Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area

Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area

It seems appropriate for one of the largest campground in the Illinois state park system to be located on the largest manmade lake in Illinois. Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area is a 3,000-acre site on the west shore of Carlyle Lake, a Kaskaskia River impoundment. The site is located 3 miles north of Carlyle and 2 miles east of Illinois Route 127 in Clinton County. The site is leased by the Department of Natural Resources from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which built the 26,000-acre lake. It is named for a Carlyle attorney who organized the Kaskaskia Valley Association. Eldon Hazlet was the first president of the organization, which promoted construction of two of Illinois’ three largest reservoir/recreational complexes - Carlyle Lake and Lake Shelbyville - plus other improvements on the Kaskaskia River. Annually, more than 800,000 visitors come to the park to camp, boat, fish, hunt, picnic, bird watch and to hike over 9 miles of trails in the park, or attend the sailboat regattas held almost every summer weekend. Whatever type of recreation you choose, it’s probably offered at Carlyle Lake.