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Camp Reinberg's pet-friendly tent sites and cabins provide easy access to miles of woodland trails through Deer Grove Forest Preserve in Palatine, just north of Bensenville. The campground features clean facilities with modern bathrooms and showers, along with fire pits at each site. Electric hookups, picnic tables, and firewood are available for campers bringing their dogs. Blackwell Family Campground in Warrenville also welcomes pets with spacious tent and RV sites amid a forested setting. Both locations enforce on-leash policies for dogs throughout the campground and trail areas. Rangers patrol regularly, creating a safe environment for pets and their owners. The facilities are exceptionally clean with well-maintained grounds that stay quiet at night.
The extensive trail systems at both preserves offer multiple options for dog walking, with paved paths at Deer Grove connecting to miles of dirt trails with varied terrain. Camp Reinberg sits within minutes of stores and restaurants while maintaining a natural forest atmosphere where pets can enjoy the outdoors. Sites are mulched and flat, though not extremely spacious at Camp Reinberg. Staff members at both locations provide friendly assistance and can help with local information about pet-friendly activities. For RV campers with dogs, Paul Wolff Campground in Elgin offers pet-friendly sites with electric hookups, water access, and trash service, though without shower facilities. Hiking trails directly accessible from the campgrounds allow for convenient dog exercise throughout the stay.
"Just outside of Chicago, we have been staying here for quick weekend trips and absolutely love the proximity to home."
"I always loved going to the parks in Illinois with my grandparents when I was little. They love hiking and nature and definitely got me interested in it also. I love them and miss them everyday."
from $20 - $30 / night
Check Availability"Great site, not far from Chicago, but feels well away from city life. Tent sites around rim of a lake. RV sites and cabins as well."
"What’s great about this location is the access to the miles and mile of MTB and hiking trails just out the front step of your campsite."
from $20 - $138 / night
Check Availability"Lots of biking and walking trails and plenty of off trail paths that lead to unique clearings, bridges, etc."
"tucked alongside a bike and walking path that goes through a beautiful forest preserve. The path is gorgeous dipping through forested sections, open fields, and lilly pad covered ponds!"
from $45 - $60 / night
Check Availability"The staff are super nice and the campground has great social distancing rules in place for the check-in shack and bathrooms."
"Half of them were in the Prairie and the other half was tucked into wonderfully private spots with burn pits and picnic tables. We hiked the trail and saw a mother deer feeding her 2 babies."
from $12 - $35 / night
Check Availability"They are busy but spots are large and neighbors are not close by. Lots of kids. Great for families and pet friendly."
"Driving into rural northern IL felt like leaving the craziness behind. I brought my dog to an animal-friendly area of the beach, which was small and secluded."
from $25 / night
Check Availability"Located in a Cook County forest preserve this family camping option is a nice local getaway. The facilities are all newly built or remodeled. The bathrooms are modern."
"There are several bathrooms around and they are clean. Staff is friendly and welcoming."
from $35 - $250 / night
Check Availability"Clean, with large sites, about a 5 mile walk around the nearby lake- saw several deer and rabbits - T-Mobile worked just fine- no Wi-Fi"
"Open campground with nearly zero tree. We had a great campfire but didn’t take advantage of the whole park to explore. She wants to again this year but we will spend more time hiking."
from $18 - $35 / night
Check Availability"Very Friendly Staff I received warm welcome from nice staff at the entrance gate. Tent Campground is nicely tucked inside by the lake. Quit place night time I can hear fish jumping from the water."
"We biked around the campground during the days and took advantage of the adult only hot tub hours at night. It was a nice getaway from Chicago."
from $43 - $73 / night
Check Availabilityfrom $35 - $75 / night
Check Availability"You can walk from one side to other no problem. Plenty of large and small RV's and Trailers with tent camping. Our home away from home, so relaxing!"
"Saw a few of their “puppy sites” that included a private gated area for dog owners. It poured all weekend but we still enjoyed the stay."
GuideWe love private campsites, far enough away from other campers, yet close enough to amenities. We chose a walk in site #16 which was nice but I wish we chose one a bit further in. Bathrooms where very clean. Trails are great. Pet friendly - we brought our small, quiet dogs. Dog friendly restaurant right next to the camp site.
ScoutWe’ve been staying at this resort for several months now, and wanted to share some feedback based on our experience.
The pool only opened mid-summer.
Water quality has been very bad. On one occasion, our pet had stomach issues after drinking tap water, which was concerning. The water is so unclean that our shower develops yellow stains within a day, and we’ve had to install a five-stage filtration system just to make it usable.
We’ve also noticed that rules aren’t enforced consistently, and it sometimes feels like certain guests are treated unfairly. For example, while we were told that personal kiddie pools aren’t allowed, we’ve counted at least six others set up around the park.
