Sites & Rates
Average nightly rates109 total sites
RV Sites
109 sites
About Dam West Campground
Number of accommodations: 109
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
RV Utilities and Hookups
- Dump station on site
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
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Rates, Sites & Availability
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Site Details
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109 Sites Available
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Reviews (751)
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
Thomas L
VerifiedSeptember 30, 2022 • Stayed at: 023, Loop: DAM WEST
The restrooms and showers are always very clean ! The campground host are very friendly and very helpful !!!
Vicki C
VerifiedSeptember 30, 2022 • Stayed at: 005, Loop: DAM WEST
Make reservations before coming. If you are doing a “walkup”, you need to consider arriving very early.
Neal T
VerifiedSeptember 29, 2022 • Stayed at: 056, Loop: DAM WEST
Beautiful peaceful campground with beaches, view of marina & lake
William K
VerifiedSeptember 26, 2022 • Stayed at: 025, Loop: DAM WEST
Campground, restrooms, and showers always clean. Internet reception is extremely poor. I would pay extra each night for good service. Not sure why it's offered as it's nearly unusable.
Adam P
VerifiedSeptember 25, 2022 • Stayed at: 025, Loop: DAM WEST
Very clean facilities
Mary A
VerifiedSeptember 22, 2022 • Stayed at: 020, Loop: DAM WEST
One of the reasons we go to dam west is the cleaning lady, not the view, not the crabby old couple at the gate, yes, the gal who cleans the showers and bathrooms does a great job.
Daniel S
VerifiedSeptember 21, 2022 • Stayed at: 025, Loop: DAM WEST
Like most Corps campgrounds, Dam West is RV (trailer and motorhome) oriented. I travel by motorcycle and pitch a tent, so I have different needs. Electric hookups, for instance, are not a big deal (I have a phone charger on the bike). A level, grassy site on which to pitch my tent is the most important thing, followed by hot showers, clean restrooms, quiet, nearby sources of provisions, and (in the best of all possible worlds) a sky free of light pollution. With that in mind…
I’ve camped twice at Dam West. First time I chose a space down toward the lake, with what I thought was a lake view. Not really, and finding a level spot to pitch my tent was a challenge. The unpaved parts of the site were also pretty sloping. Second time I took what was available: a site on the inside of the big loop. This had a gravel trailer pad, an electric box, but also backed up against a big, mowed, level, grass field. I pitched my tent just past the end of the trailer pad, and it was wonderful. The picnic table was a long way away, but that was OK. I slept like a baby.
Sanitary facilities are yet another of the Corps’ experiments: the building has seven unisex rooms containing toilet, sink and shower. Could get congested, though it has not on any of my (weekday) visits. Showers were hot and flow good. Like all government facilities, this is a BYO-TP operation, the paper in the rest rooms is so thin you can read through it (I have proven this).
There is a restaurant in the Dam West complex. I didn’t dine there, but instead purchased “cuisine de can” from a C-store out at the stoplight by the main highway. There is also a McD’s there.
Quiet hours were quiet, as the guy who washed his pickup truck a couple sites down had finished drying it with his leaf blower.
Sky was… typical Corps campground, too many lights.
Overall, it’s a nice place to get a good night’s sleep when traveling and tenting. Especially if you have the Senior Pass and it’s only ten bucks.
Gary K
VerifiedSeptember 19, 2022 • Stayed at: 015, Loop: DAM WEST
Excellent facilities, clean rest rooms.
james b
VerifiedSeptember 19, 2022 • Stayed at: 066, Loop: DAM WEST
We love that we are able to get a first come available site. Your park is convenient to shopping and restaurants. The sites are spacious and well kept, you are lucky you can get a lakeside site. We are originally from the area, but now reside in fla. your park makes it easy to visit with friends and family. Through the years we have made many friends in your parks
Martie R
VerifiedSeptember 18, 2022 • Stayed at: 038, Loop: DAM WEST
The campground was amazing and the bathrooms/showers were so very clean and neat!!
Location Dam West Campground
Address:
801 Lake Road
Carlyle, IL, 62231-9703
United States
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.
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.
Elevation: 136 feet
2.1 mi drive to downtown Carlyle (about 6 min)
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: September 5, 2026