Best Cabin Camping near Elmwood Park, IL

We stay there once a year. The pool is nice as well as the hot tub. The hot tub is supposed to be adult only but it isn’t really enforced. That’s a little disappointing. The mini golf was really neat......when it was built in the 70’s probably. It hasn’t been updated since. The last time I was there most of the holes were dilapidated and shoddy. Too bad, because it could be great. The playground gets a thumbs up from my son. There is a large seasonal section that I presume pays the bills. Some of the permanent sure are pretty neat. The only problem with seasonal guests is that they like to use a gas powered pressure washer bright and early in the morning. Apparently everything he owned needed to be washed, went in for a couple hours. The staff didn’t think it was an issue. The next morning another resident decided to use his skill saw cutting about 1000 boards bright and early. Again, the staff was less than helpful. They employ a lot of teenager, which is good, but I don’t think they get a lot of training in customer service. I guessing they don’t dare make the cash cows mad. The hay ride is cool, and the outdoor movie is neat. Actually shows pretty current movies. The sites are full hookup, but several times we have been at sites where the sewer dump pipe sticks up over 8” above the ground. Higher than the outlet of my trailer. It doesn’t take Archimedes to see the problem here. What’s worse is the dump station I was forced to use. OMG what a disaster. It’s a relic from decades ago. Uneven and puddles of “water” all over the dump area. Really happy to track that into my coach and truck, not. With a little care and money it could be a terrific destination.

10min away from my home, this is a ideal getaway place for Chi-town people. Camp sites are all flattened and mulched but not too spacious. You cannot pull your vehicle by the site but they provide wagons and staffs are willing to help. They have cabins as an option too. Btw, nice fire-spitting show at the pavilion!

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. The campsites are well kept as are the grounds. There are trails to walk. There is an activities barn with a rock climbing wall. There are smaller family cabins with heat available to rent as well as large bunkhouses for organized groups.

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.

There is nowhere to swim here, they have multiple camp sites, a couple of group sites and a few cabins to rent. There is a concession area, however it is a moderate hike to get to from the campground area. This campground would be best for those who want to spend their time fishing, kayaking, or paddle boarding as it is connected to the fox river.

These campsites are as low as $12/night!! One of my favorite spots to test new gear. Family friendly. There’s some small trails around as well that are beginner. There was electricity, however those sites are $25/night. Bathrooms could’ve been cleaner but we were grateful for the facility which doubled as a storm shelter. There’s indoor showers and bathrooms. There are also cabins at this campsite, not sure on pricing tho

For nature that's close to civilization, Deer Grove Forest Preserve is the best. While the camp sites are small, the amenities are super clean and the rentable cabins are as well. The trails through the grounds are varied and long--you can find something to suit just about any preference for suburban midwest hiking. There are plenty of paved trails as well as dirt, lots of fun little off-shoots into the woods, creeks run throughout, and there's even a little up-and-down thanks to ice age glaciers.

I’ve been to this site a handful of times growing up and it’s a good campsite for the kids. Lots of activities to do everyday like crafts to keep the kids preoccupied during the day. RV, tent, and cabins make it easy for everyone to enjoy their stay. Bathrooms need some attention and hotter showers would be wonderful. Always came here for trick or treating and it’s a fun event for the camp ground with plenty of spooky things to do. Might come here when I have kids of my own, but I know there are better camp sites out there!

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!

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:)

This is our go-to state park when I need to get out of Chicago for the afternoon. We camped here once as a starter trip with our two kids, since it was easy enough to go home if it all went south.

Non-electric sites in the loop on the small fishing pond were relatively quiet, well shaded, with decent screening between sites. Easy walk to bath house adjacent the electric sites, which were jammed with RVs.

Nice easy hiking/biking trails. Boat rentals. Stocked concesion building.

Our kids, 4&8, really like it here. Nothing too hard or scary for my little city kiddos.

This campground is very well maintained with all the amenities you could need: a small camping store, communal kitchen, firepits, and clean bathrooms. Check out the office for fun seasonal events like group hikes and geocaching contests. 

Located in the Norwest suburb of Palatine, this campground is super accessible from Chicago and a fun getaway for suburban camping. Grocery stores and modern conveniences are minutes away. From the campground you have access to the entire Deer Park preserve and it's paved cycling and walking trails.

Cook County residents get a nice discount, as do veterans. Rates go up on the weekends. A one week limit for all stays unless you get approval from higher-ups. 

RV spots are concrete, flat, and easy to get into. 

Overall, a very clean and well-loved sem-urban camping experience.

The state park is larger than expected with decent amenities (boat rentals, concessions, relatively clean pit toilets) and areas designated for trailer camping and tent camping.

We stayed in the Turner South Loop, one of the older tent camping loops, and the age definitely showed. Most of the sites on this loop are pretty worn, with not much privacy. We stayed in T10, but would consider T9 if we returned to this loop for a different reserved site. The prairie loop looked a bit newer with bigger, less worn sites. Both loops had grill pits that were well-maintained for fires and campfire cooking.

Trails were geared more towards horses and bikes, but there are plenty of walking paths, and we were able to find some hidden trails along the lake (read: unofficial). Overall, a place for relaxing and leisurely strolls and not hiking.