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7 acres
3 units
3 Motorhome/tent
Activities
Fishing
Hiking
Natural features
River, stream, or creek
Available pitches
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Location
Hamilton, Illinois, United StatesTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking
Hosted by Johnny V.Joined in March 2021
98%
27 Ratings · 24 reviews
Tally T.recommends
September 26, 2022
Railroad creek camp ground
Geode Fest 2022
Had an amazing weekend at geode fest and Johnny's campsite was the perfect place to unwind after a long day of digging! Convenient location, beautiful camp sites right on the creek, ultra clean port-a-potty,
and super friendly host! Thanks so much Johnny, we'll definitely be back!
Tom W.recommends
September 26, 2022
Railroad creek camp ground
A Hidden Gem!!
We were there for the Keokuck
Geode Fest, and couldn’t have been happier with the site! Three primitive campsites, with a shallow steam running through them, with tons of trees surrounding the small campground. You would never guess that you were in the middle of town! There is a railroad across the river, which was no problem because it only ran once in four days that we were there!
Quiet camping, with tons of geodes, a rock hunters delight!! We are making plans to return for next year!
Thanks Johnny!
Tom Winters
Emily A.recommends
September 15, 2022
Railroad creek camp ground
Johnny is a very accommodating host for his lovely secluded camping area. The sites are perfect for camping with children or adults like us, who really enjoyed exploring the stream and digging for geodes there (look out for snakes!). At the mining site, to mine geodes yourself, bring a pick axe and some gloves though there are plenty of geodes to choose from in the piles at the base of the hill. There are train tracks on the opposite side of the stream from the campsites, and a train very occasionally comes through. Also, a roadway is nearby so you can hear cars frequently, but the train and the cars do not detract from the natural beauty and sense of seclusion. The sites are conveniently located right in the middle of town, too, though you wouldn’t know it from the location itself. I highly recommend Johnny‘s campsites and would go here again.
Demetra B.recommends
July 17, 2022
Railroad creek camp ground
Great family experience
It was a great spot with lots of options. Quiet, secluded, and access to the river and places to find geodes. We enjoyed our experience and would definitely recommend this spot
Brenda B.recommends
June 20, 2022
Railroad creek camp ground
We had a relaxing two night stay. Such a beautiful spot, right in the water! Lots of crickets chirping and fireflies flashing with perfect weather for fun in the sun and water. Found lots of guides too! We will definitely return! Thank you for sharing this amazing place!
Hannah A.recommends
June 7, 2022
Railroad creek camp ground
loved our experience at this primitive site. had fun exploring the creek and hunting for geodes when not enjoying our campsite.
Ashley O.recommends
May 29, 2022
Railroad creek camp ground
Railroad creekside camp
We tent camped at the railroad creek campsite on a road trip. We needed a place to rest for the night before another full day of driving and this camp site suited our needs. The geode component looked really fun if we had more time! While the campsite is mostly secluded, there is a neighborhood at the top of the hill behind the campsite and we could hear barking dogs and planes flying overhead.
Lorraine N.recommends
April 26, 2022
Railroad creek camp ground
Great camping location right next to the river. We hunted for geodes and enjoyed a nice campfire. Very quiet area. Could be cleaned up a little with junk throw about on the cliff side.
Kristen T.recommends
March 22, 2022
Railroad creek camp ground
Easy fun camping with animals!
What a gorgeous campsite! We stayed at site #3 which had a picnic table, as well as a 3-tier wood structure at the back of the site. This was super helpful and used it as multipurpose surface during our stay. Lined up our geode treasures, then we ended up packing up the tent a night early and staying in the car to avoid a mud and rain-filled pack-out (we’ve been rained on our last two trips and were kinda over it this time around). So we stacked our more waterproof stuff on the tiers & tarped it overnight to free up space on van floor for sleeping.
The creek was a joy to listen to—a beautiful white noise that helped clear the mind. The train tracks are directly on the other side of the creek, and having lived in a train town in the past it was a peaceful and welcome addition. It only passed us twice during our 3-day stay. There are houses at the top of the ridge line, but we forgot they were there and they don’t have a good vantage point for the site, even with the still bare trees.
The fact that it’s a geode destination and that at least 1300 people flock to this neck of the woods each year is a bonus! We weren’t there for that, but they do extra in preparation for this event in order to give everyone a readily accessible geode hunting experience.
As it says, no running water (the creek is swimmable but do not drink it unless you have a proper filter or plan on boiling it!). If you want an amazing experience with a good host, this is the place. You won’t regret it
Neva G.recommends
March 18, 2022
Railroad creek camp ground
5 stars
We enjoyed the beautiful campsite and the sounds of nature many birds along with babbling creek. Johnny and the geodes where an extra bonus..
