Great spot! Nice campsites - large level pads, mix of open and shaded sites. Bathrooms/showers are excellent. Great park for kayaking, hiking, etc. There's a write-up and pics in the photo section. Here's a few shots of our campsite.
-
⚠️ Possible issue on January 1
The current SSL certificate expires on January 1, 2026. It should auto-renew automatically.
If the site shows as “Not Secure” after that day, you can temporarily bypass the warning by searching Google for:
“how to ignore expired certificate Safari or your browser.”
For more information and detailed browser-specific workarounds, click here . This thread will be kept updated.
Kickapoo State Recreation Area
- Thread starter Ken & Peggy
- Start date
My husband and I are interested in doing some camping and fishing in April here. We want to rent a canoe from the place there. Any suggestions as to which sites are better suited for our 560? Also is there any electric hookup? All suggestions from those who have been here would be appreciated.
Gina
Gina
I think you'd enjoy your time there. You have a couple paddling options - either the lakes or the Vermilion River. There are plenty of decent sites with electric, but I couldn't tell you a particular site. You shouldn't have a problem finding a good one.
Have a great time if you go!
Have a great time if you go!
Thanks Ken
We are excited about trying to fish on the vermillion and in a canoe for the first time. Got our camper 2 weeks ago but it has been too cold to go anywhere yet. Also I got quite sick once we returned home. Glad I got my flu shot, doc said it would have been even worse if I hadn't. I have been looking at some of the Illinois and Indiana information on the forum and planning some close to home trips for now. Thanks for posting all your pictures and comments.
Gina
We are excited about trying to fish on the vermillion and in a canoe for the first time. Got our camper 2 weeks ago but it has been too cold to go anywhere yet. Also I got quite sick once we returned home. Glad I got my flu shot, doc said it would have been even worse if I hadn't. I have been looking at some of the Illinois and Indiana information on the forum and planning some close to home trips for now. Thanks for posting all your pictures and comments.
Gina
You're welcome Gina. Glad to hear you're doing better. There sure was some tough stuff floating around this winter. Have you guys camped Brown County SP in Indiana before? A great spot, and close to home.
We have also thought about Brown county. Just returned from the boat and camping show in Indy. Spoke with hobie cat dealer and Jackson kayak dealer. Now just trying to decide which one. Trouble is that we will need two and my be a problem lifting on top of the grand Cherokee. Leaning toward the Jackson kayak. Bob got to try it in a pond they setup next to their display. We are avid fisher persons and are looking forward to some river fishing when camping with our new trailer.
Wish Illinois had a program like the Indiana DNR. You can buy a pass for $99 and it gets you in all their parks, campgrounds, and a boat sticker. Sigh. Not available for nonresidents.
Did meet very nice gentleman from americancanoe.org. Seems like a nice organization that has many benefits.
What was the name of the campground you stayed in when you visited Shipshiwanna? We have relatives in Middlebury and if we can't stay on their property, would like to know alternates. Seemed like a nice place when you posted some pictures.
Gina
Wish Illinois had a program like the Indiana DNR. You can buy a pass for $99 and it gets you in all their parks, campgrounds, and a boat sticker. Sigh. Not available for nonresidents.
Did meet very nice gentleman from americancanoe.org. Seems like a nice organization that has many benefits.
What was the name of the campground you stayed in when you visited Shipshiwanna? We have relatives in Middlebury and if we can't stay on their property, would like to know alternates. Seemed like a nice place when you posted some pictures.
Gina
We stayed at Shipshewana Campground - South Park on one of their tent sites (I think it would have been #19, 20, or 21). It was perfect for a teardrop, and had electric. The rest of the park had huge motorhomes, but we looked over an endless meadow 
Very clean facilities and a friendly staff.
Good luck with your boat search. We bought ours used from a dealer in Chicago who had used them for a summer as rentals on Lake Michigan. At that time nobody was too interested in renting kayaks, so they sold them to us very cheap, and they were in like-new condition. Have you considered used boats?
Very clean facilities and a friendly staff.Good luck with your boat search. We bought ours used from a dealer in Chicago who had used them for a summer as rentals on Lake Michigan. At that time nobody was too interested in renting kayaks, so they sold them to us very cheap, and they were in like-new condition. Have you considered used boats?