Eldon Hazlet State Park

It seems appropriate for one of the largest campgrounds 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. Carlyle attorney Eldon Hazlet was the first president of the Kaskaskia Valley Association, which organized and 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 visit Eldon Hazlet to camp, boat, fish, hunt, picnic, bird watch and to hike more than 9 miles of trails. Also popular are the sailboat regattas, held almost every summer weekend. Whatever type of recreation you choose, it’s probably offered at Carlyle Lake. Wildlife abounds at Eldon Hazlet, in part due to the natural resource management program implemented at the park. Various types of warmseason grasses and legumes are planted to provide supplemental cover and food for wildlife. Brush piles and nest structures, such as bluebird boxes, have been placed throughout the park. The restoration of natural habitats, such as prairie and wetlands, also has benefited local wildlife populations.  Across from the site office, is a 3-acre tallgrass prairie with more than 50 species of native plants. Numerous species of wildflowers bloom in the summer, including compass plant, blazing star, purple coneflowers, rattlesnake master, American feverfew and stiff tickseed.Deer, red foxes, raccoons, squirrels, woodchucks, quail, doves and songbirds, including bluebirds, are among the wildlife species to be seen. More than 200,000 waterfowl stop at the lake on their migratory travels north and south each year. Along with waterfowl, other types of birds commonly seen at the park include wading birds, such as herons and egrets, as well as shorebirds, songbirds and raptors.