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Best Tent Camping near Caledonia, IL

740 Reviews

Several tent campgrounds surround Caledonia, Illinois, with MacQueen Forest Preserve offering one of the most notable primitive tent experiences in the region. This forest preserve features nine well-spaced tent sites set on a mix of wooded and open meadow terrain, with sites 1, 2, and 8 situated in more densely forested areas. Castle Rock State Park, located along the Rock River, provides unique boat-in tent camping where sites are accessible only by canoe or kayak, requiring a 2-mile paddle downstream from the park's boat launch.

Tent sites at MacQueen Forest Preserve require campers to walk in from the parking area, with distances varying from 100 yards to a quarter mile depending on the site. The preserve provides one wagon and a dolly for transporting gear to campsites. Each site includes a fire pit and picnic table, with vault toilets available in a central location. A review mentioned that "sites are pretty spread out" and "by far the best spot on the grounds" is site #8, which overlooks the river. Self-registration is available at $4-5 per night, making these tent sites among the most affordable in the region.

The walk-in tent sites at MacQueen offer significantly more privacy than typical campgrounds. Sites are spaced at least 50 yards apart, creating a secluded experience rare for tent camping in northern Illinois. The surrounding forest preserve provides limited hiking opportunities along the main path and smaller trails connecting to the Kishwaukee River. Campers should note that trains pass nearby during the night, which may affect light sleepers. Based on reviews from The Dyrt, the campground is "well maintained" with "freshly mowed" areas around the edges and clean vault toilets. Water is available on site but is non-potable, so tent campers must bring their own drinking water or treatment methods. The primitive nature and wide spacing of sites makes this location particularly appealing for tent campers seeking solitude within a short drive of the Chicago metropolitan area.

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Best Tent Sites Near Caledonia, Illinois (11)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Caledonia, IL

12 Photos of 11 Caledonia Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Caledonia, IL

740 Reviews of 11 Caledonia Campgrounds

  • Marisa A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 16, 2020

    MacQueen Forest Preserve

    Secluded Hike-in Tent Campsites on the Kish

    This is where to go if you don't like pitching a tent in a field of RVs. There is one wheelchair accessible tent site on a blacktop path in the forest canopy. This is a very primative campground with 1 set of Vault toilets. The other campsites require a walk/hike along a gravel path for completely wooded sites or cross a football sized meadow for open air sites. There are several well-water pumps "not for drinking." Each campsite has a fire pit and a picnic table. Pack out your garbage for the dumpster in the parking lot. There are only 9 sites total. VERY private and secluded. Tents only! Massive forest preserve area for excellent hiking. Some fellow campers were doing a diy tubing right to the campground. (About a 2 hr lazy river tube from Kingston or 5hrs from Genoa on the slow moving S. Branch of the Kishwaukee River which can be pretty deep in places.) Absolutely NO ALCOHOL. Cost for tent sites is only $4 per tent or tent-like structure. There are primitive cabins for rent and a large lodge if you rented the structure for an event here. By their facebook page, it looks like there have been beautiful weddings here. This is a former scout camp flanked by more forest preserves. The ranger is very nice and the entrance is locked from sunset to sunrise. I hesitated even posting this tent-camping primitive heaven, because I almost want to keep it for myself and the locals. Please practice leave no trace and follow the rules if you go so this place stays open. Dog friendly, but must be leashed all of time or a $50 fine. My dog loved the trails and river crossings! Gorgeous hidden gem about an hour into cornfield country from Chicago NW suburbs like Woodfield Mall. I had cell service at one spot in the parking lot, but it was fleeting with T-mobile. A fellow camper had the best private spot (#2) which other than the ada site was the best because it was closest to the parking lot, yet she still had a festival/yard cart to pull her gear up a gravel path. Make sure you bring yours or are outfitted with backpacking gear. Like anywhere, prevent insect deforestation and don't bring firewood, it's fine, they have plenty.

  • Stacie H.
    May. 29, 2022

    White Pines Forest State Park Campground

    Lovely natural scenery; campground leaves something to be desired

    Let's start with the good stuff:

    • The park is beautiful. Lovely trees, lots of shade, the hiking trails are nice, well marked, and they even have an accessible trail for those with disabilities!
    • There is a restaurant and gift shop on site. Gift shop sells wood if you run low or forget.
    • The bathrooms and shower house are relatively clean and well kept.

    Now for the not so great stuff:

    • Many of the campsites are sloped and some are sloped A LOT. This isn't obvious from the booking page.

