Glamping near Genoa, IL

Glamping Reviews near Genoa, IL

226 Reviews of 24 Genoa Campgrounds

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  Jun. 30, 2026

  Lakefront Cabins - Shabbona Lake

  Lakefront Seclusion Meets Cabin Convenience at Shabbona Lake

  Tucked along the shore of shimmering Shabbona Lake, just under two hours west of Chicago mind you, are two rustic yet welcoming camp cabins at this particular SP. These modest structures, each around 200 sq ft, offer a cozy hideaway for up to six people. Facing southeast over the lake, the cabins are shaded and tucked away for privacy, with only a nearby boat launch dock reminding you of civilization.

  Inside, the cabins keep it simple: two basic rooms in each, with electricity, baseboard heat, air conditioning and a ceiling fan. There are no cooking facilities or bathrooms (which I have to admit, I was surprised to learn) although there is a multi-leveled adjustable BBQ grill along with a very good sized firepit, so bring your own plans for cooking meals and preparing food. Guests rely on nearby campground amenities, including showers with running hot water, flush toilets, potable water, a dump station and the handy Camp Store that is a very short walk from these cabins and comes stocked with supplies, snacks, firewood and fishing gear.

  What sets these cabins apart is the lakefront view combined with practicality. You step right from your door onto a serene, wooded lakeshore offering a perfect perch for early-morning fishing, sunrise coffee on the veranda or unwinding at sunset. The proximity to stocked waters featuring large and smallmouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, black and white crappie, channel catfish, walleye and muskies adds fishing convenience, while the quieter, smaller-scale lodging feels exclusive. Additionally, the Camp Store’s rentals(boats, bait, paddleboats) keep the fun within reach.

  Insider Tips? Here’s a smattering: (1) Reserve early as only two cabins exist, and they’re popular from May 1 through October 31 on ExploreMoreIL™; (2) Drive gently on the access path as the lake road can be narrow and shaded; (3) Expect no kitchen or plumbing, so prep meals or plan to dine at nearby Pokanoka’s Dockside Restaurant that sits inside the SP on the western side of the lake or, for a short drive to Shabbona, check out Shabbona Café, Chumley’s Pizza followed by some sweets at Screamers Ice cream after saving campfire cookouts for the fire ring; (4) Bring your own bathrooms habits as restrooms are shared in the main campground; and (5) Check out the Camp Store early for spare fishing poles, firewood or ice cream before being tempted into relaxation.

  Happy Camping!

  Read More
• 

  Hannah T.

  Traveler

  Oct. 1, 2018

  White Pines Forest State Park Campground

  Lots of things to do!

  Well kept camping sites. Easy drive up style. Picnic tables and fire pits on site. Bathrooms and dumpster close by. River that is walk and drive through!

• 

  Stacie H.

  Guide

  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.

  Read More
• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  May. 28, 2023

  Nature’s Way RV Park

  Splendid Countryside Campground Experience

  If you find yourself either stuck in the middle of nowhere here in north central Illinois or actually looking to escape the hustle & bustle to find peace, serenity and a tranquil encounter with nature, then look no further than Nature’s Way RV Park, which is set amongst the golden rows of sweet corn that you’ll find out in these parts. From the winding blacktop that you’ll have to maneuver to get here, just a few minutes north of I80 and east of I39, while you will feel as though you are completely isolated, and for the most part you are, what I like most about Nature’s Way is that if you know where you are at and the surroundings, there’s actually an awful lot to explore and enjoy, but if you don’t want to go anywhere, you can simply set up camp here and allow nature to envelope you in a way that only she can. 

