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Camp Ondessonk

92%

· Ozark, Illinois

983 acres

2 sites

2 Tent

Operating since 1959, Camp Ondessonk is a non-profit youth camp on 983 acres of beautiful wooded property adjacent to the Shawnee National Forest. Guests have access to several miles of paved road for walking and cycling, 15 miles of on-site hiking and biking trails, and access to a huge network of public Shawnee National Forest trails including the River-to-River Trail. Our property is home to the tallest free-falling waterfall in Illinois, Cedar Falls, as well as rock bottom creeks, canyons, prairies, forests, and hills. Detailed trail maps of our property and the surrounding area are available. Guests are welcome to stroll the grounds, observe our horses grazing in the pastures, enjoy views of our lakes and forests, or relax by the campfire. Stop by the Camp Store at the Trading Post to purchase Ondessonk apparel, souvenirs, or essential items. To schedule a guided hike, boating, archery, or horseback riding program, or test yourself on our high challenge course or climbing wall, contact Ondessonk staff for program availability and more information. The Camp Kitchen can prepare certain meals for you; contact us for meal availability and more information.

Activities

Biking

Boating

Fishing

Hiking

Natural features

Forest

River, stream, or creek

Waterfall

Canyon

Available sites

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Location

Ozark, Illinois, United StatesTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking

Hosted by Camp Ondessonk O.Joined in August 2020

Response rate: 80%Response time: Within 11 hours

92%

6 ratings · 18 reviews

Samantha V.recommends

August 23, 2022

Ondessonk's Lalande Treehouses

A unique and beautiful stay

Excellent stay, the campground is beautiful and well maintained. Staff is very kind and accommodating. We love staying here! Just note, the raccoons at camp WILL outsmart you. Lock down all food very well and don’t put scraps in the trash can.

Robert M.recommends

May 22, 2022

Kane Lake at Camp Ondessonk

Loved it!

Lovely large private space on lake with beautiful home nearby

Edward B.

April 22, 2022

Kane Lake at Camp Ondessonk

I stayed at Kane Lake for three days. I liked the peacefulness and quietness of the location. It rained heavily on my first full day and the site was soggy and muddy for rest of the stay, probably a matter of geology. The water container provision was nice and invaluable. However, the container was labeled “Do Not Use - Leaks”. Sure enough between my use and the leak I was soon left with a half container of ice cubes and no water. Obviously, I would have preferred a container that didn’t leak and could have done without the ice cubes - just water.

Treva K.recommends

April 15, 2022

Ondessonk's Chabanel Cave

Magical camping experience

Camp Ondessonk is amazing. We had the entire place to ourselves to enjoy during the week. Every employee we met was helpful, friendly and welcoming. We were celebrating my BFF’s 40th birthday right under the waterfalls! It was also our first van camping trip. A huge success. We will be back!

Lori A.recommends

April 8, 2022

Ondessonk's Lalande Treehouses

Camping with the fam

Even though we camped early in the season and it was cold that night, the area is absolutely beautiful. The hike we took was great with wonderful scenery! Had a great fire and my handsome bf cooked for us...it was awesome!

Nicole S.recommends

September 30, 2021

Ondessonk's Chabanel Cave

We loved it! the whole camp ground is so pretty. we enjoyed hiking and swimming and the cave site. We will be back again and again!

Patrick H.recommends

September 27, 2021

Kane Lake at Camp Ondessonk

Very beautiful camp with unique cabins. They went above and beyond to get me set up with a late arrival. Next time I want to try a tree cabin!

Chris R.recommends

September 16, 2021

Ondessonk's Lalande Treehouses

Lovely scenery

Had the entire place to ourselves on a weekday, it was beautiful and there were TONS of places to hike around and explore. A lovely fire pit and so much cool scenery. Very, very cool place. Also the firewood is super cheap, 15 logs for 5 bucks.

Colleah H.recommends

May 11, 2021

Kane Lake at Camp Ondessonk

I really don’t want to say too much as a selfish way of keeping this gem a bit of a secret. What a perfect stop for us.

Regina B.recommends

April 12, 2021

Ondessonk's Chabanel Cave

The unique experience offered at this campground was even more than we hoped it woukd be! We absolutely loved the way the units were carved into the landscape of each unit. A great deal financially, we would have stayed longer if our schedules would have allowed it!

David W.recommends

April 9, 2021

Ondessonk's Brebeuf Cabins

peaceful, clean, private

This site is great!! It is one of several groups/sites that are available within Camp Ondessonk. You definitely are right in the middle of the forest but benefit from an added level of development/facilities and safety. The site and facilities were clean, and well-maintained. There is lots to explore just walking the lake circle road as well as trails. This really is a magical place that screams old-school throwback summer camp meets peaceful vibes and powerful experiences. High quality wood available for a very reasonable price and friendly staff. We enjoyed the three wall cabins and will definitely stay again.

Kaelynn M.recommends

March 12, 2021

Ondessonk's Goupil Treehouses

Greg was very helpful and kind while planning our trip

Hailey S.recommends

November 2, 2020

Durbin's Barn at Camp Ondessonk

Our stay at Durbin’s barn exceeded our expectations! The staff was friendly and organized. The barn provided great shelter the first night it rained and helped keep us warm during the cooler nights. We hiked everyday and were continually mentioning how incredible the land is. We miss it already.

Peter Z.recommends

October 25, 2020

Ondessonk's Goupil Treehouses

Gorgeous property with a lot of character. Treehouses are open air so be seasonally prepared. This is the type of place I look for and it’s a great addition to the hipcamp lineup.

Aimee K.recommends

October 14, 2020

Ondessonk's Chabanel Cave

Such a neat spot! We had a blast!

Sarah L.recommends

September 14, 2020

Ondessonk's Lalande Treehouses

Love Camp O!

Amazing time at Camp O! I stayed in this unit as a camper (back in 2001) and it was wonderful to be come back and share with my kids (5 & 7). They loved climbing up the large rocks by the fire pit and sleeping in the bunk beds in the cabins. We hiked out to Cedar Falls and back and the trails were very well marked! We walked around camp and I showed them all the different activity areas and they especially liked jumping on the Amantacha bridge. Definitely brought back some great memories for me. Lalande is close and convenient to the shower house complete with flushing toilets which is always nice with younger kids. They've already asked to go back so we'll be driving down the Camp O road again SOON! Heepwah!

Va N.recommends

September 9, 2020

Ondessonk's Lalande Treehouses

Ondessonk Thoughts

Our directions and greeting were great. We did not realize quite how open the treehouse would be and it was a very buggy night; we do not blame Ondessonk for that though. The grounds were beautiful and we would have stayed a second night if time permitted.