Camping at Wolf Creek State Park

I can’t believe that another season of camping is over! We spent our last trip of the season at Wolf Creek Campground in Windsor, IL with friends from my hometown of Indianapolis and their families. We had a great time and Wolf Creek was a pretty decent campground! Let me break it all down for you!

Park Pros + Cons

We chose Wolf Creek because of its approximately equal distance between us here in St. Louis and our friends in Indianapolis. I have to say that this is the first time we’ve camped in Illinois in a while (like 10+ years!), and while Illinois parks aren’t quite as nice as some of the Missouri parks I’ve been spoiled by, Wolf Creek holds its own!

Some pros…

• The nightly rate is pretty cheap at $20+ fees
• They have several different loops in the campground, with a playground, shower house, and a cabin.
• You can find basic, group sites, electric, and ADA sites.
• They also have, a picnic area, shelter, and an equestrian campground!
• The gravel pads are long and level
• The campground host sells firewood, but you can also run down the road to buy some at a nearby gas station/mini mart.
• The shower house was clean and well-maintained, and there are pit toilets scattered around for your necessaries.
• There are plenty of trees for a shady campground, hammocks, and clotheslines.
• The fire ring is a decent size and has a grill, but it’s less a pit and more of a stand.
• Not feeling like cooking? There’s a pizza place that delivers to the campground!
• Convenient lake access for water activities

I have to say, with the lake right there, I feel like we need to come back during summer months to take advantage of the beach, swimming, boating, etc. I think a follow-up trip is in order!

Some cons…

• The booking system is a bit clunky, not the most user-friendly process.
• There aren’t any full hookup sites, but there is a dump station located on the grounds.
• There are water spigots around, but they are few and far between. You can fill your tank on the way in though near the dumping station.
• There aren’t any lantern posts, so you’ll need to have a plan for your trash so the animals don’t get into it at night.
• There are hiking trails but the trailheads can be difficult to locate, the trails aren’t well-maintained and aren’t really marked that well. See below for more info on our experience.
• Some of the signage around the park is painted wood that is faded and peeling and pretty much unrecognizable.
• The single shower house was small, but it never seemed busy (could have been the time of year though) and is far away from some sites, though the booking system does tell you whether your site includes access to the shower house.

One thing to note, and whether this is a pro or a con for you depends on your own opinion, there is cell service inside the park. I will say it does come in handy using AllTrails to navigate those unmarked trails!

The campground is well established and has a good mix of sun and shade. Each site has a fire ring, movable picnic table, and generous gravel pads. The sites are a decent size and deep, so there’s plenty of room to play games and run around. We of course took the dog and our friends brought theirs as well, so pets are allowed. So we were pretty comfortable!

Hiking + the Lake

We went on one of the short trails that leads from the campground down to the lake (Lake Shelbyville). It took some searching to find the trailhead, and the wooden sign with the trail map was almost unreadable. The trail itself was very pretty, especially this time of year with the leaves changing colors so beautifully. I recommend having a downloaded map from AllTrails or similar before setting out. On the hike we went on, one of the bridges was out and the trail was lost. Somehow we got off course and ended the loop prematurely, but we popped out at the playground in our loop, so the kids were happy.

Highlights Video

Checkout the highlights from our trip below! Hiking, hammocks, and shenanigans, it was a great trip!

Until next time, happy camping!

xx

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