Comlara County Park

Uploaded pictures in a previous post . This is a large County Park. Just off of the highway and easy to find. We stopped here on the way down to Nashville. Just for one night. The weather was beautiful. The park is very clean. The host came by to ask if we needed anything as we checked in after the entrance welcome station had closed. Lots of trails to walk with our dogs and a small boat ramp. The park was nearly empty so it was very peaceful. Stayed May 9, 2018. Electric only

Nice campground with lots of open grassy space. Most sites (all are gravel) are good sized with a picnic table and fire ring/grill but many are very sloped making leveling a challenge. Lots of mature trees, the park was clean, quiet and kept nicely mowed. Water hydrants for filling RV tanks are placed throughout the park, dump station is quite a ways from the camground but is easy in/out. Nice beach, picnic areas & swimming area. We came on a Sunday and weekdays were not busy, lots of open sites. Beautiful sunsets and sunrises over the lake.

The only reason for the 3 instead of a 4 star rating is the condition of the pit toilets and the bathroom/shower house in the campground. All need serious work and cleaning. Some of the worst we've seen, which is a shame because the rest of the park is quite nice.

We spent three days here and overall had a good experience. The sites are rather large so that’s quite nice. There are only electric sites available so unless you dump regularly you may find yourself using the facilities. The showers weren’t actually terrible (prepare yourself for scalding water), but the toilets are rather gross. There are an excessive amount of flies and I actually walked right back out. The bathrooms that are in the shower house itself were okay, but that can be quite a haul unless you’re parked near there.
The other thing that really detracts from this park is the beach price. It’s a nice swimming beach but camp guests are still charged to use it. $5 a day for adults and $2.50 for kids. That seemed excessive to us... I’d expect camp guests to be free, especially when it’s $27 for just an electric hook up.
Overall, we would def camp here again - mainly since it’s nearby for us and the sites are quite large. Some are near the water and seem particularly desirable!

There are several potentially private corners in this HUGE county park, but we feel like we hit the jackpot. We arrived on a Sunday night when there were few campers; we each claimed a corner. Site 55 is obscured from most of the park and is on Jone's Pond. This would be a particularly nice spot if you had a kayak or canoe, but we enjoyed letting the dogs swim and birdwatching. It's also a popular area for fishing from the shore.
The campground roads were nice for a run or short bike ride, but we also ran/biked the farm roads in the area and encountered very few cars. There are tons of trails around the lake.
The park grounds are very nicely maintained. We can't comment on the swim and boating areas as they weren't really open for the season.
Access is easy from I-39 north of Bloomington-Normal. Be aware of their weekend reservation policies though - you can't reserve after Thursday. It's an odd policy and I suspect is due to the crowds they experience during the season. Cell service was great. The park has wifi, but it was not usable in our location.

We spent one night as we were heading north. Spot was level with some shade, fairly room. We could see our neighbors but adequate space between rigs. Campground was quite however it was a Wednesday. I’m sure it’s a busy place on a weekend. No one at the kiosk to check you in. Did not use the showers. Used one of the vault toilets while out walking. It was the cleanest vault toilet I think I’ve ever used! Hook ups included electric. Dump station was towards the back of the park towards the beach. I would stay here again.

We could only stay one night, but would spend several days here. Clean, lots of grass, large sites for family gatherings. Loved our stay.
#30962

The park just happened to be reopening (COVID-19) as I was passing through central Illinois, near the geographic center. The day had a rainy start but cleared up beautifully. Since the park had just opened, the grass was trimmed and in great shape. Lots of people were showing up for the weekend but the majority of sites are nicely spread out, particularly as you go further back in the campground, so you don't feel crowded at all. This park reminds me of my other favorite county park near Cedar Rapids, Squaw Creek.

The pull-through sites are quite long but have a generous upward slope. I had to use several layers of leveling blocks to get close to level. There are water spigots spread around the campground, not enough that everyone can have a connection even with a long hose. But a number of people did connect so I suppose you might need to ask them to let you get water if you had a nearby site. Electrical boxes were in good shape aside from the anticipated wasp nests from the long period of not being used.

The lake is extensive so a lot of boats were out as well as folks fishing from the banks. The trails are also extensive but not well marked, or marked at all for that matter. It took a while for me to find the start of the John English Memorial Trail (go past the turn into the campground, to the next paved drive on the right into the service area - the trail opening is on the left of that drive) but I didn't have a chance to explore much further. There is a trail map available at the office. The other trails are spaced around the far side of the lake, particularly mountain biking, so you might need to drive there to get to the trailheads.

My T-Mobile connection was not great at all though a booster helped. AT&T was hot averaging 36 mbps down and 6 mbps up. I wish I could have explored more since the park and the weather were so nice. Oh, the dump station is way back in the back of the large parking area by the beach and boat launch. There is only one sign (okay 2, but right next to each other) at the exit of the campground saying go right but after that, you've got to figure it out on your own. Easy access right off Interstate 39 as well. This is pretty much a winner.

the first time my wife and i stayed here it October of 19 and we have been back 2 more times during the week and on the weekend all 3 trips the camp ground full with lots of what seam be big groups that get 4 to 6 sites all in next to each other and have loud party... there is water many place and people run 100s of ft of hose to hook up to there camper so others can't uses the water... the campground area is amazing but other campers are just down right rude... its been this way on all 3 trips here... i won't be back bc if this.

Very clean with level parking and very well taken care of grounds. Very crowded May weekend. Lots of families. No booze or marijuana allowed. Our spot was level enough and had an extra long spot to park. Only reason I wouldn't stay here again is because I enjoy camgrounds that leave the nature and foliage untouched. But if you like a more manicured environment this was very nice. Has a place to fetch water and dump your tanks and has clearly marked storm shelters and a swimming beach and canoe/ kayak rentals. The sites are big and very spread out. They could put more here if they really wanted to make bank but I'm grateful the privacy and comfort of the campers is a priority. Dealing with staff and registration was a pretty hands off experience. Probably for covid precautions

The spaces are wide open and well maintained. There are a number of hiking/bike trails and even some MTB trails available. The county highways around the park are well maintained and nice to bike on with very low traffic and nice views of the lake. Lot of nice and new fishing docks in different spots around the lake as well!! The only 2 things I would list is that there is not a lot of full shade spots but there is enough trees where you are not in the sun all day. The showers supposedly have hot water and the sign says let run for 2 minutes for hot water. They are button controls and I pressed the button for 5 mins to get some luke warm water.

Other then that it was an overall good experience.