Campgrounds and RV parks near Hurst, IL

Water recreation drives most trips in this area. Crab Orchard Lake supports boating, fishing, and swimming, and the refuge lakes have historically offered marina services with boat slips and rentals. Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and crappie in the local lakes. On land, the refuge protects about 44,000 acres of oak hickory upland forest, bottomland hardwood forest, cropland, brushland, prairie, wetlands and lakes, and it sits in the middle of the Mississippi Flyway and provides a winter feeding and resting area for an average of 40,000 Canada geese each year. Giant City State Park and the Panther Den Wilderness Area within the Shawnee National Forest add longer trail options within roughly a half-hour drive. Guests staying at Four Seasons Campground can also walk to Herrin City Park for a pool, tennis courts, and a lighted path.

The main camping season at Crab Orchard Lake Campground opens April 1 and runs through October 31, with camping limited to 14 consecutive days, and the maximum camping period is 14 days within a 16-day window, after which all camping units and personal property must be removed for 48 hours. Private parks such as Marion Campground and RV Park and Four Seasons Campground operate year-round, so shoulder-season and winter travel is possible even when refuge sites are closed. Spring is the wettest stretch, with thunderstorms common through April and May. Summers are hot and muggy, with July and August highs regularly in the mid-80s Fahrenheit. Fall brings cooler nights and hardwood color through the Shawnee Hills, and is often the most comfortable window for RV travel. One important planning note: a dewatering process at Little Grassy Lake began on December 12, 2024, and the lake continues to drain as the refuge, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, works through a Dam Safety Modification Study of the Little Grassy Lake Dam and Spillway. Confirm current status before booking a site tied to that lake.

Sites in this area range from paved big-rig pull-throughs to shaded gravel pads and tent-only spots. Four Seasons Campground has 38 total sites with full hookups, 19 of them pull-throughs that can handle any size RV, 7 cabins, and 20, 30, and 50-amp service, with an LP gas fill, dump station, and storm shelter on premises. Marion Campground and RV Park offers full-service sites with 30 and 50-amp service, showers, laundry, and Wi-Fi. Refuge-adjacent campgrounds are more rustic. Expect mixed hookup levels, gravel roads, and tree cover. Cell coverage is generally adequate but can be spotty inside the refuge. Summer humidity and mosquitoes are real factors near the water, so bring bug repellent and confirm dump-station access if staying at a non-hookup site.