    • The campground is absolutely jammed with camp sites- it's ridiculous. I've never been to a campground where the sites were so on top of one another.

    • We stayed in the Sunny Crest loop and the drinking water well was broken so we had to travel to other parts of the campground for water. When carrying a 10 gallon jug full of water back, that really sucked.

    • The sites that are marked as "hike in" aren't secluded and away from other sites at all, as one might expect. They are jammed in with all the others but there just isn't any parking nearby.

    • It had rained the day before was went and so the road to the campgrounds was blocked off (presumably because the creek was running too high), but there was NO SIGNAGE telling us how to get there another way. There was no one in the park office or in the camping registration station to ask. We finally figured out that we had to take an emergency road/auxiliary road to get to the campground, but that was after about 30 minutes of confusion.

    • The breakfast buffet at the restaurant is mid but very pricey- $50 for 2 of us.

    • The quiet hours and no alcohol policy are not enforced at all. While we were there, there was a very loud group playing beer pong into the wee hours of the morning.

    • About half of the fire rings don't have grill grates so bring your own or bring a camp stove (See pic). Also, when you book your site, there is no way to know if your fire ring will have a grill grate or note.

  • Meg
    Jun. 12, 2022

    Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

    Beautiful View (site 20), serious slope

    We LOVE site 20 as does everyone else who books this one up quick. Literally the only downside is that you have no flat spots anywhere on the site, which killed our backs sleeping in tents.

    Pros - lake view, but a safe distance down the hill so no worries about the kids at the campsite.

    On the end with tons of privacy, full row of trees and a ton of space until the next site. It’s like your own mini oasis.

    Lake is also fabulous. We decided to rent instead of hauling our own kayak and they were clean, affordable and quick process.

    Cons - lol that hill is no joke. Pit toilets I wouldn’t touch with a 10ft pole, but that’s pretty typical.

  • D
    Aug. 3, 2025

    Paul Wolff Campground

    No showers

    We would gladly stay here again!

    Great campsite with the best staff ever! The sites are clean and very well maintained. We loved the staff patrolling the grounds. The trail system is great for walking the dogs. And I even grew to like the no alcohol in the preserve rule.

    The vault toilets are clean but smell like vault toilets at 95 degrees. There is one very clean flush toilet building but no showers. They don't advertise showers, but this is the newest and nicest campsite I have seen without showers. There is some shade, but you have to search for it.

  • Marisa A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 16, 2020

    Paul Wolff Campground

    Great value Chicago suburb campsite

    I've camped here four different occasions this 2020 covid-19 year. The staff are super nice and the campground has great social distancing rules in place for the check-in shack and bathrooms. It is a super clean campground with multiple hosts and forest preserve staff. There are a large number of RV pads overlooking the prairie and a few along a grove of trees. I was lucky once to see the equestrian area full of campers with their horses. There are 9 walk-in tent sites about 10-20 yards from parking (the two at the end p7 and p9 are connected for groups that know each other). There are multiple ada sites and two "walk-in/ie roll-in" site in the tent-only area. It's a good mix of young people, retired people, and families. I've seen weekends with mainly RVs and one weekend with a quarter of the drive-in sites being tents. The most shaded sites are p1,3,5,7 and 9. Many of the sites in the middle are wide open with little shade but nice summer breezes. Prices are a great deal if you live in Kane county but still worth the trip if you live in another county. Firewood is $7 for about .75 cu ft (what you can fit in a milk crate.) There are a few trails and I've seen lots of butterflies, gold finches, hawks, deer, flocks of giant sandhill cranes, rabbits, ground squirrels, and of course actual squirrels. Lots of people (including me) bring their leashed dogs. The other campers have been polite and friendly. I wish there was more distance between sites in the water/electrical loops for more privacy, but I'd go every weekend if I lived in Kane county because it would be worth the resident price even tho there are so many RVs. Because there is electrical it is a peaceful campground with no generator noise.

  • S
    Oct. 2, 2020

    Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

    Good Tent Sites

    We visited this spot last summer as a place to stay for 1 night on our way farther north.

    We really enjoy tent camping and prefer walk-in/hike in sites so we can have some privacy away from other campers. The campsites were decently dispersed and the ground was nice and grassy so it was pretty comfortable.

    We always want more space between campsites, but I think the privacy level was fine. The tent sites are right off the parking lot where the boat ramp is so maybe on a busy weekend it would be a little loud, but overall a nice night for us!