  As for the campground, what makes Nature’s Way pretty amazing is that there’s a tremendous amount of infrastructure and a ton of amenities that most private campgrounds don’t offer. Upon entry, you’ll veer left and arrive at the main office where you’ll check-in. Here also is a quaint community room chalk full of books, DVDs and VHS tapes (for anyone still using these) and board games as well as a small alcove kitchen area complete with microwave, sink, dining table & chairs along with 2 driers and 3 washers, both coin-operated. Beyond this, there’s also a seating room with two oversized dollies with freshly cut wood bundles available for purchase as well as yet another room that is the campground market store and has everything from souvenirs to camping supplies, ice, beverages and snacks to charcoal and lighter fluid, BBQ tool sets and roasting forks and just about anything else you could think that you’ll need during your stay here. Just outside and behind this main building, you’ll discover a rather large, covered pavilion which is great for larger groups or for anyone wanting to picnic under some shade. 

  Another reason why I love Nature’s Way RV Park so much is how they have organized the living arrangements. For mi tent pitching bredren, this campground IMHO has set aside the best spots for us – clear in the back, completely surrounded by God’s green nature, you’ll be able to pitch a tent just about anywhere under this shaded forest and will feel a world away from the caravan camping types that, rest assured, are on the other side of the careening creek that cuts this campground nearly in half. Over in these parts, just past the bridge that you would need to cross to reach this primitive camping area, there’s a K9 dog park as well as plenty of scattered picnic tables, in-ground raised BBQ pits as well as water spigots. For the RV driving / 5th Wheel toting crowd, Nature’s Way has spots reserved on its front porch lawn that you will encounter upon first arriving to the entrance. There’s about 20 or so designated RV spots here that offer full hook-ups including 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage. Apart from being located right in front of the main office / market, you’ll be straddled next to the main road, which really should be a problem as this is just a quiet, small country road with not much traffic on it. Just due east of these RV slots are 4 cabins available for rent along with small porches complete with benches, brand new grills, fire pits and picnic tables, which is great for anyone not packing a tent or hauling a makeshift campground with them. Due south of these cabins as well as west of the main building are additional RV slots, but these only offer electric and water, so if you need sewage, you’ll have to book slots #1– 19. 

  From an amenities standpoint, apart from what has already been covered, the ‘crown jewel’ asset here is the in-ground heated swimming pool, completely fenced in preventing the young kiddos from straying too far. Above and beyond this, there’s a designated propane refilling station, very well-maintained restroom and shower facilities, basketball court, scattered picnic tables and stand-up BBQ grills, WiFi and cable access, kid’s playground, community fire rings as well as designated dumpsters and dump stations. 

  Insider’s tips? Here’s but a few: (1) When you grow weary of trying to conjure up that next meal from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler or onboard mini-fridge, then check out some of the local establishments, of which I highly recommend nearby Cajun Connection, which has some pretty amazing deep fried alligator tail as well as somewhat mediocre Jambalaya (but ask yourself the question: who else is serving up this dish so far away from Louisiana?!); (2) If you are a hiker and looking for some trails to blaze, then check out either Starved Rock SP, which as more than 13 miles of hiking trails awaiting you, or better, the lesser known Matthiessen SP, which has 5-6 of fairly decent challenging, but completely isolated, non-touristy-laden trails to plant your steps on; (3) Should you be wanting to get that beak of your watercraft wet on your outdoors expedition, then look no further than the Illinois River, which is literally less than 5 miles away from Nature’s Way, where you’ll be able to oar your way to some pretty epic wildlife encounters as well as some fairly decent currents as well as amazing fishing holes; and (4) Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you – within just a 20 minute drive of where you have camped out, you’ll discover Rip’s Chicken, which is hand’s down, unequivocally, and judged by experts in more than 40 nations (mmm, OK, that last one may be a stretch) as the best fried chicken in the known universe. Oh, and they have Schlitz on tap. But this place only takes cash, so come prepared. 

  Happy Camping!

  Read More
• 

  Addison G.

  Guide

  Oct. 23, 2024

  Turner Lake South — Chain O' Lakes State Park

  Awesome choice for campers on a budget

  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

• 

  Dakota

  Traveler

  Jul. 19, 2021

  Prairie View — Chain O' Lakes State Park

  Great Camping!

