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Gemini Giant – GeminiGiantMoved📷 David Quigley, CC BY 4.0

Road trips in Illinois

12 road trips and 20 hand-picked places in Illinois, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.

Trip guides
12
Places
20

Campsites in Illinois 400

Trip guides

Road trips through Illinois

Shawnee National Forest: southern Illinois hills – The Colorado River winding through the deep rocky canyons of the Grand CanyonPhoto by Omer Nezih Gerek on Unsplash
13
National park loops

Shawnee National Forest: southern Illinois hills

151 mi8 stops3 days
Starved Rock canyons and Lincoln’s Springfield – Bench and trashcan Starved Rock© Visviva · CC0
55
Themed road trips

Starved Rock canyons and Lincoln’s Springfield

243 mi8 stops3 days
Sandstone bluffs, cypress swamps and two great rivers – by camper through Southern Illinois and the Shawnee National Forest – Little Grand Canyon IL© randwill · CC BY 2.0
146
In-depth road trip guides

Sandstone bluffs, cypress swamps and two great rivers – by camper through Southern Illinois and the Shawnee National Forest

262 mi14 stops7 days
Sandstone canyons, towpaths and lead-mining brick – by camper from the Illinois & Michigan Canal via Starved Rock and the Rock River to Galena – green grass field near body of water during daytimePhoto by Christopher Osten on Unsplash
6
In-depth road trip guides

Sandstone canyons, towpaths and lead-mining brick – by camper from the Illinois & Michigan Canal via Starved Rock and the Rock River to Galena

295 mi14 stops7 days
Route 66, part one: Chicago to Oklahoma City – a statue of a cowboy holding a surfboard in front of a gas stationPhoto by Mick Haupt on Unsplash
66
Classic American drives

Route 66, part one: Chicago to Oklahoma City

873 mi12 stops4 days
Great River Road south: Dubuque to Hannibal – Custodian Residence© Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0
61
Scenic byways

Great River Road south: Dubuque to Hannibal

249 mi9 stops3 days
Lake Michigan's dune coast – a view of the ocean from a hillPhoto by Jeff DeWitt on Unsplash
31
RV & family trips

Lake Michigan's dune coast

399 mi5 stops3 days
Great River Road: the upper Mississippi – The India Gate war memorial in New Delhi under a vibrant pink skyPhoto by shalender kumar on Unsplash
GRR
Classic American drives

Great River Road: the upper Mississippi

642 mi6 stops5 days
Neon, diners and endless horizons – Route 66 by camper from Chicago to Santa Monica – GeminiGiantMoved© David Quigley · CC BY 4.0
66
In-depth road trip guides

Neon, diners and endless horizons – Route 66 by camper from Chicago to Santa Monica

2,326 mi18 stops21 days
Giant baskets and infinity rooms: a Midwest oddities run – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Unsplash)© Lance Anderson lanceanderson · CC0
80
Themed road trips

Giant baskets and infinity rooms: a Midwest oddities run

815 mi7 stops4 days
Indiana Dunes and northern Indiana’s Amish country – West Beach Dune P6080056© Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0
12
National park loops

Indiana Dunes and northern Indiana’s Amish country

136 mi7 stops2 days
Lake Michigan’s sunset coast: Saugatuck to Ludington – Saugatuck, Michigan© WMrapids · CC0
31
Coast & island drives

Lake Michigan’s sunset coast: Saugatuck to Ludington

236 mi9 stops4 days
RouteSuggested daysDistanceDrivingStops
Shawnee National Forest: southern Illinois hills3151 mi2 h 42 min8
Starved Rock canyons and Lincoln’s Springfield3243 mi4 h 20 min8
Sandstone bluffs, cypress swamps and two great rivers – by camper through Southern Illinois and the Shawnee National Forest7262 mi4 h 40 min14
Sandstone canyons, towpaths and lead-mining brick – by camper from the Illinois & Michigan Canal via Starved Rock and the Rock River to Galena7295 mi5 h 16 min14
Route 66, part one: Chicago to Oklahoma City4873 mi15 h 35 min12
Great River Road south: Dubuque to Hannibal3249 mi4 h 27 min9
Lake Michigan's dune coast3399 mi7 h 07 min5
Great River Road: the upper Mississippi5642 mi11 h 28 min6
Neon, diners and endless horizons – Route 66 by camper from Chicago to Santa Monica212,326 mi41 h 33 min18
Giant baskets and infinity rooms: a Midwest oddities run4815 mi14 h 33 min7
Indiana Dunes and northern Indiana’s Amish country2136 mi2 h 26 min7
Lake Michigan’s sunset coast: Saugatuck to Ludington4236 mi4 h 13 min9
Editor's picks

