0
Pull-thru
USACECarlyle Lake · Illinois
Lotus Group Area
Overview The Lotus Group Area is on the eastern shore of Carlyle Lake, a prime getaway for city-dwellers and families.
Sites1all reservable
Elev.472ft
Comf.Mar-Nov9 months
Max rig35 ft
Electric11×50-amp
From Springfield2h33real 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 472 ft, Lotus Group Area has a 9-month comfortable window (Mar-Nov). Winter nights average around 28°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 1 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Of the sites, 1 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 35-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: 1 peak, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on big-rig fit.
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
110 mi
2h33
02
Chicago
272 mi
5h15
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 3.2 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 1 SITES
0
Walk-in
1
50-amp
1
Accessible
0
Prime
1
Sites
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
61
Peaks
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
3.2 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.