Dam East Spillway (Day Use) in IL -- Campground & RV Camping

Dam East Spillway Day Use Area sits on the southern shore of Carlyle Lake and the Kaskaskia River. The campground features 15 individual campsites open year-round, along with a reservable group picnic shelter for up to 75 people. Amenities include a playground, open green space, a courtesy dock, and two boat ramps, including a high-water ramp. Visitors come for year-round fishing, water sports, and nearby access to a multi-use biking and walking trail across the dam, a swimming beach at McNair Group Area, and wildlife viewing towers around the 26,000-acre lake.

Getting there: From I-57, take Old U.S. Route 50 west for 37 miles to the Dam East entrance road and turn north. Turn west at the next intersection and proceed west for 1.2 miles to the Dam East Spillway.

• Limited separation from through roads or other sites here, with the nearest through road 0.7 miles off.
• Sits on broad, near-level ground.
• Kaskaskia River runs 0.3 mi off.
• Estimated night sky: Bortle 4, a rural sky with a glow on the horizon.
• Open country, with nothing named rising within 30 miles.