Available sites
109 total sites
RV Sites
About Dam West Campground
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
RV Utilities and Hookups
- Dump station on site
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
Rates, Sites & Availability
109 Sites Available
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Site Details
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109 Sites Available
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Reviews (799)
What Guests Are Saying
Dam West Campground offers large, clean sites, many with beautiful lake views, and is well-maintained with friendly, helpful staff. Guests appreciate the calm lake for activities like boating and swimming, as well as the nearby town amenities. While there is only one dump station, leading to potential wait times, overall experiences are positive, making it a favorite destination for campers.
What Guests Are Saying
Dam West Campground offers large, clean sites, many with beautiful lake views, and is well-maintained with friendly, helpful staff. Guests appreciate the calm lake for activities like boating and swimming, as well as the nearby town amenities. While there is only one dump station, leading to potential wait times, overall experiences are positive, making it a favorite destination for campers.
Review Summary
Joseph N
VerifiedMay 20, 2024 • Stayed at: 044, Loop: DAM WEST
Joseph N
VerifiedMay 20, 2024 • Stayed at: 044, Loop: DAM WEST
Larry H
VerifiedMay 19, 2024 • Stayed at: 080, Loop: DAM WEST
Always have a great time here … the park is always a pleasure to stay in. Hosts are always helpful!!!
ryan l
VerifiedMay 19, 2024 • Stayed at: 110, Loop: DAM WEST
Wonderful location, very clean campground. We were in the overflow area across the street. The shower house on that side must have a different water heater system than lakeside. The temperature was HOT, then COLD, then HOT, then COLD again. This repeated for your entire shower. Not the best regulation of temperature, but very clean! The staff were excellent and courteous. Have had issues in the past with one of them, but they were great this time. Really a great experience. We have camped at literally every campground around Carlyle Lake and Dam West is our favorite. Whoever cleans the fire pits and restrooms does a super job.
WILLIAM & Susan T
VerifiedMay 18, 2024 • Stayed at: 087, Loop: DAM WEST
Quiet. Fun with friends. Bike path great
Tracy B
VerifiedMay 16, 2024 • Stayed at: 024, Loop: DAM WEST
Nice clean campground
Cindy M
VerifiedMay 16, 2024 • Stayed at: 032, Loop: DAM WEST
Beautiful, well kept campground with awesome people running it!
Staci T
VerifiedMay 14, 2024 • Stayed at: 083, Loop: DAM WEST
We absolutely love this campground. It is always quiet, people are friendly, the shower houses are clean. The campground hosts are always out ensuring everyone is having a great stay. The water is close to the sites and love fishing and being so close to Visitor center and Marina.
Paul C
VerifiedMay 13, 2024 • Stayed at: 092, Loop: DAM WEST
As always Dam West is a great place to camp. The Hosts are friendly and the check-in is pleasant. The entire campground is clean and well maintained. The lots are spacious and well designed, making it easy to get in and out. We are regulars, even though it's close to home. We like the bike trails and serenity.
Rebecca S
VerifiedMay 11, 2024 • Stayed at: 010, Loop: DAM WEST
My strongest memory of Dam West will forever be .. the showers. They start off with amazing water pressure and the perfect temperature of hot but not too hot.. you THINK you're going to be able to take a nice shower and then the water stops. Every 15 seconds more or less the water stops & you have to push a button to turn it back on ... and every 15 seconds it gets a little less hot .. then suddenly half way through rinsing your hair ICE cold ! And no matter how long you stand in the shower it is never going to get above ice cold again ! It's not because the hot water heater ran out of hot water either because someone else can come in and take a shower and their shower will start off the same way .. with hot water. You CAN get dressed, leave the bathroom, turn around, go back in and get hot water again but that's rediculous. If it had run out of hot water that would be one thing but the fact that they are only allowing you a set amount of time to shower is rediculous. .. and you can't trick it by just going into the shower next to you. You have to physically leave the bathroom and come back in. I'm not sure how it knows ... but it knows. Lol.
My next issue was that someone comes to the campsites every morning and cleans out the fire pits. I had some left over half burned sticks I would have used to start my next fire but they were removed at 8am. I'm not crazy about someone coming into my campsite and removing my sticks. Seems unnecessary.
I've been to dozens of Corps of Engineers campgrounds across this beautiful country and this was by far my least favorite. I thoroughly appreciate that they give 50% off to America the beautiful pass holders because if I had paid full price I wouldn't have been very happy about it at all. I live full time in my class B and rarely pay to camp anywhere so when I do, it's mainly to shower .. and other than Elephant Butte State Park in New Mexico, these were the worst showers yet. Friendly staff was a plus.
Location & Directions for Dam West Campground
801 Lake Road, Carlyle, IL 62231-9703 United States
Elevation: 136 ft
Getting There
From I-70, take State Route 127 south to Carlyle and turn east on William Road. Continue for 1/2-mile and turn north on Lake Road to reach the campground or turn south to reach the day use area.
Highway access
Dam West Campground is accessible via IL-127, which is approximately 5 miles away. Additionally, I-70 can be accessed about 15 miles from the campground.
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check in time
5PM
Check out time
4PM
General
- All campsites are reservable.
- 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 the first night use fee. 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.
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Last updated: October 19, 2026
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Population: 2,980
Elevation: 456 ft
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