0
Pull-thru
USACECarlyle Lake · Illinois
Dam West Campground
Overview Dam West Campground is a recreation area situated on the southern shore of Carlyle Lake, a prime getaway for city-dwellers and families.
Sites109all reservable
Elev.446ft
Comf.Mar-Nov9 months
Max rig138 ft
Electric109109×50-amp
From Springfield2h14real 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 446 ft, Dam West Campground has a 9-month comfortable window (Mar-Nov). Winter nights average around 27°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 109 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Of the sites, 109 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 138-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: 2 peaks, 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.
66%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 8
Last spring frost; first fall frost Nov 6.
71°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Springfield
109 mi
2h14
02
Chicago
277 mi
5h13
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 0.8 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 109 SITES
Color byShow only
109 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
109
50-amp
2
Accessible
0
Prime
109
Sites
★ The standout
Site 058
DAM WEST · shaded.
To neighbor
127 ft
Max rig
83 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
152
Peaks
2
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
0.8 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.