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Carlyle Lake - COE/Boulder Rec Area

Carlyle Lake COE Boulder Recreation Area is a recreational area located in Carlyle, Illinois. It is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is part of the Carlyle Lake Project. The area offers a variety of outdoor activities, including camping, fishing, boating, swimming, hiking, and picnicking. The lake is stocked with a variety of fish, including largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, and catfish. There are also several boat ramps and marinas located around the lake. The area also features a variety of wildlife, including deer, turkey, and waterfowl. The area is open year-round and offers a variety of amenities, including restrooms, showers, and picnic shelters.

Amenities

- Recreational Facilities

• Lake
• Swimming
• Fishing
• Ramp
• Boat Marina
• Body Of Water (Carlyle Lake)
• Playground
• Kayaking/Canoeing

- Policies

• Pets Welcome
• Day Max Stay (14)
• Tent Camping Allowed

- Other Amenities & Services

• Restroom and Showers
• Laundry

- Recreation Nearby (within 10 miles)

• Hiking
• Mountain Biking
• Road Biking Trails

- Facility

• Type (Public Corps)
• Partial Handicap Access

- On-Site Rentals

• 

- Sites

• Spaces Available (83)
• Paved Sites (83)
• Max Length (40)
• 30 Amp
• 50 Amp
• Full Hookups (8)
• Water (75)
• Electric (75)
• Max Amps (50)
• Back-ins (20 x 40)
• Fire Rings

User Reviews

B

May 04, 2025

Site 32. Nice and wide and level. Paved with electric only. Nice campground overall. Easy to find and navigate through.

Dennis Bierman

April 28, 2025

A great campground, a nice variety of campsites. We stayed at site 35, a lakeside site with a great view of the lake. One item to consider is the wind. Many sites will have periods of strong wind, but the views of sunset cannot be beat. You will have great access for fishing, launching boats, or use of the sailboat marina. The staff were very friendly as well. We will be back.

Don Hall

October 21, 2024

Great place to launch a boat and fish. Beautiful campgrounds and perfect place for a sunset.

Thomas Larry

August 24, 2024

Very nice campground. Sites are all paved with most having a great view of the lake. Shower house was very clean.

James Blinder

June 20, 2024

Had a great time here! Good campground near the water with plenty of sites. Cheap full hookup sites, bathrooms available throughout the campground, showers and clothes washing area. The boat ramp is located near campground entrance. Sites are well maintained with fire rings and picnic tables. For the most part all of them have good distance from eachother. No beaches here, the shore is very rocky but you can still swim. If you camp on the bay area you can swim across the channel to the Sand beaches. The water is deep on the shore of the campground and it gets very shallow less than half way across. The lake side campsites have great views of the lake, so book these early to get a good spot. Bugs are pretty crazy here so make sure to bring bug spray and a bug repellant candle. I had a great time campping here and would highly recommend!!

Cheryl Haines

September 26, 2021

Always a great stay! Shower house/bathrooms always super clean amd stocked. Camp hosts are nice folks! Campsites are alwyas in great shape!

Lisa C

August 07, 2021

Really enjoyed this campground. It's well kept and quite peaceful. No swim beach so choose one of the other campgrounds nearby if you want to get in the water. Only complaint is that they don't have trail maps at the campground and you have to drive to location on the other side of the lake to get them.

Gino Darrough

July 24, 2021

A COE campground that rates above the rest. From clean camp sites and bathrooms to the scenery and Campground Hosts, Boulder is a safe and family friendly place to retreat and relax. The Campground is nicely positioned on a Inlet skirting Carlyle Lake with Marina access, fish cleaning stations and plenty of parking for tow vehicles and trailers just right outside the campground but still within walking distance from your campsite. The majority of sites are shaded with water views and have only electrical hook-up for both 30 and 50 amp service. Although there is a handfull of Full Hook-up sites, there is plenty of water points to fill tanks prior to setting up your campsite. If you chose to conserve your water for a long weekend, the shower houses and restroom points are cleaned twice daily and always stocked. As for availability, be sure to check the Army Corp of Engineers website because this campground has both Reservable and First Come First Serve sites.

Patriciann Donohue

June 13, 2021

Loved it!!! Unfortunately it was only 3 days . The Host was awesome her n her husband were very helpful. I will return n I hope the same hosts are there. The view was better than I could ask for. Sites were clean. The bathrooms/showers each n every time I used them. Always very very clean n they smelled great.

Howard Yates

May 06, 2021

Nice place but the water was way down

Map for Carlyle Lake - COE/Boulder Rec Area

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