Places worth the detour in Illinois

Gemini Giant – GeminiGiantMoved© David Quigley · CC BY 4.0
Editor's pick
Oddities

Gemini Giant

Wilmington, IL
Garden of the Gods – a statue of a person in a garden with buildings in the backgroundPhoto by Michael Heise on Unsplash
Editor's pick
Nature

Garden of the Gods

Herod, IL
Starved Rock State Park – Bench and trashcan Starved Rock© Visviva · CC0
Editor's pick
Nature

Starved Rock State Park

Utica, IL
Lincoln Home National Historic Site – Lyon House (7174636171)© Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0
Editor's pick
History

Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Springfield, IL
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site – Cahokia 2025i© Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Editor's pick
History

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

Collinsville, IL
Route 66 Begin Sign – DSCF1120 (3416016655)© Chris Lawrence from Blacksburg, VA, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
History

Route 66 Begin Sign

Chicago, IL
Little Grand Canyon IL© randwill · CC BY 2.0
Nature

Little Grand Canyon

Murphysboro, IL
Bald Knob Cross of Peace – 20030724 11 Alto Pass, IL (6155695306)© David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA · CC BY 2.0
Oddities

Bald Knob Cross of Peace

Alto Pass, IL
Giant City State Park – Giant City SP 20140809-076© Kbh3rd · CC BY 4.0
Nature

Giant City State Park

Makanda, IL
Cave-in-Rock State Park – Cave-in-Rock Ferry loading© Nyttend · Public domain
History

Cave-in-Rock State Park

Cave-in-Rock, IL
Back of the World's Largest Superman Statue© G1B71 · CC BY 4.0
Oddities

Superman Statue

Metropolis, IL
Historic Nauvoo – William J. Reimbold House© Nyttend · Public domain
History

Historic Nauvoo

Nauvoo, IL
Matthiessen State Park – Hanging on to Green (49760352958)© Joseph Gage from Yorkville, IL, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Nature

Matthiessen State Park

Oglesby, IL
Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site – New Salem Barrels (10531018103)© Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China · CC0
History

Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site

Petersburg, IL
Lincoln Tomb – Lincoln Head by Gutson Borglum (10531141593)© Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China · CC0
History

Lincoln Tomb

Springfield, IL
Millennium Park and Cloud Gate – McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink, Millennium Park, Chicago, Illinois (9181704938)© Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Views

Millennium Park and Cloud Gate

Chicago, IL
Galena Historic Downtown – S. M. Felt House (Staircase), Prospect Street, Galena, Jo Daviess County, IL HABS ILL,43-GALA,5- (sheet 0 of 4)© Related names: Telford, Adam Telford, Andrew · Public domain
History

Galena Historic Downtown

Galena, IL
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio – Edwin H. Cheney House (7415413904)© Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0
History

Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

Oak Park, IL
Field Museum – FMNH Glyptodon© Zissoudisctrucker · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Field Museum

Chicago, IL
Mississippi Palisades State Park – green grass field near body of water during daytimePhoto by Christopher Osten on Unsplash
Nature

Mississippi Palisades State Park

Savanna, IL

FAQs

What are the best road trips in Illinois?

Popular routes include Shawnee National Forest: southern Illinois hills, Starved Rock canyons and Lincoln’s Springfield, Sandstone bluffs, cypress swamps and two great rivers – by camper through Southern Illinois and the Shawnee National Forest and Sandstone canyons, towpaths and lead-mining brick – by camper from the Illinois & Michigan Canal via Starved Rock and the Rock River to Galena. CampingSpirit has 12 trip guides that pass through Illinois, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map.

Which places in Illinois are worth a detour?

Our editors recommend Gemini Giant, Garden of the Gods, Starved Rock State Park, Lincoln Home National Historic Site and Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.

Nearby

Indiana 5Missouri 13Iowa 7Kentucky 9Wisconsin 9Tennessee 17Ohio 7Arkansas 8