Exploring Eldon Hazlet State Park on Carlyle Lake
Illini Campground
Eldon Hazlet State Park in Carlyle, Illinois is just a short distance south of I-70. It consists of 3,000 acres on the south-western side of Carlyle Lake and Reservoir.Â
The park is specifically known for its wonderful camping facilities. And we have to agree that it is pretty nice.
We camped in site 18 in the Illini Campground. We had a lot of room and tall trees surrounding our site which provided plenty of shade.Â
We weren’t directly on the water but we could see the lake through the trees.
The Illini Campground has 328 Class A campsites with 30 and 50 amp electrical hook-ups, 36 Class C campsites for walk-in tent camping and two rustic rent-a-cabins.
State Parks offer some of the prettiest views for a much cheaper price than private campgrounds.
The park is filled with wildflowers and small wildlife. I saw a few yellow finches but wasn’t fast enough to get a picture of them.
I did however get some other photos of small wildlife. We found squirrelsÂ
and groundhogsÂ
and butterflies.
We heard and saw several red-headed woodpeckers. They never seem to come down where I can get a great picture, but he is there. Look closely.
We also found whatever this insect is on Rich’s shoe. I think it is a monster mosquito.
There is a camp store, a large swimming pool (which is now closed and already drained for the winter), and two nice playgrounds.
We only stayed for two nights. We are getting old enough that it wears us out too much to camp for just one night and drive day after day in a row. We always stay at least two nights when traveling. We like to do a little exploring and relaxing.
We explored in the morning and relaxed all afternoon. It was a peaceful day. Supper consisted of small ribeye steaks, baked potatoes, and corn casserole. Yum!
We are ready to move on tomorrow so stay tuned for the adventure.
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