Dam West Rec. Area, Carlyle, IL

Dam West Rec. Area in Clinton county is located 51 min east of Belleville, IL with an elevation of 448 feet. There are a total of 108 campsites. The campground is normally open from the beginning of April to the beginning of November. Sites can accommodate RVs and trailers between 51 and 138 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring. 23 sites have electric and water hookups. 85 sites have electric hookups. Fees range from $18.00 to $52.00. Some amenities include dump station, swimming, amphitheater, flush toilets. Activities include biking, boating, fishing, floating sports.

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38.63258, -89.35891
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(618) 594-4410 (Information)
(618) 594-4410 (Reservations)
$18 - $52

Campsite Reviews (363)

4.6 out of 5

5 star		71%
4 star		19%
3 star		6%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

@AngelaL61BD707 · Camped on Oct 31, 2024 at Campsite #87

This campground was very nice! Most sites are nice and wide and long. The hosts are very helpful and friendly! As always--more sites with full hook-ups would be great. We have already made reservations for 2025.

@CynthiaF136923 · Camped on Oct 29, 2024 at Campsite #88

We enjoy Dam West Campground because it's quiet, shady with level sites. We can ride our bikes several miles around the grounds, over the dam and into Carlyle all on paved paths and roads. The hosts are very helpful and friendly.

@TimothyM325903 · Camped on Oct 27, 2024 at Campsite #15

Love this campground on Carlyle Lake! Nice campsites with good separation and immaculate bathroom and shower facilities. Great biking opportunities and the city of Carlyle is convenient for all of your needs. The only campground left on Carlyle Lake with first-come-first-served campsites. Hosts are all pleasant and very accommodating. Not sure why there are still so many gravel sites when the other campgrounds have all upgraded to asphalt. Already made reservations for 2025!

@RockieMF7120FF · Camped on Oct 27, 2024 at Campsite #91

Always enjoy camping at Dam West. The WIFI there is not the greatest if you want to use it. Better in the late night and early morning. As the day grows older the WIFI appears to dwindle. But on the other hand, I don't camp to watch TV. Just a past time. I commend the cleanup people. The rest rooms are always clean, and the fire rings are kept clean of ashes. This past year has proved to be difficult to reserve a camp spot, but when they all become reserved next year, I will have more problems trying to reserve a spot. The big disappointment in when there are reserved camp spots, but no one is parked there. Also trying to reserve a weekend is really a challenge. All in all, Dam West is a great place to camp. Yes, I would recommend Dam West to me friends as well.

@JamesW5759385 · Camped on Oct 25, 2024 at Campsite #67

Always have a great time when I stay

@SheilaNE348B06 · Camped on Oct 23, 2024 at Campsite #74

Dam west is a great campgrounds with friendly hosts. What i don't like is there will be no more first come first serve sites anymore

@BillH7338117 · Camped on Oct 20, 2024 at Campsite #39

VERY well maintained campground. LOTS of room between campsites. Very quiet and peaceful. Our favorite campground to go to.

@JoeyWB68AB8B68 · Camped on Oct 17, 2024 at Campsite #34

The web site showed openings so we went to check in. The gate host told us there were no openings. I asked to go look because the web site showed openings. All of a sudden they had sites available. As we drove thru, all of the sites (3) that showed available were open. There was a sign in the window that said all non-reservable sites are full. That was not true.

@TerryG6407300 · Camped on Oct 15, 2024 at Campsite #6

everyone is so friendly

@DebraM7857218 · Camped on Oct 14, 2024 at Campsite #90

Love Dam West campground! Host Al, Carol, Eric and Wendy are the best! Always quiet and clean with stocked bathrooms and bath areas. Bike riding over the dam and down the river, across the bridge and either into town or backdown the river in the other side and back into the park area is one of our favorite activities! Thank you for a great place to camp! Deb

@MatthewT486519 · Camped on Oct 11, 2024 at Campsite #55

Nice fully paved site with a great view

@AndreaA2413770 · Camped on Oct 10, 2024 at Campsite #49

Bathrooms are great! Location is perfect. Kids love the park.

@MargoCEF39C7AE · Camped on Oct 7, 2024 at Campsite #15

Always clean, very nice hosts. Beautiful views of lake and nature. Close to stores if things are needed. Wonderful educational lectures at the center of the park.

@LynnK6100232 · Camped on Oct 7, 2024 at Campsite #112

One of the best campgrounds on Carlyle Lake. Hosts are always helpful and shower house and bathrooms always spotless.

@DianaC5977694 · Camped on Oct 7, 2024 at Campsite #63

We had a wonderful stay at Damn West campground. We love the bike trail and the cleanliness of the sites. As an added benefit, the close proximity to the Mexican restaurant for afternoon margaritas doesnt hurt.

@ThomasR5111286 · Camped on Oct 6, 2024 at Campsite #39

What a beautiful park and area. Well done.

@HerbM47D9D4AAC · Camped on Oct 4, 2024 at Campsite #91

The best

@LinasD3F58326D · Camped on Sep 23, 2024 at Campsite #82

This campground is well managed and maintained.

@JaneS8855491 · Camped on Sep 22, 2024 at Campsite #46

Site 46 was a very nice site across from water. Spacious and shady. It was very rainy 2 of our days and site drained well. We enjoyed a meal in Carlyle at Schleichers and totally recommend you try them. They are cash only. We would like to know if there is a pet limit allowed in this campground. We had neighbors across from us that had 7 smaller dogs in a fenced area outside. They barked a lot. Thankfully they were only there our first night. Also, there were many larger tree limbs down at multiple sites as well as dead limbs up in trees. I feel like some work needs to be done to remove these dead limbs to prevent possible injury. This is a very nice campground overall.

@KentF2D23BD22D · Camped on Sep 18, 2024 at Campsite #111

Very clean nice facility. Shower houses & bathrooms are spotless . Great hosts

@GaryK6082379 · Camped on Sep 16, 2024 at Campsite #58

Excellent campground, should maintain part of campsites as first come. Also showers out near the lake have extremely hot water. Dangerous for children.

@CindyLB29790A2 · Camped on Sep 15, 2024 at Campsite #22

Super hosts welcomed us to a clean quiet campground where the shower houses were immaculate & the grounds were maintained.

@RichardS712869 · Camped on Sep 12, 2024 at Campsite #107

Bad Part, Could not get the person off my site, Good part is Host set me up with a nice replacement next to the bathhouse. Very nice!

@DennyDDA5952E7 · Camped on Sep 8, 2024 at Campsite #28

Very nice park, we have e-bikes and we enjoyed riding the trails and paths. The camp host was very nice and friendly.

@RaymondL385EDE · Camped on Sep 4, 2024 at Campsite #111

Very nice area except no water hookup. Quiet and peaceful for our one night stay.

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