4
Pull-thru
USACECarlyle Lake · Illinois
Dam East - Mcnair Campground
Overview Dam East-McNair Campground is situated on the southern shore of Carlyle Lake, a prime getaway for city-dwellers and families.
Sites4847 reservable
Elev.449ft
Comf.Mar-Nov9 months
Max rig117 ft4 pull-thru
Electric4847×50-amp
From Springfield2h15real 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 449 ft, Dam East - Mcnair Campground has a 9-month comfortable window (Mar-Nov). Winter nights average around 28°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 48 sites total: 47 reservable and 1 first-come, first-served. Of the sites, 4 pull-through, 47 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 117-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: 2 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. 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
112 mi
2h15
02
Chicago
273 mi
5h06
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 0.1 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 48 SITES
Color byShow only
48 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
47
50-amp
0
Accessible
20
Prime
48
Sites
★ The standout
Site 9
SOUTH LOOP · prime location · shaded.
To neighbor
75 ft
Location
Prime
Max rig
75 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
141
Peaks
2
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
0.1 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.