Best RV Parks & Resorts near Bismarck, IL

i have been to Thousand Trails in Indiana for 25 years and each time i visit i get more disappointed. its no longer a campground but an RV park. which makes me sad because tent camping is forced onto gravel or next to a septic tank hose from a neighboring RV.

however, the park is very large, has many activities such as swimming, fishing, arcades, cornhole, volleyball. you will need a vehicle to travel to activities because thry are far away. there is a general store that now serves breakfast so that is pretty nifty. it seems they are making improvements regarding grounds but i would not recommend tent camping. they do have cabins surrounding the lake.

Amazing family owned camp. Full hook ups 50/30 and pull through. Super easy to get to from the highway. Super friendly and amazing service from the time you pull up till the time you pack up and leave. Level sites. Very peaceful and quiet at night. I 100% recommend.

The full hook up sites are level and private.

Several water fill locations, dump station. Full hook up sites are very limited with minimal shade. Remainder of campground is nearly always shaded. Playground located in middle of loop and accessible/visible from any of sites on loop area. Newer restroom/showerhouse well kept.

We visit this park often throughout the year to ride the nice paved bike trails and take pictures of the restored prairie and wildflowers.  We also take our first camping excursion of the season here to make sure the camper is good to go for the season.  The full hook up sites book up quickly, and the electric only often do as well, so book your weekend early.

The sites are all pretty spacious, with a gravel pad for your camper or tent.  The electric only sites lack shade, so bring an awning or canopy.  There is also only one comfort station, although it has never been packed even with a full campground.  Some of the sites are called buddy sites, and the gravel camping pads are close to each other, so consider that when booking.

The hiking and biking trails are all moderate, but again they are in the open and a sunny day can wear you out without a hat and water.

We love this park to visit and to stay, and will always recommend it!

Great spot for an overnight stop. Host was super friendly and helpful. We had to switch dates last minute and they were super flexible. We arrived at 2am, but they had us all situated for late checkin. The campground itself was very lovely and quiet. Couple tight spots for a long rig (we have a class A 36’ +toad) but certainly manageable. WIFI signal was strong, full hook-ups were great, and bath house was super clean, with good COVID practices in place. Highly recommend.

I have to say it is always nice to stay at a state park in the off season. There are a couple hundred sites in this park and we were one of about 12 occupants. Even if this park had been full, the sites offer nice space. Sites vary from full shade to wide open out in the sun. Bathrooms are clean, but they are pretty spread out. Most sites offer electricity, but no water or sewer hook-up for RV. Water spigots are pretty spread out too. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. I didn't see any camp hosts that sold firewood when office is closed. Park is located right across the street from the local high school, I thought this was sort of odd.

We were just passing through for a nights stay, but it looked like there were some nice trails for hiking. The children playgrounds looked nice as well.

Il start this by saying: we prefer tent camping/primitive/atleast semi isolated spots. If you’re looking for RV camping, this is probably a decent spot so read no further!

We drove in to the Middle Fork Forest Preserve looking for a place to camp same day on our way down to Giant City. We weren’t able to make a reservation less than 5 days in advance online so we tried to call. No one in the office except Th-Sunday and it was Wednesday so we couldn’t get in touch. All good. It happens and it did say that clearly on their website and on voicemail. We needed a place for the night so decided to risk driving over from I57 S. Rolled in around 5 and all the campsites were marked reserved but there were about 3 people set up to camp there. We didn’t end up camping the night 1. Because we didn’t want to be jerks about the reservations although it seemed like no one else would be arriving until at the earliest the next day and 2. All of the campsites were pretty tight together and surfaced with gravel. That’s a personal preference thing. We always look for primitive/walk-in/hike in sites to set up tents/hammocks. This spot was mostly set up for RVs.

The hiking looked pretty lovely and the grounds/facilities looked well kept! Just maybe not our preference.

I have never been to a campground with so many children. At first it was a nice break from all the old folks at the RV parks, but then it got to be too much. There was constant noise and commotion and kids (and adults) constantly walking through my site. One boy was even riding his bike over my Starlink wire. A lot of the kids had electric scooters and bikes and were zooming through the campground endlessly.  I had a group from across the road come into my site and start playing frisbee golf because they did not have enough room in their own site but didn't say a word to me. Really? The surrounding area is very beautiful with rock outcroppings and small gorges unlike the rest of Indiana. However, the walking paths around this beautiful area were MOBBED.  The area around the suspension bridge was like being in Times Square.  The bathrooms were good….a solid B+.

This state park has it all. Sites are amazing! In the 100’s they are full hookup, yes that’s right sewer hookups in a state park! The 200’s are electric only. They offer a water park for a small fee, fishing, Bike trails, nature center, Indian village and have an 1800’s working farm where you can buy eggs and bacon. Easy to access right off of 65 and plenty to do in the area.

The whole premise of Prophetstown is to recreate pre-colonial landscape so not a lot of mature growth trees around the park, but nice sites with some trees in the full hookup area, very “prairie” in electric only area. Water park (closed 2020) is nice attraction as are hike and bike trails, fishing, and The Farm.

We stayed here for a quick overnight on a longer trip and want to come back for longer. Massive spots in a wooded area with lots of privacy. Full hookups as well as electric only with convenient potable water and dump stations. Nice playgrounds, bike trails (paved & mountain),fishing and an excellent aquatic center ($5 per person).

Prophetstown State Park is located between Lafayette and Battleground, IN. It proved to be a lovely place to stay. We parked in Spruce Loop which had spacious sites and full hookups. I especially appreciated the fact that all the sites were, at the least, partially shaded and at a distance from neighboring sites. We were also within easy walking distance of a spacious and clean vault toilet. A little further walk brings you to a large restroom/shower facility. It also was very clean. The full hookup sites are in Spruce Loop. Electric only sites are in Savanna Loop. They are fairly new so not offering much shade as yet, although plenty of young trees are sprouting. They park offers much in the way of hiking, biking, playgrounds, basketball court, spacious shelters, a farm and nature center to visit, plus a large fun, water park. We plan to return with our bikes and also with a grandchild soon.

This is a really nice campground with many shaded sites. We camped in a pull-through full hookup site that was very level. There is a 5-mile paved bike trail that runs through the park. The trail winds through a prairie to where the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers meet. Very pretty ride. The state park has a water park and a working farm.

Everything is brand new, including shower houses . Camping / rv spots a little close together, but nice.