Fort Massac State Park Campground Guide & Review

Thinking about camping at Fort Massac State Park? We had a two-week stay, and we’ve got plenty to share. Nestled along the Ohio River in Illinois, this park offers a unique blend of natural beauty and rich history. In this post, we’ll dive into our experiences, provide an honest review, and offer a handy guide for future campers. Whether you’re looking for tips on the best spots to pitch your tent or insights into the park’s historical sites, we’ve got you covered.

When we first got to Fort Massac, there was an LTV RV club there for a rally- it was so weird seeing the same van over and over! Once they left, it was a lot emptier in the campground.

All About Fort Massac State Park Campground

Fort Massac State Park Basics

• Address: 1308 E. 5th Street, Metropolis, IL 62960
• Website: https://dnr.illinois.gov/parks/park.fortmassac.html
• Map: https://dnr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnr/parks/documents/fortmassacsitemap.pdf

Campsites

Fort Massac has 50 Class A sites with electric hook-ups and a walk-in only tent area. All the sites were pretty roomy and the parking pads are relatively level. We stayed in Site 47, along the back of Loop 2 and it was very shaded. There are trees throughout the campground, but some of the sites on the inner loop aren’t as shaded. We also were close to a water spigot across the road, so were able to refill water without moving.

Like all Illinois state parks, camping reservations can be made online at camp.exploremoril. Class A campsites are $20/night. You’re limited to 14 days at a single park within a 30 day period. You can cancel up to 3 days before your reservation for a refund of camping fees (but not the $5 reservation fee).

Campground Amenities

Fort Massac has a shower house, dump station, water spigots throughout camp, a playground, and firewood for sale at the host’s site. The shower house was especially great here! The camp host told us it’s only a couple years old. Not only were the showers themselves good pressure & temperature, but each stall has its own locking outside door. The dump station is basic, but easy to access.

Our Fort Massac Campground Review

We liked our campsite at Fort Massac, and the campground itself was very nice. Our biggest complaint is that even though it’s right outside a city, we had terrible internet speeds on both our Verizon and T-Mobile. The other downside to Fort Massac is that it’s right outside Metropolis and across the street from businesses, so it’s not the secluded nature feel we usually like. It also meant there was a lot of non-campground traffic coming and going through the park. We were there while northern lights were visible in Illinois, so we drove over to a parking lot in the park to get a better view. It was 9:30 at night and there was constant traffic coming and going from the park still. 

Fort Massac State Park Activities

Trails at Fort Massac

There are three trail options at Fort Massac:

• Tree Identification Trail: 1 mile loop near the fort
• Hickory Nut Ridge Trail: 2.5 mile that goes through nature preserve
• George Rogers Clark Discovery Trail: 8.7 mile bike/walking trail that connects Metropolis and Brookport, about 4 miles of the trail goes through Fort Massac

We hiked part of the Hickory Nut Trail to find an old cemetery along the trail. That part of the trail is clearly not used much and was not well maintained, so we advise caution. We only did probably half a mile total and Josh picked numerous ticks off his legs.

Fort Massac Disc Golf Course

Fort Massac has an 18-hole disc golf course that winds its way through the park. It looked like a pretty nice course, with a variety of holes taking advantage of the terrain and hazards in the park. We never got around to playing it, though, in part because areas were in long grass and Josh had already gotten a lot of ticks while hiking here.

Fishing

There are two options for fishing at Fort Massac. You can fish the Ohio River and there is also a small stocked trout pond within the park.

Hunting

Fort Massac allows hunting for squirrel, woodcock, dove, deer (archery only) and rabbit. Check out the IDNR’s hunting site for more information.

Fort Massac Boat Launch

Fort Massac has a free boat launch onto the Ohio River.

All About Fort Massac

The focal point of Fort Massac State Park is the titular Fort Massc. Today there is a replica of the 1802 fort, but the site has actually been home to numerous forts throughout the years. The first fort, Fort De L’Ascension was built by the French in 1757 during the French and Indian War. The French rebuilt the fort in 1769 and renamed it Massiac in honor of a French official. Then after the war, they abandoned the fort and it was burned to the ground by a band of Chickasaw. In 1794, George Washington ordered the fort to be rebuilt. This iteration lasted around 20 years until it was hit with an earthquake. But don’t worry, it was rebuilt again, this time for using during the War of 1812. But then history repeated itself again and the fort was abandoned after the war. The site was used in the Civil War for training, and then abandoned once again.

Finally in 1903, the Daughters of the American Revolution helped the state of Illinois purchase 24 acres of the site. In 1908 it was officially dedicated as the first Illinois state park! In the ‘70s the state built a replica of the 1794 fort. But like its ancestors, this was taken down in 2002 when the state replaced it was a replica of the 1802 fort. Today you’ll see the replica of the 1802 fort and the archeological outline of the 1757 French fort. 

Fort Massac Visitor Center

Beside the fort, there is a Visitor Center with exhibits about the history of the site and the fort. It took us a few tries to actually be able to visit the Visitor Center- the hours on the IDNR website are definitely not accurate. But, we did finally make it in and the exhibits were very interesting.

Reenactments at Fort Massac

Fort Massac is home to several popular 18th century reenactments. Their annual rendezvous is one of the most popular in the area. While we were visiting there was a smaller reenactment event going on that we were able to visit.

Things to Do Near Fort Massac State Park

Fort Massac is located right outside downtown Metropolis, which is the official home of Superman. We shared all about our visit to Superman sites here: Meeting the Man of Steel in Metropolis, Illinois

Shopping- We did a couple grocery runs at Big John in Metropolis, which is right next to Fort Massac. We also did a trip to Paducah, Kentucky for errands. Downtown Paducah is full of interesting small shops, but they also have a section of town that has every chain store and restaurant you can think of.