Johnny is a Star Host
Star Hosts are highly rated, responsive, and committed to providing incredible experiences.
Select a site
Filter by
RV/tent sites
1 site
Instant book
Railroad creek camp ground
95%
(67)Campfires allowed
Toilet
Pets allowed
from
for NaN guests$20
/ nightReviews
95% Recommend67 ratings · 53 reviews
Recommends
· September 2025
Tent · With pets ·
Railroad creek camp ground
Tent camping was great. beautiful creek. We took back two sites so we had plenty of room to spread out. Pit toilet is by the geode mine area so take the site before the bridge if that's important to you.
M
Mel L.
2 reviews
Got there early and took the back two sites so tents were farthest back from the one other site in the vicinity and we used the fire and picnic table in the other one. The creek is beautiful and all solid rock in the creek bed so you can hunt for all kinds of cool fossils and geodes without getting muddy. The only pit toilet is up by the gate/entrance where the geode mine is so if you're thinking you want to be close than take the first site before the little bridge but be aware people showing up to the geode mine early in the morning might make noise with their pickaxes.
M
Mel L.
2 reviews
Recommends
· July 2025
Tent ·
Railroad creek camp ground
We
Loved the place. We were the only people camping... definitely primitive camping!!! But that is what we were looking for. Clean, safe. Talked to some people who were digging on land and they found bucket full of geodes..... definitely going back!!!
C
Cj M.
3 years on Hipcamp
Had a great time at railroad Creek campground, unfortunately our time was cut short due to weather ,but thankfully our host Johnny was very prompt with issuing my refund for my second night. The sites were very cool situated near the creek. The site we chose was one with very we easy creek access. Best site in my opinion, however the fire pit could have used some TLC. All in all the sites were very prestine.
That being said, my only gripe is the fact that unfortunately the main entrance was misleading to the rest of the campground, due to the obvious ground work the host was in the process of finishing. Driving around a backhoe kinda sucked. Very minimal issue though because I wish I could have stayed longer. Watching the water rush down the creek would have been amazing! Thanks Johnny we'll see you again!🤘😊
M
Manuel H.
2 reviews
Recommends
· June 2025
Tent · With kids ·
Railroad creek camp ground
Amazing geodes, peaceful site full of frog and cricket songs.
J
Jessica P.
7 months on Hipcamp
We had a relaxing evening! The campsite was clean, included a picnic table, fire ring, and a trash can. Right next to the creek, close enough to hear a small waterfall all night long. While you may hear the occasional vehicle off in the distance, the site is secluded and private. Minutes away from food and convenience stores, as well as the Mississippi River. You can dig for geodes on the property, and we found plenty of good ones.
T
Tim T.
6 reviews
It is rustic so is quiet, and surrounded with woods with a stream next to your camp. Trash cans present. Enjoyed nature. Great time.
L
Lesa H.
3 reviews
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent · With pets ·
Railroad creek camp ground
Loved camping next to the creek and exploring! The site was clean and well maintained.
K
Kristen Q.
9 reviews
We had a fantastic visit at Johnny's place. We were the only ones there since it was a cold Thursday in January but we will definitely go back. The sites are well spaced with fire pits and picnic tables. Ours was right on the creek which had been frozen but the water running under the ice was beautiful.
The space is close to houses which we could see because the leaves are off the trees but it felt like we were far away. It was so peaceful. I read reviews of dogs barking in the distance which we did hear but we also heard some coyotes, lots of owls, some raccoons getting in a kerfuffle, and the sounds of so many birds.
The spots were pretty level and shaded but we were able to set up our solar panels. We traveled in our Jeep with roof top tent and set up our annex room and awnings plus our privacy potty tent away from the site. We did not use the bathroom that's on site.
Great that there are trash bins available.
Overall I totally recommend the place and look forward to making it a regular spot to get away to.
Paige M.
3 reviews
Recommends
· October 2024
15 ft campervan ·
Railroad creek camp ground
Well kept small campground. Only 4 sites but adequate distance between. Dispersed camping but each site had a picnic table and trash barrel. The Merlin Bird ID app identified numerous species of birds in the area.
C
Connie C.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· September 2024
Nice spot. Great value. Pretty quiet, hardly any road noise. Lots of fire wood to buy. I stayed on a Friday night, early Saturday morning there was quite a few people geode hunting. Would camp here again if in the area.
J
Jon Claude L.
3 years on Hipcamp
The camp site was very nice. and clean. We camped near the creek. It has been so dry lately that the creek wasn’t flowing but we did take time to walk along it looking for geodes and that was fun. We have never searched for geodes and didnt really know what we were looking for but grabbed a few things that seemed promising from the mine. We didn’t spend a lot of time searching due to the heat and our long drive, but we had a great time relaxing at our camp site into the evening. We heard quite a few Barred owls after dark. there is some road noise but it wasn’t too bad. I wouldn’t recommend the on site bathroom, however, there were plenty of fire rings, picnic tables and trash cans.
B
Beth C.
2 reviews
Recommends
· August 2024
15 ft campervan ·
Railroad creek camp ground
Beautiful shady camping spots. And we had a great time hunting for geodes. Thanks, Johnny!
D
David T.
1 year on Hipcamp
I enjoyed camping at Johnny's land, location was beautiful and he was accommodating and met us on the first night. The creek was easily accessible and could of been walked if I had brought my boots! Overall a great place to slow down and take in nature. Thanks Johnny for your hospitality
T
Tammy T.
1 year on Hipcamp
If you love geodes and nature, this is the spot for you! This was our first time looking for geodes so we were underprepared with proper equipment to dig them out, but we still found some gems nonetheless!