    We left in the morning to continue our drive so we didn’t spend much time checking out the hiking trails.

    We did however go checkout the beach which wasn’t much to write home about. If I remember correctly, we had to pay a fee to enter. Always happy to support a state park. We just figured since we were already paying to camp there, it wouldn’t cost extra. I’m pretty sure we paid an admission fee and didn’t stay for long. It was across the way and requires a drive instead of a hike to get there.

  • Becca Z.
    Aug. 30, 2020

    Lowden State Park Campground

    Great camping spot!

    We were so happy with the size of the tent camping sites. They were mostly all flat, plenty of space and gave privacy from the neighbors. We were at site 28 which had both sun and shade. Right across from the pit toilets which I wouldn’t pick next time. There was no shower house or running water in the loop we were at. Across the street were the electric rv sites and a few tent sites. Only compliant is even from the middle of the campground we could hear the road noise. Otherwise great!

  • Josh F.
    Dec. 29, 2020

    New Glarus State Park Campground

    Small, close to 2 busy roads - there are nicer options in Southern Wis.

    Throughout the summer of 2020, I camped at a number of Wisconsin state parks in the southern part of the state but hadn't gotten to camp at this one yet. While driving through the area I visited the park in December- photos won't show its summertime beauty but my walk through the park identified some ideal spots for camping. 

    The state park is open year-round, camping open May - October. The first thing I visited were the walk-in campsites. There is a loading zone parking lot with limited time parking. Access to the 14 walk-in sites is via a single trail with campsites on either side of the trail. There is a decrepit but functional pit toilet. All the walk-in sites have a picnic table and each is tucked off the trail into the woods.

    The downside to the walk-in sites is their proximity to a major highway. While walking through the campground I could easily hear the road noise. If I were looking to get away from civilization, or at least pretend to be far away from it all, that road noise would be a constant reminder that I wasn't. The further down the walk-in site trail I got, the closer I got to the highway and in fact, car headlights showed right up the trail as I was approaching the last set of campsites.

    When looking at a map and choosing a site, the walk-in campsites on the same side of the trail as the toilet are a little more private and secluded, and back up to expansive woods. The sites on the other side of the trail are nice but they are a little closer to the freeway and don't have as much forest coverage behind the campsites. The furthest walk-in site is at least a 4-minute (slightly downhill) walk from the parking lot. The centrally-located restroom is no more than 2 minutes from any of the walk-in campsites. Sites are between 40 and 1,000 feet from the walk-in loading zone.

    If walking to your campsite isn't your thing there is also a family campground with 17 drive-in (not drive through) sites located along a typical one-way paved road system. Unfortunately, this side of the state park is bordered by a different and only slightly less traveled road than the walk-in sites. Some campsites are sandwiched between the loop road and the main road, are lit by nighttime traffic headlights lights. As the campground road continues toward the group campground it veers away from the main road and offers a bit more privacy. These are the sites I'd select if I were to camp here.

    Of the group campsites, 55 and 56 are in a nicely wooded area with shade. 52 53 and 54 are in an open area with no shade. The family campground is serviced by two pit toilets centrally located to the campsites.

    Due to the very small size of this state park, lack of much to do except one hiking trail through it, and proximity to two main roads, I would not recommend the state park. There are many others in southern Wisconsin that have far more to offer. 

    Seriously, if you're looking for a Wisconsin state park in this neck of the woods, check out Yellowstone Lake or Blue Mound State Park instead. See my review of the latter for specific spots that would be awesome for tent camping.

  • GoWhereYouAreDraw N.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 12, 2020

    Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    Well maintained and clean

    Very impressed with this state park! It was huge, almost 3 miles just to our site! The showers were clean. The spots were large and wooded with nice fire ring set ups. The staff was very helpful answering any questions and giving recommendations. We stayed on a primitive/wilderness site for $12 with no electric. They will allow anyone on these sites-we even saw huge RV'S and 5th wheels on primitive sites.

    There are amazing trails through park for people to hike, bike, or ride horse on.

    Spring Grove is a tiny town nearby with a little corner bar called “The Grove”. They serve amazing food with great service. Very clean! I recommend checking it out if you’re looking for some good food.

Guide to Caledonia

Tent camping opportunities near Caledonia, Illinois extend beyond the well-known sites at MacQueen Forest Preserve. The region features a mix of oak savanna, prairie, and riverfront terrain with elevations ranging from 720-850 feet above sea level. Summer temperatures typically reach 80-85°F with winter lows often dropping below freezing, making spring and fall the most comfortable camping seasons.

