Best Tent Camping near Custer Park, IL

For 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.

Tent-camped here with my husband and dog and loved it! Great site, very clean, very peaceful!

Located right on the river. There are many tent sites available and at a great price. The bathrooms located near the electrical sites have showers and running water. The bathrooms that are in the tent site only area are more like port-o-potty style. So in the heat of summer there are a lot of flies and you should have something to wash your hands ie no running water. I’d stay there again and the hosts were very sweet.

We tent camped for one night the weekend of Independence Day. Very quiet campground. Clean and spacious camping areas with a nice bathroom and multiple shower stalls. Bring firewood with you. We plan to stop again on our next road trip!

Not worth the drive here to tent camp if you live outside of Kane county. Even their 9 hike-in primitive sites hugging the treeline lack privacy. Yes, all the sites are very flat. It's a nice field if that's what you look for in a campground.

Our family has been camping here for years. Starved Rock State Park and nearby Matthiessen State Park offer beautiful hiking, canyons, and waterfalls along the Illinois Michigan River.

Regarding the campground: There are several options for tent camping, RVing and trailers. I definitely recommend making reservations in advance as it tends to fill up quick!

Showers and toilets are… well… camping showers and toilets… nothing special but do the job.

There is a small town close by with lovely little cafes, shops, and gas station.

There is also a Grizzly Jacks Grand Bear Resort that has an indoor water park and amusement park.

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.

Beautiful forest surrounds the lake, lots of hiking in the surrounding enormous forest preserve. Lake has fishing and boats as well.

Stopped into Illini State Park on a Saturday night and was pleased to see plenty of spots open to roll into. Primitive tent sites were plentiful in the woods, and some RV sites along the water were open as well. It wasn’t the best park in the world, but for $10, it was a fine place to stop.

I got here after dark and paid for a walk-up reservation. They don’t differentiate tent and RV sites, so I picked one that looked like it wouldn’t be near other RVs since I’m tent camping. Registration was easy although a bit confusing about credit card options. Everyone was quiet and the bathrooms were clean.

A dog ran up to my tent and scared the crap out of me at like 11pm, but he quickly apologized. I’m not sure if he was unleashed or on a long leash, but there were a lot of dogs.

Went tent camping here and reserved our spot in advance. We bought fire wood from a locals front lawn at the entrance to the state park. Put 5$ in the bin and take a bundle. Its 30 mins away from Starved Rock and Matthiesson State Park. Good hiking. The river spots are all booked by large RVs and the tent spots have grills over the fire pits and picnic tables. lots of tree cover which came in handy when it rained in the morning. Otherwise great weather and not buggy. Dogs allowed.

Starved rock has so much to offer. trails that lead to caves, waterfalls, lakes and beautiful scenery all around. great for kids too. I have a two and 10 year old and they both do great on all the trails. the campground is pretty but a typical Midwest campground. Some spots are more secluded than others. Some are wooded others are open. Clean bathrooms, RV and tent camping. Firepits. close to the park so you can get up and hike!

Beautiful spot for our single overnight. Staff were great; friendly and helpful. Park was well kept, with lots of green around RV and tent sites. Nice pool, dog park, store, and even a stream system that wanders through the park (no swimming in the stream). Also close to Starved Rock State Park for some neat scenery and hiking. The only downside side is that some of the RV sites are a little close together - didn’t impact our stay though. Two thumbs up! :)

Staff were great and the campground layout was solid. We stayed at one of the primitive tent sites which had a sense of privacy. Shower house was cleaner and nicer than some and the addition of a port-a-potty closer to the sites was nice.

Unfortunately, our site wasn’t level which made tent placement interesting. It wasn’t bad enough to request a change, but if we’d stay there longer we’d definitely move.

Lastly, the fire pits are not the typical metal rings with grates. They were nice, but we had to adjust a little to cook.

We had four sites on Osage loop for tent camping.  Two were very small (14&15), and little grass for tent setup, fine for RV or trailer campers.  They were private with brush between sites.  16&17 were amazing for tents!!  Open, tall trees for our tight rope and hammocks and shade. Grass for tents  16&17 Osage loop also open to 9&10 on Hickory loop.  With a lot of space between so no site setup is on top of each other.  Wish we knew more about individual site layout.  Grills were new.  Bathrooms inclu vault were cleanest I’ve seen.  Bike path/hike path is long and wide and very nice.  We had kids under age 8.  River is fast, tried to fish.  Stars were out.  Had rain Saturday but we all just hang out and manage just fine.  Overall, where the loops get close on the map, the sites back up with good space without ground brush - if you’re trying to string together a few sites for a group where you can pass through - also fine for strangers.  Biggest spaces.  Can add that 13, 6, 5, ,4  Osage are good RV but not good tent.

And about an hour and a half from central Chicago is Illini State Park, a comfortable slice of wilderness. Offering RV sites with electric and water hook-ups, as well as drive-in tent camping, the camp portion is divided into two different areas, with the Whitetail partially abutting a lock and dam. Each individual site features at least one picnic table and iron grill (fires only allowed in the grill)

For $10 a night I got a semi-secluded spot for my tent (the RV sites by the Army Corp of Engineers lock and dam was much more crowded), and for $6 a bundle at the nearby ice cream store I got firewood. 

After reserving the site with the camp host (cash or check only) and picking up my wood (cash or card), I settled in for the night, enjoying the beginning of fall, which lots of color on the ground, the cicadas singing their last, and squads of migrating geese bedding down for the night. Also a little traffic noise from the nearby highway, but c'est la vie.

I visited Palos early this week (mid-April) for a very very chilly three days. The tent sites are right next to the water which is beautiful but can get very windy. There is no privacy between the sites (no trees, etc). There are small and medium cabins, some heated with their own bathrooms, that feature bunk beds and are great for getting out of the cold. The central bathrooms are clean, heated and offer showers. The water is not yet potable so bring your own or check with the park team to ensure it's drinkable when you go. The hiking here is AWESOME with a bajillion different routes right from the campground. We hiked 10 miles and saw tons of animals and birds including a snake, loads of herons and songbirds, deer, a raccoon and a Cooper's Hawk. I will definitely be back!