Searching for the best camping near Cicero, IL? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Illinois camping adventure.
Indiana Dunes National Park hugs 15 miles (24 km) of the southern shore of Lake Michigan and has much to offer. Whether you enjoy scouting for rare species of birds or flying kites on the sandy beach, the national park's 15,000 acres (6070 ha) will continually enchant you. Hikers will enjoy 50 miles (80 km) of trails over rugged dunes, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, meandering rivers and peaceful forests.__
There is no one-size-fits-all trip to the dunes. Each season offers new and different ways to enjoy Indiana Dunes National Park. Spring splashes the river banks of the Heron Rookery with an abundance of colorful wildflowers in this birder's paradise. Lake Michigan summer sunsets paint the skies with vibrant rays that offer a picture-perfect picnic setting. In the fall, Maple trees burst with warm red and golden hues crafting a spectacular backdrop for a hike by the Chellberg Farm and winter brings a scenic canvas of virgin white snow begging for a cross-country skiing adventure in the Glenwood Dunes.__ As the seasons change, so do the recreational opportunities, park facility operating hours and closures and safety concerns. Here is a list of some of the activities that occur in the National Park: Beach-going & Swimming, Biking, Bird Watching, Camping, Fishing & Boating, Hiking, Geocaching, Historical Sites, Horseback Riding, Interpretive Programs, Picnic, Winter Activities and Guided Tours. Check the Calendar page on our website for our list of Ranger-led programs.
There is no one-size-fits-all trip to the dunes. Each season offers new and different ways to enjoy Indiana Dunes National Park. Spring splashes the river banks of the Heron Rookery with an abundance of colorful wildflowers in this birder's paradise. Lake Michigan summer sunsets paint the skies with vibrant rays that offer a picture-perfect picnic setting. In the fall, Maple trees burst with warm red and golden hues crafting a spectacular backdrop for a hike by the Chellberg Farm and winter brings a scenic canvas of virgin white snow begging for a cross-country skiing adventure in the Glenwood Dunes.__ As the seasons change, so do the recreational opportunities, park facility operating hours and closures and safety concerns. Here is a list of some of the activities that occur in the National Park: Beach-going & Swimming, Biking, Bird Watching, Camping, Fishing & Boating, Hiking, Geocaching, Historical Sites, Horseback Riding, Interpretive Programs, Picnic, Winter Activities and Guided Tours. Check the Calendar page on our website for our list of Ranger-led programs.
Indiana Dunes National Park is a treasure of diverse natural resources located within an urban setting. The national park features communities that have both scientific and historic significance to the field of ecology. In addition, four National Natural Landmarks (including Pinhook Bog and Cowles Bog ) and one National Historical Landmark (the Bailly Homestead ) are located within its boundaries.______ The park is comprised of over 15,000 acres (6070 ha) of dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests. It contains 15 miles (24 km) of Lake Michigan shoreline spanning the distance from Gary to Michigan City. Lake Michigan is part of the largest complex of freshwater lakes in the world. The national park's beaches are the park's most significant recreational resource.____ For more information on our natural features visit the Nature and Science page on the park website.__
Located close to the campground is Lake View Beach on Lake Michigan which is located 1.5 miles north of the campground. Several other national park beaches are within easy driving distance. Do NOT park in the Town of Beverly Shores' beach parking lot, which is located just to the east of the Lake View lot. You will get ticketed. The town is very strict. A gas station / convenience store is located __ mile north of the campground at the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and Broadway Avenue. The Beverly Shores South Shore Railroad station with passenger service to Chicago and South Bend is located on Broadway Avenue, __ mile north of the campground. Indiana Dunes Tourism and LaPorte County Convention & Visitors Bureau have lists of other activities in the area.
$25 / night
Camp just steps from the water in the heart of the vast, hilly Palos Preserves. Camp Bullfrog Lake offers year-round camping, group activities and water-based recreation such as canoe rentals and fishing. Just around the corner from Maple Lake’s boathouse and the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, it’s also a perfect launching pad for hiking, mountain biking and birdwatching adventures on Palos’ 50-plus miles of trails.
