Grand Detour Island Retreat

As I was heading to Castle Rock SP the other day, taking a different way than I had done before, I came across this small, decrepit roadside campground storefront. Had I not seen the cobalt blue, neon-like roadside sign highlighting ‘camping’ from Route 2, I would have never spotted this otherwise ill-positioned location. Located right on the Rock River, this spot purportedly offers up ‘primitive camping’ but at first glance, one would certainly need to navigate the seemingly junkyard-esque vibe of this place that is sandwiched between a car dismemberment auto body shop on the right and what looks to be a roadside fly-by-night makeshift real estate mobile home office on the left. In fact, apart from the road sign, the only other marker you will discover is the white arched façade (see photos) that you would enter to access this riverside dump. 

Right nearby Grand Detour Campground though there are two amazingly well-maintained shelter pavilions with proper picnic tables and standing BBQ grills as well as just down the jagged ill-kept gravel roads that would lead you to the base of the Rock River where there is a fairly wide open public boat / kayak / canoe launch that makes accessing this otherwise fantastic body of fresh water pretty outstanding, especially as in these parts, you can access any number of the small islands that you will find scattered here in the Rock River. 

And what Grand Detour Campground lacks in terms of an attractive natural outcrop with which to pitch a tent for the night, the charming town of Grand Detour will offer up a number of quaint touches, easy access points and solid amenities, with which to best take advantage of all the wonderful experiences that await you up and down the Rock River here in north central Illinois. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Unless your idea of a great primitive camping experience involves something between The Shining and Junkyard Dog, then I would encourage you to mosey on from this place and find ‘higher ground’ on some other patch of land (like perhaps over in Castle Rock SP, but more on that later); (2) If you do decide to stay here at Grand Detour Campground, for whatever reason, you will no doubt need to drown out your misery, but the good news is, you just need to cross the street to Catlina’s Tavern for some cheap cold tall boys; (3) Also across the street is the Shell gas station, which apart from gasoline this spot also has all of the snacks and sundries you might need, including ice and firewood, should you run out of anything; (4) For those looking for unusual historical sites, there’s one here in Grand Detour for John Deere that is worth a quick visit, and again, located within a very short walk from this camping spot; and (5) Looking for some great hiking trails? Then look no further than Franklin Creek State Natural Area, where there’s nice covered pavilions, a kid’s playground and even equestrian camping and trails to navigate. 

Happy Camping!