Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area — Illini

It seems appropriate for one of the largest campgrounds in the Illinois state park system to be located on the largest manmade lake in Illinois. Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area is a 3,000-acre site on the western shore of Carlyle Lake, a Kaskaskia River impoundment. The site is located 3 miles north of Carlyle and 2 miles east of Illinois Route 127 in Clinton County. Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area attracts more than 800,000 visitors annually to camp, boat, fish, hunt, picnic, bird watch and hike more than 9 miles of trails. Also popular are the sailboat regattas, held almost every summer weekend. For more information about the Carlyle Sailing Association, please contact them at 618-594-3622 The site is leased by the IDNR from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which built the 26,000-acre lake. The state park is named for Carlyle attorney Eldon Hazlet, the first president of the Kaskaskia Valley Association, which organized and promoted construction of two of Illinois' three largest reservoir/recreational complexes - Carlyle Lake and Lake Shelbyville - plus other improvements on the Kaskaskia River. Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area is best known for its camping facilities. The Illini Campground has 328 Class A campsites with 30 and 50 amp electrical hook-ups, and 36 Class C campsites for walk-in tent camping (Campground Map). A campground store and public swimming pool are located in the campground and available to park users for an additional fee. Hazlet Cottages, overlooking Carlyle Lake, are also available year round and operated by a private concessionaire. For additional information about the Hazlet Cottages, campground store or pool, please contact 618-594-8701 or hazletcottages@gmail.com.