Shagbark Group Area

Shagbark Group Camp, 8420 Loon Lane
Sesser, IL 62884

Overview

Shagbark Group Camp is located on the western shore of Rend Lake near the Sandusky cove— the perfect place to enjoy a wide variety of activities, events, and nature at its best. Rend Lake is made up of 20,633 acres of water and 19,523 acres of land. Whether you're looking for high adventure, a peaceful retreat, or something in between, you'll find it here in the heart of Southern Illinois.

Recreation

Within the area, visitors can access the Rend Lake Bike Trail—over 20 miles of paved pathways that guide riders through scenic woodlands and across views of Rend Lake and the Big Muddy River. The area offers abundant opportunities for boating, hiking, fishing, hunting, swimming, and general outdoor exploration. Additional recreation features around Rend Lake include an archery complex with a 3D trail and elevated shooting platform, a dog park with a swimming feature, and two public swimming beaches (including the pet-friendly North Marcum Beach).

Facilities

Shagbark Group Area Campground can accommodate up to 200 campers. The campground consists of electric hookups, flush toilets, and drinking water, in order to create a comfortable camping experience. A dump station and shower house are conveniently located nearby at the North Sandusky Campground entrance and the North Sandusky Maple loop.

Natural Features

The fields, forests, and waters of Rend Lake provide a natural haven for wildlife and an outdoor wonderland for you. Woodland areas are made up of hickory, oak, and beautiful maples providing habitat to white-tail deer, turkeys, racoons, and many more native species. The shorelines are an excellent viewing area for waterfowl, shorebirds, and bank fishing the known crappie population.

Nearby Attractions

North Sandusky Day Use Area

North Sandusky Disc Golf

Rend Lake Bike Trail

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Electric hookups: all 1 sites
Fire pit: all 1 sites
Picnic table: all 1 sites
Pets allowed: all 1 sites
Group sites: all 1 sites
Largest party: 200 people
Power up to 30 amps
Equipment: RV, Tent, Trailer

Directions

From I-57 take exit 77 and turn west onto Route 154. Turn south onto Rend City Road and continue straight into North Sandusky Campground. Shagbark Group Area is located in the back portion of the campground.

Stay Limit

Check in from 4 PM, check out by 2 PM.

Reviews

4 reviews

4 stars

3 stars

tammy s

Loop:Shagbark Group Area

Site:

Reviewed 5 months ago

We have used Shagbark approximately 14 years, we enjoy the privacy and safety it provides for our kids to play.

Rex S

Loop:Shagbark Group Area

Site:

Reviewed 2 years ago

We enjoyed our experience camping. We played volleyball and horseshoes, rode bikes, sat by the community fire pit, and walked. Our only negative experiences were the strong bad smell (dead animal?) and the people on e-bikes and vehicles “gawking”. We did speak with the camp hosts and a park ranger about the latter issue. They were very concerned and allowed us to close the gate. We did have less gawkers after that except for 2 e-bikes that opened the gate and rode in, then left the gate open? Overall a positive experience. Thanks!

Jami r

Loop:Shagbark Group Area

Site:

Reviewed 3 years ago

Loved having the loop for our group. Too much thru traffic that wasn’t in our group. Camp grounds needs fixing up. Disappointed with conditions.

Christina G

Loop:Shagbark Group Area

Site:

Reviewed 4 years ago

I would like to start with the POSITIVE. The Group site was AWESOME! Well laid out and we had a great time. What I didn't appreciate was the staff drawing a HARD LINE about not letting us in early...claiming the "cleaning crew" needed time to finish and they had had issues in the past with letting people in early. There was NO ONE cleaning anytime even NEAR to the check-in time at 4pm. We were made to wait in a line with our RVs in 90 degree weather for 1-2 hours...until AFTER 4pm...we had to CALL to see where the ranger was to let us in...and, I believe due to our phone call, he arrived at 4:05pm. THEN, the very next morning we were awoken at 630am by a staff member WEED WACKING in the Group site. This is unacceptable. In my opinion, even HOTELS will let you check in early if the cleaning crew confirms they are done. And, they certainly don't start vacuuming IN or NEAR your ROOM at 630am! Again, lovely park. lovely Group site, and we had a great time, but...these were definitely annoyances.

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve