We’ve had several great weekends camping at Mississippi Palisades State Park in Savanna, IL and we’ve enjoyed it immensely every time. We explored the area around the park and discovered tons of hidden treasures to explore. In our camping guide and 2023 trip recap, you’ll find our campground review, information about the area, what we thought about the places we visited, and even more things to do in the area!
Mississippi Palisades State Park
Mississippi Palisades lies in the driftless area of Illinois. The driftless area was not reached by glaciers, so unlike the rest of the state, does not have glacial deposits. This makes for a unique part of the state to visit. You can pick up a trail map at the check-in booth to find details on the 7 hiking trails in the North section and 4 in the South, with a total of 11.7 miles of trails. The North section of trails connects to the campground, but you may want to drive to trailheads in the South section. There are 6 different overlooks in the parks to view the Mississippi River. Highlights also include the Twin Sisters and Indian Head rock formations. Climbing is allowed in the park and we saw a group climbing the Twin Sisters while we were there.
Mississippi Palisades State Park Campground
The biggest downside to camping here is that we had very little to no cell service (Verizon) in the campground. There are a few spots near the entrance where we were able to get spotty service, but while walking the main loops we had nothing. The campground is a mix of Class A and Class B sites, and we saw more campers than tents during our time there. Most sites are very spacious, but there are a few places where sites are stacked on top of each other- these would be great if you’re camping with friends, but awkward if you end up sharing space with strangers. There are two dump stations in the campground which makes for short lines when leaving.
Features:
- 241 Class A & B sites
- 110 sites have electric
- 3 shower houses
- Potable water
- 2 dump stations
- 2 youth camping areas
Our Campsite
We stayed in Site 193. It was a roomy site with plenty of space for yard games and a pop-up shelter. The sites were all well-maintained and you could tell that new gravel had been added to the parking strip in the last year or so. Site 193 is a Class A site with 30 amp electric, fire pit, and picnic table. We paid $20 a night for the site, booked through Illinois DNR’s camping website https://camp.exploremoreil.com/.
Things to Do Near Mississippi Palisades State Park
We had a nature-focus this trip and mostly visited other parks and preserves to hike and botanize.
Ayers Sand Prairie
Ayers Sand Prairie is an Illinois Nature Preserve that consists of a dry sand prairie and sand dune. There are no developed trails here, but it is a very interesting ecosystem. We saw a lot of hairy puccoon, clustered poppymallow, butterfly milkweed, and false goldenasters.
Ingersoll Wetlands Learning Center
Ingersoll Wetlands Learning Center is part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. There is a small, but very nice, nature center inside. Outside the building there are walking paths through a sand prairie with a nice variety of plants to observe. Across the road is an outlook for Sloane Marsh, which seems like a great birding spot.
Frank Fritz’s Finds
In downtown Savanna we stopped into Frank Fritz’s Finds -you may know Frank Fritz from American Pickers. There is a small antique shop behind the bar of the restaurant. Items that were actually found by Frank are marked as such on their tags. Things were priced kind of high, but if you’re a fan of the show and in the area anyways it’s worth a visit.
Sabula, IA
Sabula is Iowa’s only island city. It’s accessible off the Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge that connects Illinois and Iowa, right out of downtown Savanna. It’s a very small town, but fun for a quick drive through. We stopped at the end of the island to check out the historic caboose too.
Wapello Land and Water Reserve
Wapello Land and Water Reserve is part of the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation. The site was home to a large village and ceremonial mound between 1050-1350 AD.. Along the trails are informational signs that show where different parts of the village would have been and how they were used. You can tell they are actively maintaining the prairie and doing restoration work throughout the site. Even from the road we were absolutely amazed at how much wild white indigo there was here- neither of us have ever seen such density in one site like this.
Witkowsky State Wildlife Area
A highlight of the trip was Witkowsky State Wildlife Area. This site is a partnership between the Illinois DNR, Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation, and the Friends of Witkowsky. There are over 11 miles of trail. We hiked the Walnut Trail rail from the parking lot on Blackjack Rad to the main attraction- the ruins of the Hanover Earth Station. Round-trip it was about 2.5 miles, including a short detour to an overlook. The Hanover Earth Station was a satellite facility that operated from 1976-1986. At one time it handled almost all long-distance calls in the Midwest. Two of the concrete structures still remain are open for you to explore. There’s not much left, but it’s always fun to do a little (legal) urban exploration.
@roamingnelsons The Hanover Earth Station was one of 7 earth stations that were part of implementing the first commercial use of satellites for long distance calls. It was operational from 1976-1986 and at one time handled all long distance calls in the Midwest. These concrete structures are all the remain of the facility. #urbex #urbanexploring #abandonedplaces ♬ I Think I Like When It Rains – WILLIS
Hanley Savanna
While trying to find the entrance to Hanover Bluffs State Natural Area (where we made a very short stop), we happened across Hanley Savanna, owned by The Prairie Enthusiasts. TPE is a group dedicated to conservation, which owns several sites in the driftless region. Hanley Savanna has a nice lean-to shelter with informational signs and walking trails.
Elizabeth, IL
We visited a couple of things in the nearby town of Elizabeth. First up was Apple River Fort State Historic Site. The fort was a major site in the Black Hawk War in `1832. The fort itself is supposed to be open on weekends, but it was closed the day we went (possibly due to being Juneteenth weekend). Even though we weren’t able to go inside, we were able to walk around the site which was still interesting. We decided to go back to a place we had passed on the way to the fort- Elizabeth’s Grand Antique Company. The store is in an old school and is absolutely massive. We spent quite a while wandering around. There is a wide variety of booths and definitely something for everyone
Even More Places to Visit
- Lost Mound National Wildlife Refuge– We visited Lost Mound on our last trip to Palisades. It is the former Savanna Army Depot, now a wildlife refuge. It is a very cool site to visit, there are still old army buildings as well as natural areas with hiking trails.
- Schurmeier Teaching Forest– This is the only teaching forest in Illinois. You can get a self-guided tree identification book at the kiosk to learn more as you hike.
- Rall Woods State Natural Area
- Carroll County Historical Society– The Carroll County Historical Society manages 6 different historical buildings.
- Point Rock Park, Mt. Carroll– Point Rock Park has hiking, disc golf, access to the Waukarusha River, a book walk, and more. It connects to the historic Oak Hill Cemetery.
- HavenCrest Castle– We definitely plan on visiting HavenCrest on a future trip! The Castle bills itself as “one of the most interesting things to do in Illinois,” but only offers tours limited times during the year.
- Savanna Museum and Culture Center– The Museum has exhibits on the history of the town of Savanna.
Check out a recap of our whole trip in this video!
@roamingnelsons Our camping trip to Mississippi Palisades State Park #travel #adventure #camping ♬ Golden Hour: Piano Version – Andy Morris
