1
Pull-thru
USACECarlyle Lake · Illinois
Coles Creek Campground
Overview Coles Creek Campground is situated on the eastern shore of Carlyle Lake, a prime getaway for city-dwellers and families.
Sites148145 reservable
Elev.466ft
Comf.Mar-Nov9 months
Max rig115 ft1 pull-thru
Electric148148×50-amp
From Springfield2h31real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 466 ft, Coles Creek Campground has a 9-month comfortable window (Mar-Nov). Winter nights average around 28°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 148 sites total: 145 reservable and 3 first-come, first-served. Of the sites, 1 pull-through, 148 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 115-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: 1 peak, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on reservability and shade. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Sep
Mar-Nov
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
69%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Mar 24
Last spring frost; first fall frost Nov 12.
72°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Springfield
109 mi
2h31
02
Chicago
272 mi
5h13
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 2.8 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 148 SITES
Color byShow only
148 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
148
50-amp
2
Accessible
0
Prime
148
Sites
★ The standout
Site 001
L1 · shaded.
To neighbor
592 ft
Max rig
40 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
76
Peaks
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
2.8 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.