Eldon Hazlet State Park
Taking her favorite stick for a walk down the Cherokee Trail. Photo by Jordan Goebig.
About two - three hours south of Central Illinois and just an hour east of St. Louis, Eldon Hazlet State Park is marked as a recreation area, and it certainly lives up to it. The expansive campgrounds, and rentable cottages sit along Carlyle Lake, and the park highlights the abundance of fishing, boating, swimming, hunting, archery, and hiking opportunities available to visitors.
The Trails
.25 - 9 miles of trails
Eldon Hazlet offers seven different trails to hikers - the longest is just three miles, the shortest is .25 miles. Several of the trails do connect with one another, for a more extensive hike, but download or grab a map to plan it out (you can download one below but they had some printed out maps on site). We parked near the archery range, and we were able to access the Cherokee, Kaskaskian, Pawnee, and Eagle trails from that location.
The only trail near camping is the Illini Trail, which is a 1.5 mile accessible, paved trail. It was a lovely place to walk before dinner…and to bring a picnic breakfast over to. It loops around a small pond.
The park does have about three miles of accessible trails, though not all in the same location so you will have to drive around.
The woods are lovely and very Illinois-esque with several “polite” hills, a bit of prairie, and a few views of Carlyle Lake. They are all well-marked, and it’s very hard to get lost.
Things We Love
So much wildlife! Maybe it was the time of year (early spring), but we had more wildlife sightings here than we’ve ever encountered - we saw over 30 deer, an eagle fishing on the lake, herons, falcons, hawks, a beaver, and raccoons…and could not possibly count the number of birds flitting around and singing in the forest.
We snagged an excellent primitive tent campsite right on the edge of Carlyle Lake. It’s windy but provides a breathtaking morning view (and that sunrise…). These walk-in sites are the furthest from the parking, but also the most private.
Even though the campground was packed (a few hundred people), we hit the trails early and had them mostly to ourselves. As we were leaving around 11 a.m. on a Saturday, they were starting to get a bit busier.
Things to Know
We did not encounter many bugs, because we’re just coming off of the frost, but I can imagine between the lake and forest over-growth…and amount of ferns starting to pop up…mosquitos love ferns!… that you are going to want to pack on the insect repellant once it’s officially Spring/Summer.
The campground and recreational uses are popular in peak, summer season. We camped the first weekend of April (with overnight lows in the 30s), and the campgrounds were packed. They have over 300 drive-in campsites - fairly close together - with an additional 30 primitive camp tent sites. These tent sites are pretty close together and share vault toilets with the RV campers.
There is a full camp store and a pool at the campgrounds. Additionally, there is access to water and vault toilets at or near many of the hiking locations. If you forget to pack in, going to the campgrounds will definitely get you water during the appropriate season…I would imagine they shut off the water access during colder weather months.
If you are looking to get away from humans, this is not your spot. But, if you are looking for a new place to visit, or something that’s really kid-friendly, this is a great park. Swimming, outdoor activities, short, accessible trails…all perfect for families.
They have extensive closures from Fall - Winter due to hunting, so please check their website and social media before planning a visit during hunting seasons.
Download a trail map here.