About Dam East - Mcnair Campground
Number of accommodations: 46
Nearby Activities & Attractions
Boating
Fishing
Swimming
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
Most popular amenities
Showers
RV Utilities and Hookups
- Dump station on site
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
- Showers
Water Access
- Beach Access
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Rates, Sites & Availability
46 Sites Available
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Site Details
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46 Sites Available
No available sites
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Reviews (975)
What Guests Are Saying
Dam East - McNair Campground offers a clean, quiet environment with well-maintained sites and friendly camp hosts, making it a pleasant place for visitors. The campground features paved paths, easy access to fishing, and ample walking and biking trails. However, some concerns include shared water spigots, occasional insect issues, and the need for upgrades to certain facilities, such as the shower house and tree maintenance.
What Guests Are Saying
Dam East - McNair Campground offers a clean, quiet environment with well-maintained sites and friendly camp hosts, making it a pleasant place for visitors. The campground features paved paths, easy access to fishing, and ample walking and biking trails. However, some concerns include shared water spigots, occasional insect issues, and the need for upgrades to certain facilities, such as the shower house and tree maintenance.
Review Summary
Timothy T
VerifiedJune 16, 2022 • Stayed at: 23, Loop: NORTH LOOP
We stayed at McNair Campground for 4 nights during the week at Site 23 in our camper trailer. Overall it was a great experience. Our site had a nice view of Carlyle Lake. The campground was very quiet at night when we stayed. There is a nice public beach area in the campground that our grandkids enjoyed very much. It has a large sandy beach area and slopes very gently out into the water so the kids could wade out quite a ways. We went fishing from a pier near the dam about a half mile from the campground. There are a couple of nice playgrounds for the kids within the campground. The campsites on the loop where Site 23 is located have a little more space between them and you don't feel like you are right on top of your neighbor. The asphalt roads and site pads are showing some age and deterioration and it was difficult to back into our site without running off the asphalt because the road is narrow and there are small radii on the end of the site pad driveway. But, overall the site pad was adequate with a picnic table and fire ring. We had a racoon that came into our camp site several times, even during the day, and tipped over our trash can and made a mess and ate some scraps and even tried to get food off of a table when we went into the camper for a few minutes. The campground seemed to be well maintained. There is no water connection at most of the campsites, so you need to fill your water tank before setting up. There is a dump station for use on the way out of the campground.
Joseph V
VerifiedJune 16, 2022 • Stayed at: 31, Loop: NORTH LOOP
Staff was AWESOME SOOOOO HELPFUL Just Great Guy
Timothy T
VerifiedJune 16, 2022 • Stayed at: 23, Loop: NORTH LOOP
We stayed at McNair Campground for 4 nights during the week at Site 23 in our camper trailer. Overall it was a great experience. Our site had a nice view of Carlyle Lake. The campground was very quiet at night when we stayed. There is a nice public beach area in the campground that our grandkids enjoyed very much. It has a large sandy beach area and slopes very gently out into the water so the kids could wade out quite a ways. We went fishing from a pier near the dam about a half mile from the campground. There are a couple of nice playgrounds for the kids within the campground. The campsites on the loop where Site 23 is located have a little more space between them and you don't feel like you are right on top of your neighbor. The asphalt roads and site pads are showing some age and deterioration and it was difficult to back into our site without running off the asphalt because the road is narrow and there are small radii on the end of the site pad driveway. But, overall the site pad was adequate with a picnic table and fire ring. We had a racoon that came into our camp site several times, even during the day, and tipped over our trash can and made a mess and ate some scraps and even tried to get food off of a table when we went into the camper for a few minutes. The campground seemed to be well maintained. There is no water connection at most of the campsites, so you need to fill your water tank before setting up. There is a dump station for use on the way out of the campground.
Joseph V
VerifiedJune 16, 2022 • Stayed at: 31, Loop: NORTH LOOP
Staff was AWESOME SOOOOO HELPFUL Just Great Guy
Alexis K
VerifiedJune 12, 2022 • Stayed at: 35, Loop: Spillway
Fantastic campground! We had a wonderful stay. Hope to get back there soon.
Alexis K
VerifiedJune 12, 2022 • Stayed at: 35, Loop: Spillway
Fantastic campground! We had a wonderful stay. Hope to get back there soon.
Alexis K
VerifiedJune 12, 2022 • Stayed at: 35, Loop: Spillway
Fantastic campground! We had a wonderful stay. Hope to get back there soon.
Marc G
VerifiedJune 11, 2022 • Stayed at: 45, Loop: Spillway
Great
Marc G
VerifiedJune 11, 2022 • Stayed at: 45, Loop: Spillway
Great
Marc G
VerifiedJune 11, 2022 • Stayed at: 45, Loop: Spillway
Great
Location Dam East - Mcnair Campground
Address:
801 Lake Road
Carlyle, IL, 62231
United States
From I-57, take Old U.S. Highway 50 west for 22 miles to the Dam East Entrance road. Turn north and continue through the four-way intersection to the McNair Group Area.
The campground is accessible via I-57, with the nearest exit leading to Old U.S. Highway 50, approximately 22 miles to the west.
Latitude & Longitude: 38.6083 / -89.325
Elevation: 136 feet
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check in time
5PM
Check out time
4PM
General
- Dam East - McNair is 100% reservable, and available for same day reservations.
- Dam East Spillway is now its own loop within McNair (Sites 33-47) and is open year-round.
- Campsites are single capacity; no double capacity or buddy sites are available
- If the Group Area is not reserved, it will be available on a first-come, first-served basis
- The Spillway Loop does not have a shower house, or dump station. Campers are able to use the shower and dumpstation at the entrace of McNair throughout the non-peak season. *Shower House may not be open 7 days/week.
- No personal checks or cash are accepted at this time. Credit/Debit card only.
- Camping No-Show - Camping no-show customers who do not arrive at the campground or group facility by check-out time the day after arrival or does not cancel the reservation by check out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date will be assessed a $20.00 service fee and forfeit their reservation. If the no-show service fee is greater than the reservation amount, the customer will not be charged any additional service fees.
- Cancellation Fees - A $10 service fee is withheld from the refund anytime the customer cancels a camping or day use reservation. Depending on when the cancellation is made, it may be considered a late cancellation and additional fees may be forfeited. A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee.
- Firewood brought into this facility must be purchased, or collected locally due to invasive insects.
- Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.
- Click here for a virtual tour of Carlyle Lake
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Last updated: June 5, 2026
