Your RV deserves a smarter co-pilot

We had never stayed at Whittington Woods, but several of our camping friends have stayed here over the years while traveling through the area. At a recent RV open house, we talked with the campground (CG) owners and decided to switch our reservation from another private CG to Whittington Woods to check it out. The owners suggested sites 92 or 97, and we were able to reserve back-in site 92 with FHUs for our two-night stay. Site 92 is one of the better sites, with a large yard and good separation from neighboring sites. The CG was easy to find off I-57—follow your GPS or the signs. Check-in was quick, and we were escorted to our site. Unfortunately, one of the CG’s regular guests had set up in our reserved site 92 instead of site 93. After a brief discussion between our owner/escort and the guest, moving him was clearly not going to be a quick process. We were offered a couple of other available sites and decided to take site 93. Site 93 was a significant downgrade, with only a sliver of yard and very little separation from site 94. The sewer and electrical connections are near the center of the gravel pad, while the electrical breaker is on the opposite side of site 94. The water connection is at the very back, requiring more than 30 feet of hose for our rig. The owners were very nice, probably too nice when dealing with their “regulars,” and made the situation more tolerable by giving us a good discount for site 93. We received two bars on both Verizon and T-Mobile. We normally get good performance from our T-Mobile internet with two bars, but download speed was only 41.2 Mbps. The CG Wi-Fi was better at 69.3 Mbps download. There are a lot of mature trees, so satellite/Starlink reception could be iffy depending on the site. The CG is conveniently located near I-57 and right off IL-37, although there was quite a bit of highway noise that was manageable for us. The property provides plenty of room for walking, especially with a dog, and has a decent-sized dog park. There are quite a few full-timers and regulars, with some keeping their sites well maintained and others not so much. We also saw some of the same latitude given to “regulars” when it came to keeping dogs on a leash and picking up after them. They have 5 pull throughs that are mainly used for overnighters that are handy but close together. We understand why several of our friends regularly stay here for a night or two while traveling to and from Florida. Whittington Woods is conveniently located off I-57 and offers FHUs, making the CG a practical overnight stop. Our home base is only about an hour and a half away, however, and we have better options in the area when we need a final stop to flush tanks before heading home.

A nice little park that is reminiscent of the 70s camping experience. Lots of full time residents, but most seemed to be very clean and well maintained. I would have rated them higher if there had been a bathhouse or laundry (maybe there was? We could not locate) Although there is an old swimming lake, it was off limits to even put your feet in. Loads of shade trees and always felt safe. Close to town conveniences. Member of Passport America so quite a good deal.

clean, quiet , small campground. owners were a big help in selecting an RV site. we went with one with some room

Columbus-Belmont State Park is a bit of a drive on country roads, but well worth the effort. We originally reserved site 28, but a large tree and its low-hanging branches presented clearance problems for our 40' fifth wheel. We spoke with the very friendly camp host, who moved us to back-in site 25 with full hookups (50/30/20 AMP). The sites are positioned at 90 degrees to the CG road, but there was enough room to maneuver our big rig into the site with a few adjustments. Our site and several others had some slope and pitch to the pads, so additional leveling blocks may be necessary. The extra effort was well worth the trouble. Water pressure was okay. We had one bar on Verizon and two bars on T-Mobile. The CG did not provide Wi-Fi, but our T-Mobile Home Internet worked exceptionally well, with download speeds of 345 Mbps. There were numerous large, mature trees throughout the CG, so satellite reception, including Starlink, could be challenging depending on the site and whether you can reposition the dish to find a clear view of the sky. We've stayed at hundreds of campgrounds over the years, but until Columbus-Belmont, we'd never used the word "immaculate" to describe one. The CG sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, and our site 25 had a beautiful river view from our toy hauler's deck. The park also has plenty of interesting Civil War history to explore. Barge operations along the river below the CG generated some daytime noise, but nothing we found particularly bothersome. Between the immaculate grounds, beautiful setting, and historical significance, Columbus-Belmont was well worth the drive and a place we'd gladly return to.