Package delivery is only permitted under special circumstances, and only if pre-approved by staff.
Had an incident where a staff member criticized my swimsuit at the pool, despite it being modest and similar to what others were wearing. I wore this swimsuit to many pools for many years. Additionally, the beach area is often closed even during posted open hours, and pool hours or updates aren’t clearly communicated—you have to inquire to get any information.
The storm shelter is typically locked, making it inaccessible in emergencies, which is a major concern.
We’ve also had to fix the swing set at the playground ourselves multiple times, as it’s been broken for a while. Many of the park’s facilities and amenities are showing their age and could benefit from updates and maintenance.
That said, there are aspects we’ve truly enjoyed, and they’re the main reasons we’ve continued our stay: the spacious layout of the RV park, a nice lake, beach, pool, gym, and a dog park.
LegendAs we were driving eastbound on I80 that day, we spotted the Love’s RV Hookup, which is a new concept that this oversized fueling depot / travel store has been working on for the past year or so. Having checked out one of their other locations in Bloomington earlier in the year, which I have to admit, I was fairly impressed by, we decided to stop in here to have a look. Located just due east on the outskirts of little known Morris, Illinois just off I80, this little roadside stand isn’t the largest Love’s I’ve ever seen, but it sure does pack a punch.
If you do find yourself hustling and bustling east or west along the I80 corridor and are in need of a pit stop or an overnight stay, then the good folks at the Love’s RV Hookup have you covered. While the other Love’s I have stopped by seem enormous by comparison, this spot felt more like a corner convenience store that also had a fairly large fueling bay (4 double-sided pumps) in the front, primarily for cars and SUVs.
As you pull in, there’s 4 spots earmarked to the right of the entrance for RV’s. As you pull further along in front of the Love’s fueling bay, on the other side, an additional 6 or so slots exist for other RVs to park. In all, there’s 10 back-in RV slots available and inside you’ll find that there’s 7 individual shower stalls (all of which were in pristine, brand-new shape when we stopped by) along with a laundry facility, which we were happily surprised by, as well as a designated RV dump service, propane refill station and all of the typical hook-ups (water, 30 / 50 amp electric and sewage) along with WiFi. Inside, there’s of course the Love’s retail market, which was just decent, an ATM, Hardee’s and Naf-Naf (think Subway, but instead, Middle Eastern food). There’s even a small dog park here. As I hinted at, quite a lot here for such a small location.
If you would like something more substantial to eat, just head back west on I80 to the next exit, where if you head north there’s an IHOP, Chili’s, Bellacino’s Pizza or you can head on back to the TA Travel Center where they actually have a proper sit-down 24 hour restaurant called R-Place. If instead of heading north, you drive south on the main drag (Road 47), there’s a Buffalo Wild Wings, Pizza Hut, Starbuck’s, Wendy’s, Culver’s, Dunkin' and Burger King. But if you want something a bit more memorable, I would recommend either Morris Diner & Pancake House or La Casa Michoacana. And if you don’t mind a slightly longer drive back towards Ottawa, there’s 2 amazing places I would recommend that you won’t soon forget: Hank’s and Lone Buffalo.
Should you want to actually enjoy a bit of the nature around these parts, you can continue to head south on N. Division Street / Road 47 where you’ll come to 2 parks: Goold and Chapin, where either would make for a great place to stretch your legs, walk the dog or grab a picnic. If you’d like something a bit more splendid, then head on over to William G. Stratton SP or Gebhard Woods SP where you will be able to hike the I&M Canal State Trail.
While scoring criteria may vary from one person to the next, here are the 5 most important criteria that informed my rating of this overnight location: convenience (EZ on- and off-access), safety & security, quality (of facilities), peace & quiet and amenities (either on-site or nearby). Here’s how I ranked this particular overnight spot:
Convenience: 5
Safety & Security: 4
Quality: 5
Peace & Quiet: 4
Amenities: 3
Overall, I scored this location a 4.
Happy Overnighting!
RangerI was here for three months this time as i get to business completed. The park was still kept up very nicely and this time I was here long enough to be able to see how. The grass is mowed every week. There is patroling at all hours for security. The laundry machines are great the dryers ore good. The dog park is clean and secure. The lake is natural and kept free of litter and garbage. The park is much bigger than i thought it was last year. The store has many items you may need. The showers are cleaned and work great. The camp water is high in Iron. The pot roads need service as thay do have a lot of pot holes. Good thing for the 5mph speed limit.
LegendMy first impression when I first arrived here was the overwhelming scent of a newly minted campground, what with the freshly laid gravel, the mint condition security gates, finely manicured and recently raked greenery (as it was October when we visited, it might be better described as brownery) surrounded by a fairly decent gated enclosure lined with perfectly pruned tall towering oaks. Upon arrival, you’ll find what looks to be a brand-spanking new log cabin office on the right after passing a seemingly freshly-minted activities center / community lodge complete with in-ground heated swimming pool and jacuzzi on the left.
