Earlier this year, I wanted to do a park clean up to support the Illinois Park Project. I was looking for an Illinois state park that was fairly close to home. I came across Ramsey Lake State Park situated just north of Vandalia, Illinois along Interstate 70.

I wasn’t sure what to expect since this was my first time visiting this park. But when we arrived, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. There are several nice picnic shelters when you first enter the park, which we picked up a little bit of trash at.

The best feature of the park is the driving loop around Ramsey Lake. Along the road, there are several off shoots that lead to peaceful, secluded picnic areas. This park is home to rolling hills and acres of woods.

We hiked part of the Blackberry Fork Trail which was a nice stroll through the mature forest.

I really enjoyed the Crabapple Ridge Youth Camping Area. The area is high above the shore and provides a great view of Ramsey Lake. At the end of the camping area is a set of stairs that lead down to the lake.

We also took a drive through the campground to scope out some sites. I am really looking forward to bringing the camper up here for a long weekend this summer.

A special thanks goes out to my friend, Michelle for always being up for an adventure!

Overall, Ramsey Lake State Park impressed me. It was extremely clean and very relaxing. Below is a trail map!

Also, while I was driving to the park, I happened to look left and noticed an old iron bridge! If you want to find it too, it is parallel to Highway 51 and on Country Road 2460N per Google Maps. The bridge actually spans Ramsey Creek!

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2026:

In September 2026, I camped at Ramsey Lake and the campground was really nice. It has a lot of sites and the sites are fairly spacious. I had site 50 which was a great site since you could see the lake.

Toward the back of the campground is a set of stairs that allows access to the dam with a dock that you can fish from.

The campground was on the smaller side, but what was really neat was that in the front of the campground, there is a group camp . Sites 1-17 are centered around a pavilion and a larger fire pit. Sites 18-30 are also for the group camp as well!

From the campground, I also rode my e-bike around the lake on the park road. There are a few steeper hills, but nothing that wasn’t manageable. It was really enjoyable!