Campsite was right by the creek where there was lots of nature and it was nice to hear the water flowing in the early morning.
If you like to hike check out Cedar Glen Natural preserve in Warsaw. There is also a nice lookout of the Mississippi River and the Warsaw brewery just up the road. Everything was less than a 10 min drive from camp. You can cross the river and check out Iowa as well.
Johnny was quick to respond anytime I had questions. Only downfall is the campsite backs up to a neighborhood so not super secluded. And the bathroom was not ideal, but we were well aware of that going into this camp. Can hope into town if necessary. Overall, we had a great time and would definitely come back!
S
Samantha F.
3 reviews
Recommends
· May 2024
Tent ·
Railroad creek camp ground
We will be back for sure. Love the campsite. It was very peaceful two nights.
Deena R.
3 reviews
Mixed feelings
· April 2024
Adventurous, But Dog Barking Issues
Tent · With pets ·
Railroad creek camp ground
This site was amazing and a lot of fun for a family of young kids. We had a lot of fun experiencing mining for geodes and fossils while also adventuring through the creek. We found geodes and fossils within 1hour of getting to the site! We probably would have sprang for the geode bucket bundle though. The owner seemed really nice. We would have had a lot more fun, but the one main issue of dogs barking, was out of control. We didn’t get to stay long enough to ask what the issue is or if we could do anything about it. I’m not sure if there is even a City Ordinance in place for that. The dogs were barking from the moment we arrived around 5pm, and they didn’t stop until about 4am! It was so loud and incessant, there were barely any breaks in it which makes us feel like the dogs were left outside all night. We didn’t go see where the noise was coming from, but it was pretty obnoxious. We would love to come back on the condition of there being a City Ordinance that could help to fix the issue. We had a dog with us, and luckily it didn’t trigger him. But most of us got barely any sleep due to it.
L
Luke W.
5 reviews
This was a great pit stop that I booked same day. You get a surprising amount of isolation from the bustle of the curry life nearby. We saw a deer, found a geode, and enjoyed walking by the stream.
B
Benjamin O.
3 reviews
Recommends
· February 2024
Tent ·
Railroad creek camp ground
Awesome place to camp right off the river. Hope to be staying again sometime soon.
Aj W.
4 reviews
Really neat site along a shallow creek (with a small waterfall for that extra special touch). The site is well treed for shade and additional privacy. Hard to imagine it’s an in town location. There were a few barking dogs and ‘city’ sounds, but didn’t take away from the privacy. Would definitely stay here again.
A
April W.
9 reviews
Recommends
· January 2024
Tent · With kids ·
Railroad creek camp ground
Great spot! We had the place to ourselves at the end of December. Area was clean and well cared for. Johnny is a nice guy, easy to get ahold of and follows through on what he says. Thanks!
S
Scott C.
2 reviews
Recommends
· October 2023
Tent ·
Railroad creek camp ground
Off the grid campground. No facilities. Make preparations for that.
Preordered firewood and it was delivered to my campsite.
D
David F.
2 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· September 2023
Tent ·
Railroad creek camp ground
We were looking for a rustic campground with no RVs and this was exactly that! Johnny was very welcoming. The setting is idyllic. We were there during Geode Fest and it was still quiet and private at the campsite.
C
Corinne G.
2 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· September 2023
Tent ·
Railroad creek camp ground
I love how secluded and private my campsite was. I had access to the creek and everything I needed was close at hand. Johnny came by to check on me and make sure I had everything I needed and gave me advise on finding geodes.
J
Jennifer T.
5 years on Hipcamp
The camp is secluded and it appeared no one else was present. Being on two wheels made accessing the camp a bit of a challenge due to the gravel.
A train rolled through nearby at some point in the evening. I thought it added to the charm of the camp. The local school's football game could be heard over the loudspeakers and provided some entertainment for the evening too.
The listing did state a toilet on site, but I missed the review of using water from the creek to flush it or the amount of spiders sharing the same space. It appeared someone used the floor vs. the toilet. The bunker needs a good hosing down.
Peaceful!
V
Vicki R.
2 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· August 2023
Tent ·
Railroad creek camp ground
We had a great time camping at Johnny's campground. We had the whole place to ourselves, and Johnny came out to meet us and give us the lay of the land. We found some really nice geodes as well. We'll be back and I would recommend primitive camping. Thanks for the great time Johnny.
Z
Zachary R.
2 years on Hipcamp
Great place to camp. Very peaceful and beautiful. Didn’t do as much rock hunting as we would have liked but there were beautiful rocks everywhere! My wife and kids all loved it and we can’t wait to come back and stay longer. The bathroom is not for the faint of heart, not a porta-John, it’s a concrete bunker with a toilet and you have to get water from the creek to flush it. I was in the Marines so I was used to it, but my family was creeped out by the many spiders. We will still come back again very soon. Just wanted everyone to know so they can plan accordingly.
T
Tim H.
2 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· July 2023
Tent ·
Railroad creek camp ground
Great place for quite camping. Beautiful spot next to a creek, peaceful and safe. Easy access to the site as well.
A
Amy H.
6 reviews
Recommends
· July 2023
Tent · With pets ·
Railroad creek camp ground
So quiet and peaceful. Plenty of shade that kept the area cool. Lots of geodes everywhere. Friendly host, made everyone feel welcome and right at home.
C
Christa R.
2 years on Hipcamp
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!
T
Tally T.
3 years on Hipcamp
Location
Hamilton, Hancock, 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 2021Things to do nearby
Similar campgrounds nearby
Campers also viewed...
Popular searches in Illinois
- Hamilton
Hipcamp is created with ❤️ and hope for our future.