Corps of Engineers extends facility closures at Rend Lake

Rend Lake – Due to the shelter-in-place order in effect in Illinois and in an effort to ensure the safety of our visitors and staff members, the Rend Lake Project Office and Visitor Center, all U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps of Engineers) campgrounds and many day use areas at Rend Lake will remain closed until further notice. It continues to be imperative that people remain vigilant and continue to shelter in place and practice social distancing until further notice.

As a result, all camping reservations made in any of Rend Lake’s four Corps of Engineers managed campgrounds through 30 April have been cancelled. These campgrounds include North and South Sandusky, South Marcum and Gun Creek Campgrounds. In addition, all shelter and group camp reservations in Rend Lake’s Corps of Engineers managed areas through 30 April have also been cancelled. Individuals with affected reservations will be contacted by email, and a full refund will automatically be processed.

If Illinois’ shelter-in-place order extends past 30 April, additional reservations may need to be canceled. In this event, the Corps of Engineers will initiate the cancellations and will ensure that customers receive a full refund. The Corps of Engineers asks that customers do not cancel their own reservations because a cancellation fee will be automatically charged.

The South Marcum and Dam West boat ramps, the Dam West and Spillway Day Use Areas, and Corps of Engineers managed outlying access areas remain open. In addition the portions of the Rend Lake bike trail that run on Corps of Engineers managed lands remain open. This includes the portions of bike trail that run from North Sandusky to South Marcum, and from the Rend Lake Golf Course to North Marcum.

All special events, interpretive programming, Earth Day Celebration, Small World Programs site visits, and public meetings will continue to be put on hold until further notice.

The Corps of Engineers regrets any inconvenience caused by these closures, but must keep the safety and health of all visitors as well as its employees as our priority. These measures, triggered by the shelter-in-place order, allow the Corps of Engineers to continue to best deliver its other critical services uninterrupted during this challenging time.