Welcome to High Knob Ranch Campground!
Our equestrian campground is spread out over 45 acres, nestled inside the beautiful Shawnee National Forest.
We have a total of 160 campsites, consisting of both permanent and overnight campsites, all of which include water and electricity. The overnight campsites are open year-round for your mule/horse riding pleasure!
We offer 100 covered stalls, a number of open pens in some of the camping areas and one camping area with tie-lines. There are five 1 bdrm/1 bath cabins and a 4 bdrm/2 bath High Knob Hilton Bunkhouse available for rent (April1-Nov 1). All of the rental cabins have full kitchens.
We are Mark & Jill Thompson, new owners of the campground as of January 2026. We're excited to be able to share some of the best riding in the Shawnee National Forest with you. We've made a lot of improvements to camp since we bought it and have a lot more plans for the future.
If you're looking to check availability to make new reservations, please call or text us and we'll get back to you in the order in which messages were received. We understand the importance of getting your reservations confirmed so you can plan your vacations...and we can't wait to host you!
Thank you for your patience.
High Knob Ranch Campground is the only campground that has the River-to-River Trail running through the center of camp. We are located inside the Shawnee National Forest, with forest property on 2 sides of the campground. We have 7 separate trails leading from camp into the forest, allowing our riders to come and go from camp without riding the same trails. From the center of camp, it's just a 5-minute horseback ride to 100 feet tall rock bluffs in almost every direction.
Explore the High Knob area which offers the best trail riding and hiking.
Garden of the Gods wilderness area is a 6-hour round trip ride out of camp on the River-to-River Trail. Pack a lunch, take a break at the picnic table, and tie up at the hitching post, while you hike the nature trail in the Garden of the Gods bluffs.
Come visit us for your next trail riding adventure.
We guarantee you will keep coming back!
In The Area Attractions
During your down time, there are several things to do in the surrounding area. You can swim at Pounds Hollow Lake or at the Iron Furnace, go hiking at Rim Rock and tour the scenery at Garden of the Gods. Cave-in-Rock state park is just a short drive away where you can explore the old river cave that was used by pirates and occasional outlaws.
You may want to take a free ferry ride across the river into Kentucky to Amish country for a day of shopping at Yoder's, where bread, baked goods and crafts are made daily. It's only a 1 hr drive to Paducah, KY to visit the quilt museum or the indoor flea market.
The town of Harrisburg is approximately 30 minutes away where many places to eat and shop can be found.
A new 8-line, 3 hour zipline course has just been constructed in the area for an afternoon of summer fun!!
You can also visit local winery's and a chocolate candy factory & ice cream shop located in Golconda, IL.
No trip would be complete without a visit to McKinney's Western Store located in Marion, IL, the largest western store in Southern Illinois.
Places to Ride
- Tee Pee
- Old Log Cabins
- Rice Hollow
- Silver Mine Trail
- Dead Horse Canyon
- Inital Tree
- Snow Cone Trail
- Whiskey Cave
- Colbert Spring
- Hurricane Bluff
- Garden of the Gods
- Buzzards Roost
- No-No Rock
- Thacker Hollow
- Knights of the Golden Circle
Reservation Information
Thank you for choosing High Knob Ranch Campground!!
If you would like to make a reservation:
* FIRST call or text the office @ 618-275-4494 to inquire about availability.
We do not respond to calls/text/emails on Sundays.
* Have your information and dates ready - # of sites/# of stalls.
(Sorry, no tent camping allowed.)
* Please read through the downloadable campground rules (below) before making your reservation.
Once we've confirmed availability, reservations can be made by mailing the completed downloadable form (see below) and your deposit, via cash or check only, within 10 days to:
HIGH KNOB RANCH CAMPGROUND
2245 Knob Hill Lane
Equality, IL 62934
Reservations and will be held for 10 days for receipt of payment. If we do not receive payment within 10 days, your reservation will be forfeited.
We only accept cash or checks.
Confirmation of receipt of your deposit will be sent via text to the phone number on the reservation, unless otherwise instructed.
Balance is due upon arrival via cash or check only.
We do not accept debit/credit cards.
Please make checks payable to: HIGH KNOB RANCH CAMPGROUND.
If you have any questions or need help with the reservation form, just give us a call, we'll be happy to help!
Information sheet details:
* Name
* Contact phone number
* Arrival and departure dates
* Number of people staying on your site
* Number of equines you’re bringing
* Number of covered stalls or pens needed
* Area of the campground you’re requesting
* Group you are camping with, if applicable
1. All reservations require advance payment of one night for each cabin, campsite and stall reserved. Balance is due upon arrival.
2. Reservations are not accepted for arrival or departure on a Saturday.
All weekend reservations require a Friday and Saturday night reservation. You can come/go on a Sat, but you'll have to pay for Fri night as well.
3. Memorial Day, Labor Day and Columbus Day weekends have a 3-night minimum stay (Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights) and must be paid in full at the time the reservation is made. These reservations are non-refundable and non-transferable to another date.
4. CANCELLATION POLICY
THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS FOR HOLIDAY WEEKENDS OR THE ANNUAL McALLISTER MULE RIDE.
- Cancellations over 30 days from scheduled arrival will be fully refunded except for events and holiday weekends.
- Cancellations within 10-30 days of arrival will be given as a one-time rollover campground credit for a future stay within 1 year.
- No refund/credit will be given for cancellations within 10 days of scheduled arrival.
Office and Store Hours
Mon 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tue 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wed 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thu 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Fri 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sat 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sun Open for camping, but we do not take calls or respond to text or emails for reservations.
FAQs
* We can only accept cash and checks. We are unable to process credit/debit cards.
* LATE ARRIVALS MUST notify the office before 6pm on the arrival date.
* We pay for city water, so please help us conserve water. No washing your truck or trailer and no kiddie pools, sprinklers, etc. are allowed.
* Please use designated horse washing stations only to wash your equines. Washing your animals, truck, trailer, etc. is not allowed in the camping areas.
* Speed limit in camp is 5mph to help reduce dust in the campground.
* Dogs must be kept on a leash in the campground at all times. No pets allowed in the cabins or bunkhouse as of 2027. Please do not bring pets into the store.
* No tent camping is allowed.