Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area - Park in Carlyle - 20100 Hazlet Park Rd, USA

Spent 2 nights here with my wife. Cabin 3. They are older cabins but well maintained. Very peaceful and quiet. The store employees were very nice and helpful. Our only 2 issues were : The mattress was very saggy and needed to be replaced. And both entrances to the cabin were covered in bug excrement and mayflies. We had to sweep our way into the cabin. We had a very nice weekend. PS. No wifi in the cabins if that is a deal breaker for you….

A nice, quiet place to relax a little. Our cabin had a decent view of the lake. A nice little burn pit for a small fire. They also had a grill that you could cook on. The kitchen inside is good too. Overall, our family enjoyed our stay. My only gripe, and its not even something we asked about, but others may want to inquire about beforehand is the cabins we were at were not handicap accessible. Not a deal breaker though, and I don't want that to overshadow how nice these cabins were. I would love to take my family back there again someday.

This is a Hidden Gem of a park with campgrounds and cabins as well. Carlyle Lake is pretty big with a number of different access points. This is a great place to escape either for a day trip or an overnight Adventure. Renting sailboats is a breeze and as long as you have passed the Illinois safety course online and can demonstrate competency it is simple.

I was able to see the lake froze over. I watched the birds flying so close to the ice, and no boats in site were amazing. The sounds of nature but was so peaceful. I did some skipping rocks. It makes a nice sound on the frozen lake. Then, on way out, we saw a lot of deer out eating on the edge of the road.

Beautiful park. It is huge with lots of different style sites. We stayed in the Illini section. Great price for camping. Sites are great size. We did electric hookups so we were right on the water. We had a great time and would definitely come back. They have nice showers that are plenty big enough and water is hot. There is a firepit and a picnic table at each site. They even have nice handicap spots as well. You can boat, fish, tube or swim

The fishing was great at Illini pond. The kids caught many bluegills and a few catfish. Use a bobber. It's pretty weedy. The views of the lake were beautiful. However, it's a twenty foot drop to the water at about a 45° slope and no stairs. You must be very careful. The cabins are in desperate need of a good cleaning and proper maintenance. I recommend a good pressure washing to the exterior. The people are very friendly at the camp store which has plenty of supplies. Walmart is a short drive away if the camp store is lacking. There is plenty of wildlife to keep you entertained. Groundhog, chipmunk and squirrels during the day. Raccoons will pay you a visit when the sun goes down. Keep everything indoors that you don't want ransacked, including your charcoal. Also, bring your own grill. The permanent ones here are disgusting and need replaced. At least bring a good, heavy duty brush.

Off season is a great time to enjoy the outdoors. Probably only ten campsites being used then by others. Saw over 30 deer while out walking in park.

Great experience for camping, hiking or just spending the day by Carlyle Lake. They are adding more public restrooms and other ammenities to the Park.