Molly R.recommends
October 15, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
We really loved staying here! It was a beautiful property, quiet, and private. The perfect stop along our camping road trip!
Russell B.recommends
October 6, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
Arriving from a long journey from Oregon. I was happy to see I could dig for geodes there. A nice place to camp over night as well. Thank you
Erika F.recommends
September 26, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
Beautiful, secluded spot!
Jordan P.recommends
September 19, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
Great place to stay!
Area is close enough to civilization that you don’t feel completely isolated but it’s secluded enough to get the solitude you desire!
Very beautiful spot & even saw some wild turkeys! I would highly recommend this spot!
Kyle M.recommends
September 12, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
Been wanting to visit the Keokuk area for awhile now to hunt geodes, and this was a awesome place to camp and hunt geodes! The scenery from our site and along the creek was. Camp was close enough where we could run to the gas station in the morning for coffee. Will probably camp here again.
Melanie S.recommends
August 31, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
Magical!
What a great spot! Would recommend to anyone who loves rocks and fossils! The spot was well maintained and secluded. We loved it here so much our overnight trip turned into 3 nights!
Lisa Z.recommends
August 16, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
Unplug and enjoy the natural beauty
Our group of campers could not have been happier! We had two families with six kids between us (ages 16-23). Once we worked out our initial confusion with the rustic bathroom situation and how to use the toilet, everything was great. Having the creek to play, bath, fish in and explore kept everyone busy and truly made this an authentic camping trip. Our kids walked up and down the creek looking for rocks, swimming, and exploring for hours! We found hundreds of geodes in all sizes and the concrete pad that Johnny had set up at the site was exactly what we needed to set up a geode cracking station. The privacy we had couldn’t be beat. During the day, we met fellow rock hounds wandering the creek and at the entrance but we were the only campers once the day wore on. The night view at the entrance of the camp ground was first class. We saw shooting stars and the constellations with no light pollution or obstructions. Johnny’s place is absolutely gorgeous and you really should give it a try. The memories we created were the best part - it’s sometimes tough to get ourselves & our kids to unplug and for a whole weekend all nine of us did. I hope we are able to find the time to come back, it was one of our best camping trips ever.
Allyson V.recommends
August 16, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
Great site, fun mining!
What a beautiful site! Tucked into a neighborhood near a beautiful creek, this primitive site also offers a unique experience mining for geodes.
We felt safe and my girls enjoyed chasing fireflies in the evening.
Philip M.recommends
July 25, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
To the uninitiated, the Hip Camp at is like the very area geodes that seekers treasure: rough on the outside (“What’s this quarry, setup?) and beautiful on the inside, with water streaming over limestone benches, verdant site options, and a reason to return
Joseph W.recommends
July 11, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
Great hideaway
Quiet hideaway, great stream and private area. We will definitely use again for Nauvoo or other local trips.
Dave28140@Gmail.Com M.recommends
July 1, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
It was perfect. A great place with a cool creek and solitude. Loved it.
Patricia H.
June 28, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
Get there when grass short.
It would be a beautiful site if a little better maintained. Right after grass cut in particular. Had outhouse but grass 2.5 ft in front of it. Same with creek.
Brandon G.recommends
June 9, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
Amazing property and owner
The campground was amazing. Kind of a strange place in that it totally felt like being in the middle of the woods but it’s right in town. Juxtaposed to the creek you’d never know. There are ample geodes to collect to either take with you or break open on spot (there’s even a concrete pad at the campsite). The price was super reasonable given that there are only 3 campsites on the whole enclosed property. The owner Johnny was super friendly and forgiving with arrival and departure times (we didn’t end up getting in until ~2:30 AM on our arrival day and left ~7:00 in our departure day). Had my son with us and noticing that (after introducing himself that first afternoon), he spent about a half a day turning over the trailings in the mine portion of the property so that my son would be able to find some fresh geodes easily. He even set a few aside for us. Couldn’t have asked for a better property, host, location or ease of access regarding geode availability and hunting opportunities. We all had a fantastic time and (if we weren’t too disruptive), look forward to coming back on a hopefully yearly basis. Thanks again and best of luck to Mr. Vickers for an unforgettable experience.
Sarah H.recommends
May 10, 2021
Railroad creek camp ground
A Perfect Getaway!
This is the most beautiful and secluded little campground! We had plenty of time to mine for geodes, play in the creek, and explore with our toddler. It was super quiet and we only ran into a couple other people walking down the creek the whole time! Johnny is super nice, friendly, and keeps things very well maintained! He had firewood ready for us when we arrived, which was perfect!
Don’t miss out on staying here! It’s a gem!
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