Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area | L. P. Dolan Lake Illinois

This place is truly amazing! Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area or L. P. Dolan Lake near Enfield Illinois is a really wonderful niche camping and trekking area! Southeastern Illinois is a wonderful rural place and this camping area and fishing lake can fill an entire weekend of activities for those large and small or any age.

Useful Links

• Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area Website
• Dolan Lake Campground Reservation Website
• L. P. Dolan Lake Location

Pros

• Beautiful and easy access to the fishing lake
• Small cozy campground with cabins
• Large area with plenty of trails and activities

Cons

• Narrow roads/campsites – watch out if you have large trucks or campers
• Campsites are close to each other
• Be prepared to walk for toilets and showers

Things to do at Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area

Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area or more commonly known as just Dolan Lake, is an awesome diamond in the rough park in southern Illinois! I will start off and just say it is well worth the trip and fee to stay there for the weekend. This wonderful place really enamored me!

The Dolan Lake campground was small and really personable. The sites are near each other so be ready to make friends or at least hear your neighbors coming and going but this can also be a fun thing about camping. There are also several sites located right on the lake’s northern shore. This is where I stayed. The ability to just walk and fish off the shore and enjoy the water was a nice bonus.

The bathhouse is located a short distance from the camping site. You should prepare to walk for toilets and showers so have your trusty sandals ready. The toilets were not dirty but they are small and used regularly. The small-sized campground doesn’t allow for many different bathhouses and options. There are also small studio cabins available if pulling your camper isn’t an option.

L. P. Dolan Lake

I must say this lake is very quaint and enjoyable. The lake allows shore fishing and boats under 10hp to operate. The lake and pine trees towering along the shore really made for a nice quiet place for fishing and small critters running around. There’s even a dock if you want to get out into deeper water.

There’s plenty of fish in the lake and plenty of anglers were out on boats and the shore trying to get lucky. There is also a small walk way and bridge with a secluded part of the lake which many were fishing at on the shore and boats. We drove to this southern end by the dam to see what we could find and had some success.

Finally, there is a concession building and restaurant that is currently closed due to Covid. I would expect it to open as soon as state restrictions are lifted. There are also miles of trail around the lake and throughout the rest of the wildlife area. Horses also can use certain trails in the wildlife area.

I really enjoyed this campground and lake. It really was idyllic! The cons list is even not really “cons” in my opinion but rather less positive things about the area. The fees for the campsite and park are really nominal for what you get in return. This place is perfect for a family outing on a warm weekend. I’d try to get my reservation now for the summer!