer Hookup
  • Check
    Showers
  • Check
    Sites
  • Check
    Standard Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Vehicle Wash Permitted
  • Unavailable
    Water Hookup
See More Details (49)

Campground, Restrooms

Remove Ads

Nearby Hotels

Oglesby, Illinois
Oglesby, Illinois
Streator, Illinois
FastBook

Click to discover a
great deal!

Peru, Illinois
FastBook

Click to discover a
great deal!

Remove Ads

Related Trip Guides

Remove Ads
17683