Wakonda State Park

You’re not likely to meet King T’Challa or Captain America at this Wakonda, but you can enjoy enough camping fun, water recreation, and wildlife watching to make you feel like you’re visiting that mystical Marvel realm. Located just 10 minutes south of La Grange, Wakonda State Park is 1000 acres of sand prairies, shady woods, and six scenic lakes. Interestingly, the park landscape is not entirely natural. Composed of ancient glacial gravel deposits, the area was excavated extensively from the 1920s through the 1980s for road-building materials. Once the gravel deposits were exhausted, the area was restored into a recreation area. In addition to providing an outdoor recreation space for locals and visitors, the park is a popular birding area for its thousands of resident and migrating waterfowl. Visitors to Wakonda State Park have access to more than 80 tent and RV campsites in two areas. The larger Boulder Lake Campground features basic, electric, and full-hookup site options. The smaller Wakanda Lake Campground offers only electric-only sites. There are six ADA accessible sites. Each campground provides restrooms and shower houses; the Boulder Lake area also has water faucets, laundry facilities and a dump station; the Wakanda Lake site has a kid’s play area. All campsites are equipped with picnic tables, cooking grills, and lantern posts. Dogs are permitted in the park, but must remain leashed in designated areas. This park accepts reservations; campsites rates are $12–$28/night. The main attraction at Wakonda State Park is its six lakes, and all the water recreation they have to offer. Anglers can cast for largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and bluegill on Agate, Quartz, Jasper and Wakonda lakes; kayak and SUP paddlers can enjoy the water trails on Agate, Jasper and Wakonda lakes. There are two boat launches for putting in motorized watercraft; the others are carry-in only. Kayak rentals are available. For sunbathing and swimming, visitors can spread out blankets at the large sand beach on Wakonda Lake. The park also has more than 7 miles of multi-use trails for hiking and biking. These are ideal for birdwatching or admiring some of the park’s rare prairie flora.