$20 - $138 / night
Camping options: Dunbar Group Site and General Camping
Dunbar Group: The Dunbar Group Site holds up to 30 people and is located less than 500 feet from the beach. The site overlooks the Great Marsh and Lake Michigan. Parking and restrooms are located in the Dunbar Beach parking lot, 400 feet from the site.
Indiana Dunes consists of 2,182 acres of primitive, beautiful, historic, and unique Hoosier landscape. It lies at the north end of State Road 49 in Porter County and includes more than three miles of beautiful beach along Lake Michigan’s southern shore. In the early 1900s scientists, recreationists, and nature enthusiasts, recognizing the value and potential of the Indiana dunes area, fought to have the region preserved. As a result, in 1925, the state park was established.
Large sand dunes, located beyond the entire shoreline, have taken thousands of years to form, and tower nearly 200 feet above Lake Michigan. A wide range of habitats and plant species are found in the park, with vegetation stabilizing some of the sand. These habitats provide homes for many types of plants and animals. The lake also provides a habitat for many aquatic species, as well as a constantly changing fishery.
$12 - $44 / night
$35 - $250 / night
Lakeshore Camp Resort Portage, IN is a 940 site Membership park. We have 115 full hookup campsites and 12 cabins available for rent to the general public. We offer you and your family a fun filled camping experience with access to our many amenities that include: 22 Acre lake, 4 pools, beaches, fishing, boat rental, mini golf, daily recreational activities, weekend entertainment, and much more!
We are conveniently located 10 miles from the Indiana Dunes National Park, and approximately 45 miles from downtown Chicago, IL. Area attractions include; Deep River water park, Chicago train system, casinos, bike trails, zoos, and museums.
Whether you are enjoying activities in or out of the park there is much to do.
$49 - $57 / night
Fish Lake Beach is one of the largest, privately owned campgrounds in Illinois, with 580 seasonal sites occupying the majority of the 113-acre property along with 60 overnight campsites. Fish Lake Beach has been family owned and operated for over eight amazing decades. Our brief story in pictures and how we got started is just below. Fish Lake Beach has become a camping tradition or a home-away-from-home for generations of families. We take pleasure in providing a friendly and fun experience.
$43 - $73 / night
Enjoy a peaceful camping experience in a friendly and quiet country setting, with long, pull-through RV sites, shaded tent sites, rustic and deluxe camping cabins, and even fully equipped travel trailers for rent. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available throughout the park.
There is a lot to do for families! Check out the Gem Mining, Jump Pad, Gagaball, Minigolf, Frisbee Golf, Polipong and huge playground! Join us for hay-wagon rides, face painting, flashlight candy hunt and more on weekends.
Have fun at Onesti's Wild West Town next door, visit the Illinois Railway museum, Santa's Village Azoosment Park, Six Flags Great America and cool off at Magic Waters near Rockford or in our own crystal clear pool.
Take the "Metra" train from nearby Crystal Lake or Woodstock to visit Chicago for sightseeing, festivals, and tours. We are also a convenient distance to the Woodfield Mall, Prime Outlet Discount Mall, and the Grand Victoria Riverboat Casino. Various local restaurants are within minutes.
{Additional Info}:
2 Deluxe Studio Cabins with patios are set up next to each other in the RV park to facilitate families, that like to camp close to each other.
All of our rustic cabins are equipped with an A/C unit.
You will find us approximately 55 miles from downtown Chicago, 4.5 miles to I-90, in a rural setting of northwestern Illinois.
Open from mid-April through mid-October.
Gated campground 24hrs a day (after hour arrivals need a reservation)
Dogs are allowed, but breed restrictions apply.