Amenities? As you could guess, this pet-friendly 60-acre RV resort has all the attractions in spades from pickleball, playgrounds, volleyball, log pergola patio, full hook-ups (30 / 50 amp electric, water & sewage), picnic tables, fire pits, BBQ grills, wagon rides, river access, picnic areas, bathhouses w/ showers & restrooms, cable TV WiFi (pretty poor connection though), gaga ball, game room, community room, billiards table, playground, wet bar, tabletop shuffleboard, community living room with large screen TV, DVD player w/ DVD library, clubhouse, dog park, horseshoes, hot tub, covered pavilions with picnic tables, catch & release ponds, inflatable water toys, jumping pillow, laundr-O-mat, propane refueling station and dump station.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a handful: (1) This place isn’t EZ to find – for some reason, if you plug the campground into your GPS, you’ll literally be on the wrong side of the tracks, where you will arrive at a dead end with a sign that says you are in the wrong place and that you’ll need to double-back, cross the train tracks heading north and turn right just before arriving to High Road School of Belvidere (so if you see a school, you’ve gone too far); (2) You will want to take note that yes, you actually cross train tracks to get to this campground, so if you’re sharp, you’re going to want to ensure you haven’t booked a site right next to where trains will shoot through every few hours, this specifically means avoiding sites #E1-#E5 and #FS23-#FS36 as well as #FE1-#FE20; (3) If you’re a tent camper, you can certainly stay here, but you will want to note that this is very much an RV outpost; (4) The best sites IMHO are those on the northernmost perimeter, as far away from the train tracks as you can get and that also border the Kishwaukee River with sites #S9-#S20 being excellent, as well as #S25-#S81, which are equally amazing; (5) If you are planning on using that amazing pool that you saw as you came in, make sure you call management a good day or two before you come in to ensure that they turn on the heater – when we were there for 2 days, by the time we left, the pool was still too cold to go for a dip; and (6) When you grow weary of trying to conjure up a meal from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler and want to venture out to try some local fare, just a short walk into the nearby town is Garden Prairie Café, which has a very simple menu offering no shortage of fried everything (fish, shrimp, chicken, etc.) and then there’s Pleasant Street Tavern, but that’s mostly cheap national beers and frozen pizza fare, so if you want something a bit more substantive, head west of here to Miles Bar N’ Grill that serves up typical Midwestern fare like cheese curds, pork tenderloin, Italian beef and a variety of fried fish like blue gill, cod and catfish.
Happy Camping!
TravelerFriendly staff who were quick to respond to any issues. Partial hookups (sewer just outside of park behind hotel). $46/night (+fees) for a pull-through spot. Pet-friendly. Pleasant park with good pad. Near busy road and shipping plant. No wi-fi found except at hotel. Good phone connection. Garbage cans throughout park. Minutes from I & M Canal entrance on Houbolt and from JJC and I-80.
ScoutStaff was polite and helpful. They escort you to your spot. They hand out activity sheets for the weekend. Petting zoo, camp store, pool, lake/pond for swimming and fishing. Cell signal for ATT just one bar. No internet. Lots of full time residents. Lots of activities for kids. Pet friendly. They charge extra if you have visitors.
ScoutWe love camping here. It truly feels rural. Small shower house but water pressure is amazing. It’s always quiet and the view is beautiful. Bugs were awful this stay. They are busy but spots are large and neighbors are not close by. Lots of kids. Great for families and pet friendly.
RangerFor years, this was our go-to campground for weekend nearby adventures. Over the years, the price has increased and at $30 per site for non-residents, it's a bit steep for tent camping for me (so I left off a star rating). All sites are electric, so if you are tent camping and want your fan or slow-cooker, then it's as good as it gets in the burbs. It's located in a beautiful wooded Dupage County Forest preserve. While the sites are pretty close together, there are a few good ones that feel more secluded. Designated chip bark tent sites are level. The grounds are very well maintained. While I didn't camp here this year, I took these photos the last weekend in October to give everyone a sense of how nice this campground could be for them. My favorite sites over the years were the ones closest to Silver Lake along the South Loop road because those sites have the best views. For privacy, my favorite site is #27 on the north loop road which makes you feel like you are alone in the woods. Other than plenty of hiking options including a big hill, the fishing is outstanding. There are lots of places along the lake and ponds to get an easy catch and release. There is also archery, a dog park, picnic areas, boat rental/ramp, and a compass course. It is a great place for families. I've brought cub scouts here and my kids' friends. Heads-up that sites 21 & 22 may not be able to see traffic on the busy Winfield Rd in the summer, but you will still hear it at those sites.