What to do

Water activities on the Rock River: Castle Rock State Park Campground offers unique boat-in camping experiences with sites accessible only by canoe or kayak. "It's a beautiful and easy paddle to the sites. We spent about 40 minutes getting to the campground while also enjoying the unique rock and sandstone formations along the way," says one reviewer who appreciated the natural scenery.

Hiking nearby trails: New Glarus State Park Campground provides access to several hiking paths suitable for day excursions. "There are some really shallow tent spots though, so make sure you reserve in advance. The sites are clean, each with a fire ring and a table," notes a camper who visited the park. The trails range from beginner to moderate difficulty with minimal elevation changes.

Birdwatching opportunities: Franklin Creek State Natural Area Equestrian Campground features excellent bird observation locations. "If you're a bird watcher, you'll enjoy the flycatchers, warblers, and woodpeckers, vireos as well as barn and horned-rim owls," according to a visitor who documented their wildlife sightings.

What campers like

Private camping experiences: While MacQueen Forest Preserve is known for site spacing, Sandhill Station State Campground also offers secluded tent sites. "The sites are all very remote; no onsite rangers or anything like that. Beautiful walk in sites, no carts to haul gear so pack light!" mentions a reviewer highlighting the primitive nature of this camping area.

Budget-friendly options: Castle Rock State Park Campground provides affordable sites with basic amenities. "The very best part? You're in the middle of the country, with gorgeous sunsets, and the primitive camping is only $4," shares an enthusiastic visitor who appreciated both the views and value.

Unique overnight locations: Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center provides distinctive camping experiences in a natural setting. "There are over 640 acres of meadow, forest, and stocked pond. I'm not sure if it's still there, but there used to be a challenging obstacle course up a steep hill," recalls a former visitor who enjoyed the varied terrain and facilities.

What you should know

Weather considerations: Tent camping near Caledonia can be affected by seasonal conditions. At Sandhill Station State Campground, a camper noted: "I wouldn't go in the middle of summer, due to the limited shade, but it was very nice in early fall." Most sites in the region have minimal shelter from summer heat and storms.

Transportation of gear: Many tent sites require walking from parking areas. A MacQueen Forest Preserve visitor mentioned, "You do have to walk into all of them, but they do have one wagon and a dolly you can use to tote things in. It's an easy walk, on a crushed gravel road and mowed trail."

Water supply issues: Non-potable water is common at many campgrounds in the region. At Castle Rock State Park Campground, campers are warned: "There is water, but it is not, I repeat is not, potable." Bring sufficient drinking water or proper filtration methods.

Tips for camping with families

Accessible activities: KMSF Shelter 1 Backpack Site offers a moderate hiking experience for families with older children. "Great backpack camp site. Decent walk and terrain to get to the site. There is an open shelter to put your tent if you prefer to outside," notes a visitor who found the location suitable for an overnight adventure.

Noise factors: Consider train and highway noise when selecting sites. New Glarus State Park Campground campers report: "These sites are right next to the highway and are subject to continuous, round the clock highway noise. The highway seems to be a regular truck route, with lots of semis driving by at all hours."

Bug protection: Pack insect repellent, especially during summer months. "The sites are really near some stagnant water, though, so WAY too many mosquitoes, even with the really intense bug spray," warns a visitor to Sandhill Station State Campground.

Tips from RVers

Site accessibility limitations: Most tent-focused campgrounds in the Caledonia region have limited RV access. At MacQueen Forest Preserve, sites require walking in with gear, making them unsuitable for RVs. Some campgrounds like Franklin Creek State Natural Area Equestrian Campground can accommodate small trailers but lack hookups.

Nearest RV-friendly alternatives: Look for sites with drive-in access within 30-40 miles. New Glarus State Park Campground has some options: "There are drive-up sites, walk-in sites and a group campground. The drive-up sites are next to the road so you do hear cars all night/day and it is a tiny space."

Dump station availability: Many primitive campgrounds lack sanitation facilities for RVs. When staying near Caledonia, plan ahead for waste disposal needs as most tent-focused sites don't offer dump stations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Caledonia, IL?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Caledonia, IL is MacQueen Forest Preserve with a 4.7-star rating from 6 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Caledonia, IL?

TheDyrt.com has all 11 tent camping locations near Caledonia, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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