We stayed in the Turner lake south loop, which has nice and private sites. This is in contrast to Honeysuckle hollow which is open and row after row of RV sites. Fox den and Prairie view loops are nice as well with mostly primitive sites. Be aware that the map on www.ExloreMoreIL,com(where you make your reservations) doesn't show where the restrooms are. In the Turner loop, the pit toilets are next to the path to the fishing pier, while the showers and full restrooms are between Turner and Fox den, there is a short path between sites 60& 61. Facilities are clean and well lit. Fire pits are slightly raised steel troughs with a heavy adjustable grill. This is a BIG park, the campgrounds are two miles from the front gate, and it's a drive to the main boat launch at Maple Grove, where you have access to the Fox River and Grass lake. This location has a huge parking lot for boat trailers, a very well stocked general store with fishing supplies, a cafe, boat rentals and good firewood. To get away from the crowd if you're a canoeist or kayaker it's nicer to leave the park and go back in at Oak Point picnic area and boat launch at the northern border. This will put you on the Fox river with developments to the north(including a bar& grill) or to the south which is all nature. I think the distance by boat between the two launches is 4-5 miles, but I'm not sure, Halfway there you'll meet up with the Goldfinch trail which is the shortest loop and the most diverse in term of flora. There are horse/ snowmobile trails, but no equestrian campground. Chain o' Lakes is one of the busiest waterways in Illinois, with motorboats everywhere in the height of the summer season. We canoe, and both times we stayed there it was October, so I can't tell you how crowded, but the vast number of picnic areas must be there for a reason. An odd thing is that you can hear a Steam Train whistle quite often, this is from Richardson's Adventure Farm in Spring Grove. We don't have kids so we went to Stade's Farm& Orchard(which is also large and kid friendly) because they have an orchard and vegetable market. One last thing, the gates close at 10:PM and there are tire shredders, you can leave but you can't get back in… unless you want to walk 2+ miles in the dark:)
Lovely area and there’s so many beach areas nearby. Not on the lake but close! Best hike nearby is Mount Baldy! It’s short and you have the beach to yourself!
Convenient to Indiana dunes, each site is easily accessible and spacious. The facilities are fairly clean and showers are available though we didn’t use them. Would recommend as a stop over. As a solo female traveler I felt safe.
Advertised as $25 a night, but you must have an Indiana Dunes park pass, which is only good for this specific park. Site was fine, facilities were decent.
I somehow booked a different campground- website was confusing apparently. However the worker was so helpful and found me a spot anyway. Sites are kind of small so not a lot of space for big big campers. Cute lake and relatively quiet. Odd though that when I asked questions like where can we fill water and if they had a park map I got looked at like I had 3 heads.
This is a nice national park campground and has all that you would expect from that, but the mosquitos here are insane!!! I came back with giant welts from the bites even with bug spray on. I honestly couldn’t wait to leave!
The campsites are kinda small but not on top of each other. Had some raccoons at night even after we locked up everything in the car. The lake was very nice. We were able to kayak but be careful getting the kayaks in. Stairs down to the pier and the bottom of the lake is very mushy. The water was very clear and you could see the fish swim by. This loop is best for tent camping. The other loops are basically all rvs. The boat launch to the fox river was nice too but it does get busy.
This was a very nicely managed site. All services you might want, even showers. Our spot wasn’t very closed off from other sites, and you’re not likely to get much privacy here
Nice Privat Spot and lots of Shade, Train is on Duty all Night Paid $12.50 with my Senior Discount 👍
We stayed in Honeysuckle Hollow for a night. Not many people were there that night, as it thunder stormed. However site was well kept and concession stand available by the boat dock with everything you might need.
"Our family had an incredible stay at Leisure Lake Resort RV Park over Easter week. The location was perfect for a peaceful retreat, and the amenities provided everything we needed for a comfortable and enjoyable visit. The kids had a blast with the available activities, and it was the ideal setting for our family to come together and create lasting memories. The staff was exceptionally friendly and went above and beyond to ensure our stay was pleasant. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a family-friendly getaway!"