Pet friendly camping near Bensenville, Illinois offers convenient access to natural areas within 30 miles of Chicago's urban center. The terrain consists primarily of former glacial moraines with modest elevation changes and small waterways throughout preserved woodland areas. Summer temperatures typically range from 75-90°F, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms possible from June through August.
Hiking varied terrain: Deer Grove Forest Preserve trails feature distinct topography with both paved and unpaved options. "There are miles and miles of trails. We saw tons of animals and birds including a snake, loads of herons and songbirds, deer, a raccoon and a Cooper's Hawk," notes a visitor to Camp Bullfrog Lake.
Mountain biking: The trail systems near Willow Springs provide excellent riding opportunities. "The mountain bike trails were awesome. If you're a trail rider, you must stay here. The lack of shade won't matter because you'll be riding all day," explains a camper at Camp Bullfrog Lake.
Fishing year-round: Multiple preserves offer fishing access. "The fishing is outstanding. There are lots of places along the lake and ponds to get an easy catch and release," reports a reviewer from Blackwell Family Campground.
Archery practice: Some preserves maintain dedicated ranges. A Blackwell visitor mentioned, "The grounds include a lake for boating, hiking trails, and bike paths. There is also an archery range, and some ranger programs."
Clean, modern facilities: Bathroom quality ranks high on camper priorities. "Bathroom/shower facilities were clean and well stocked," notes a reviewer at Camp Bullfrog Lake. Another camper at Paul Wolff Campground mentioned, "The vault toilets are clean but smell like vault toilets at 95 degrees. There is one very clean flush toilet building."
Wildlife viewing: The preserves support diverse wildlife. A visitor to Camp Reinberg enjoyed "the butterflies and fireflies that put on a beautiful show. There are so many wildflowers everywhere!"
Site spacing and layout: Campers appreciate well-designed campgrounds. "The sites are crushed limestone and are level and wooded," explains a Blackwell camper. At Paul Wolff, "There are vault toilets but the large number of big RVs meant they were not used often leaving them almost like our private restrooms."
Accessibility from urban areas: Location convenience matters to many. "Located only 30 miles outside the city, and conveniently only 10 mins from my house, this is the perfect little getaway," shares a Blackwell visitor.
Seasonal operations: Many campgrounds have limited seasons. "Only down side of the park is that it is only open on the weekends. On holiday weekends you are able to stay for three nights," notes a Blackwell camper.
Site characteristics: Terrain varies across locations. At Camp Sullivan, "The campsites are TINY. We were in a modest pop up and still felt crowded." A reviewer at Paul Wolff mentioned, "There are a large number of RV pads overlooking the prairie and a few along a grove of trees."
Water hookup challenges: Some campgrounds have limited hookup access. At Paul Wolff, a visitor advised, "If you need the water/electric then this is a great choice." Another camper noted, "Water is on site but, not ideal."
Price variations: Costs differ based on residency. "Prices are a great deal if you live in Kane county but still worth the trip if you live in another county," explains a Paul Wolff visitor. Another mentioned, "It's expensive, for what is there, if you are not a Kane County resident."
Group sites availability: Scout groups and family gatherings benefit from dedicated spaces. A Blackwell visitor shared, "Our Scouts were able to walk down to access the lake and fish. Additionally, there's an open space for sports/games and some great climbing trees within the group area."
Kid-friendly activities: Some campgrounds offer special programs. At Illinois Beach State Park, families enjoy "easy access to the beach. Great for families." Camp Sullivan provides "pavilions, air conditioned/heated dining hall... There are lots of trees and it is somewhat woodsy."
Weather preparedness: Summer heat affects campground experiences. "Unfortunately the wood I bought from the camp store took forever to catch flames—my other two neighbors had the same issue," notes a Camp Bullfrog Lake visitor. Sites with limited shade require extra preparation—Paul Wolff campers advised "sites with limited shade require extra preparation."
Site selection strategy: RV campers should consider specific site characteristics. A visitor to Big Rock Campground advised, "Water hookup is far behind camping pad - bring extensions!" At Paul Wolff, "All sites have water and electric. Trees are around the outside with few on the inside sites."
Electric options: Most campgrounds offer hookups. "All sites are electric, so if you are tent camping and want your fan or slow-cooker, then it's as good as it gets in the burbs," notes a Blackwell camper. At Big Rock, visitors appreciate "Water + 50amp hookups. Wide, open spaces."
Dumping facilities: Services vary by location. Camp Reinberg has staff who "will pull the hose over to the site in order to do a water fill up." At Paul Wolff, "There is a dump station at the entrance/exit."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Bensenville, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Bensenville, IL is Blackwell Family Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 22 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Bensenville, IL?
TheDyrt.com has all 61 dog-friendly camping locations near Bensenville, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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