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Located 8 miles East of McLeansboro on Route 14.
We love camping at Dolen lake! The only thing is that everyone had dogs and some campers left and didn't pick up their dog💩 and also let their dogs💩 at other campsites that weren't occupied. How sad. Btw i picked up ours. We will definitely be back!!
One of the cleanest campgrounds I've camped at. The hosts make you feel welcome and the staff say busy upkeeping the grounds. It's quiet,relaxing, and scenic. The trails are very nicely kept. Highly recommend this campground!
We stayed here in a cabin overnight while traveling south and back again to visit my parents. The cabin that we stayed in was completely perfect for our needs. Complete with a fridge and an air conditioner, the accommodations we great for our 90+ degree weather. The views were great and bathrooms were clean. We agree that we would definitely stay here again. For you horticulturists, it was the trees knees!
Sidenote, there are no mattresses or bedding in the cabins. Remember to bring your own! As regular tent campers, we were prepared.
Lake is for fishing/boating only with swimming not permitted. Our impression was that mostly locals frequent this campground. The sites are close together, though about 25% were out-of-service due to electrical issues, which gave us a buffer on one side. No water at any campsites and a single dump station. There is a nice 3.25 mile trail around the lake though it is poorly marked and easy to lose. The camp hostess was perhaps vacationing, as we never saw her, though a camp employee told us that the "Campground" Wi-Fi was for her use only, so no passwords were given out. Even with a cell booster, I could get only 1 bar on Verizon and 2 bars on ATT, with frequent drops and with no spot to get a clear view of the skies for Starlink, this isn't digital nomad friendly. They are looking for someone to manage the lake concession, so until that is resolved the nearest food or gas is McLeansboro about 9 miles to the west.