This is actually our second visit here. It’s only 20 minutes from our home, so we expect to come back many times. It’s a unique location about .5 miles from the actual beach and there’s a path/boardwalk that takes you right there. This is one of the few state parks that has a year-round heated bathroom with shower, so even with our popup camper we were able to take advantage of the decent weather for our first trip of the year. Sites are decent sized and have asphalt driveways with concrete pads. Sites are electric only, but there’s several water fills, even in winter. Very popular campground so you do have to book well in advance during regular season. Be aware that because it shares an entrance to the state park beach, entering on a summer Saturday or summer Sunday can take upwards of 45 minutes or more.
We stayed 2 nights and the campground was thickly wooded and beautiful. We had good cell service but obviously the trees prevented Starlink. Our site was huge and the bathrooms were clean with individual locking showers and a dish sink. Short drive to the beaches.
A group of us go camping at least 1 time a month and we were excited to find a campground with so many amenities very close to home. As soon as I pulled up the lady registering me couldn’t care less that I was there. It was like I was bothering her. She was more concerned what was going on on her phone. Then heading back to the site the park was entirely too crowded. They packed these spots in like sardines. The “security” was a joke. Our kids got yelled at 3 times for riding bikes. But they didn’t do anything with the drunks behind us making noise until 3am. Extremely disappointing and we will not be going back. We will warn everyone we know about this campground.
I couldn’t believe they pass this off for a campground. People live there full time. And it’s red neck.
The sites are decently private with good tent pads. Shower house was clean with good hot water. Acamper sink for dishwashing was a nice bonus. The hosts were friendly. Definitely heard railroad and road noise but that's the trade off for being close to town with good cell service.
We use this as our base when we went to Chicago. The only problem is that it is anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half from downtown Chicago. The facilities were nice and maintained. We had a nice Prairie view spot.
It offers all the amenities you could want for a weekend get away. A lake with water rentals, floating water slide, playgrounds and sport courts, general store with the stardust’s “convenience mark-ups”,and water/ electric at all sites. However, if you’re looking for a true camping experience or to visit the Indiana Dunes, you’ll make little use of the amenities and find the sites small and area as well the sites and bath houses overcrowded. It really offers anything a family would want for a weekend trip so depending on the goal for your trip, this could have everything you would need or leave you feeling less than fully satisfied.
Very friendly staff and people. Great accommodations. Spots are ok size. Pretty level.
We enjoyed riding ebikes on the trails. Lunch at the beach front (Lake Michigan) was good and great views. Clean br/shower houses. Would recommend
Recommend e-bike as some hills. Camp ground is clean and feels safe. Beach is nice, but no swimming in lake unless lifeguards on duty. They also don't allow floats b/c it blocks view of swimmers. Small store w/most essentials. Recommend Aldi's stop in town (only 1 other grocery store).
Great place to stay clean quiet
very clean safe relaxing
Very well kept safe supervision quiet clean facilities
Very well kept lightings good clean facilities population under control overall peaceful site
The campsite overall is beautiful and the land is well kept. The reason for the review is due to the bathrooms being horrible. Hot water for showers did not work and floors were nasty, need to be remodeled. There is no water near any of the sites. 2 of the 3 hosts I dealt with were very rude. The one on the late night shift was very nice and knowledgeable. The other guys who helped me on arrival act as if they didn't want to be there. The site overall is amazing. Just wouldn't ever camp here again due to the high price and the bathrooms being Terrible.
The campground was nice because it’s close to the beach areas and had showers and flushing toilets. But the train station is near by and you will hear it in your tent the whole night. If you have ear plugs it’s okay ish but be warned.
Camping near Cicero, Illinois, offers a mix of beautiful nature and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a family adventure, there are plenty of campgrounds to explore.
Camping around Cicero, Illinois, has something for everyone. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Cicero, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Cicero, IL is Dunewood Campground — Indiana Dunes National Park with a 4.3-star rating from 121 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Cicero, IL?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 glamping camping locations near Cicero, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
