Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area

By America's State Parks Editorial TeamFebruary 5, 2026 · Updated May 14, 2026

Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area is a state recreation area in Illinois near Whittington in Franklin, Jefferson County. It occupies a peninsula in Rend Lake, an Army Corps reservoir, with 243 campsites in five loops.

Quick Facts

Location & Getting There

Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area is located near Whittington, Illinois. The park’s coordinates are 38.1061, -88.9383.

Things to Do

First, the name: it’s Wayne Fitzgerrell — double r, not “Fitzgerald” — after the state representative from nearby Sesser who pushed for Rend Lake to be built; the park was dedicated in 1975. Three-quarters of its 3,300-acre boundary is Rend Lake shoreline, and the lake is the reason 1.3 million people a year come: 18,900 acres at normal pool, 162 miles of shore, 35 feet at its deepest but averaging just 10, built by the Army Corps of Engineers and filled in 1973. It is crappie water above all — 93% of the crappie in the Corps’ 2019 survey were white crappie, with a 25-fish limit of which only 10 may top 10 inches — plus largemouth bass under a 14-inch minimum (some 397,000 fingerlings stocked over the past decade), channel catfish and bluegill. Shore anglers get miles of bank access inside the park; the lake as a whole has more than 20 ramps.

The land side is unusually purpose-built. About 1,000 acres are set aside for hunting, wildlife watching and field trials — more than 25 field-trial events a year for beagles, retrievers and bird dogs — and the fall controlled pheasant hunt takes up to 120 hunters a day (two-bird limit, non-toxic shot only), with a youth pheasant hunt and wingshooting clinic. A new 4-mile paved trail links the park office, the day-use areas and the campgrounds to the resort and on to the Rend Lake College bike trail; a 9-mile bridle trail circles the wildlife area. Birders come for great blue herons, bald eagles and red-tailed hawks.

Best Time to Visit

Spring is crappie season on Rend Lake and the campground’s busiest stretch outside holiday weekends. Fall belongs to the hunters and dog trials — note the bridle trail closes from September 15 to April 15 for that reason. And the elephant on the shoreline: the Rend Lake Resort inside the park, which drew 2.4 million visitors a year at its peak, has been closed since 2016 because of mold. A $26.4 million renovation of 17 buildings (11 cabins, two boatels, restaurant, conference center, pool) began in November 2025 with substantial completion scheduled for spring 2026 — but as of this writing the IDNR still lists it as “closed until further notice” and has announced no reopening date. Don’t plan a stay around it until the state does.

Visitor Tips

There’s no entrance fee. The campground has 243 electric sites with three shower buildings across five loops — Bay Area, Hickman’s Point and Lakeview are reservation-only at camp.exploremoreil.com, while Lookout Point and Shady Rest stay first come, first served — at $20 a night plus a $10 surcharge on Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day weekends; 17 primitive tent sites run $6 — as of September 2026. The adjacent Corps campgrounds (South Sandusky, North Sandusky, Gun Creek, South Marcum) and the 27-hole Rend Lake Golf Complex are separate operations, not part of the state recreation area.

The park office is at 11094 Ranger Road, Whittington (618-629-2320), straddling Franklin and Jefferson counties with easy access from I-57 and I-64. More than 150 picnic sites and five shelters (four reservable, Shelter 4 accessible) spread across the day-use areas.

Fees, facilities and the resort’s status verified against dnr.illinois.gov, mvs.usace.army.mil and cdb.illinois.gov on September 2, 2026. Conditions change — confirm before you travel.

Explore More Illinois State Parks

Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area is one of many outstanding state parks in Illinois. Discover more parks in our Best State Parks in Illinois guide, or use our Park Finder to search by activity, location, or features.

Wildlife & Nature

Wayne Fitzgerrell SRA — on Rend Lake (18,900 acres). The area’s lake, prairie, and forest support bald eagles, white-tailed deer, and wild turkeys.

Nearby Attractions

Whittington — adjacent. Rend Lake — at the park.

Keep exploring: The closest neighbor is Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area (within about an hour’s drive).

About the Author

America's State Parks Editorial Team

America's State Parks is an independent online guide to state parks and other public lands in the United States. Our editorial team compiles park profiles from official agency and operator sources and other identified references, and follows our published editorial policy and review methodology. Where a profile shows a source-check date, that date applies to the detail it names. We correct errors when we find them or when readers report them.

View All Articles by America's State Parks Editorial Team →