  We stayed at the Prairie View section on site P27. It was me, my wife, our 8 month old daughter, and our dog. One thing I always look up before booking a campsite is how secluded we are since our dog gets very anxious and will bark at almost anyone that gets “too close” in her eyes. This site seemed promising so I booked it with fingers crossed. Luckily it was fantastic. You could barely see the neighbors because of how overgrown the edges of the site were. We felt like we were in our own little bubble. The gravel drive into the site was also pretty tight so we were able to park our car in it and block off the view to the road even more. There was plenty of room for our tent and to have a fire. Two tents might have been too much though. Although we do have a pretty large tent. The fire area was great, it had a grill you could put over it to cook on. It was also very well upkept. We saw someone going around and cleaning out all of the fire pits before check-in even to make sure they were ready for the next group. There were pit toilets within the camping area but there was also a bath house with flush toilets right outside on the main road (5 minute walk). 

  Checking in was also extremely easy and the people at the gatehouse were very friendly. The concessions (or camp store) was large and well stocked. Plenty of firewood and was inside a garage so it was all dry and ready to use. We didn’t use any of the water sport rentals because of our baby, but we’re very happy to see there was a ton to do and will likely be back to take advantage. 

  We also did a 5 mile hike through the park. It was absolutely beautiful. Lots of hills, forested areas, open prairies, and multiple water locations including next to the Fox River where our dog was able to cool off. The paths were all paved or crushed gravel and were very well upkept. 

  We had an amazing time and will definitely be back!

  Read More
• 

  Brenton S.

  Traveler

  Jul. 1, 2020

  Elkhorn Campgrounds

  Affordable and friendly!

  Such a great little place to escape to or visit if you're just passing through. Nothing crazy fancy but hook-ups and fire pits available if needed. Within walking distance to downtown Elkhorn, EAHS, and the horse areana. You might even be able to catch a show or two on site at the fair grounds, depending on the time of year.

• M

  Melinda K.

  Guide

  Jul. 30, 2023

  Big Foot Beach State Park Campground

  Not a nature type campground

  Always full on weekends. Popular destination for locals and people from Illinois. 4 stars because it's not the camping in nature experience I am looking for. Lots of noise. Lots of kids. Lots of dogs. It's park area is very nice. Nice playground for kids. Volleyball nets. Lots of picnic tables and grills available. Dogs not welcome in most of the park. More of a party place. But the staff is very active. They clean sites quickly, clean the bathrooms regularly.

  We stayed on site 50. We were closer to our neighbors than I'd like, including the campsite behind us. The campsite behind us had a path thru it to get to the bathrooms. There was a thin layer of growth between sites but not much. Our site had a nicely placed tree providing just enough coverage but nothing stayed wet in the rain. We camped in a popup, if we had a tent I think we would have been soaked. Lots of pooling water on the backside. The campground just added new gravel to the sites and asked that all trailers and vehicles stay on the gravel but the gravel doesn't go back far enough for both car and camper to stay on.

  The inner ring of the campground are smaller(shorter) sites. The outer ring sites are better for RVs. Except for site 70. That should be tent only because there are 2 trees right in the middle behind the gravel. 50, 69, 74 seemed the best for both shade and sun combo. Site 79 is paved but not marked as handicap because it isn't being maintained as handicap and is not close to the new bathrooms. Not enough sites with electric, however we didn't need it for the weekend.

  Read More
• 

  Mountainman McBeachfront

  Scout

  Aug. 24, 2021

  White Pines Forest State Park Campground

  Nice park, with some downsides.

  This is the type of campground you go and check your spot out before you reserve it. Many of the tent campsites are literally on a hill. Some are very close. They really crammed them wherever they could. The amenities are excellent and the only reason I gave 3 stars, the shower/restroom was very nice and air conditioned. Potable water available. If I knew the campground was gonna be sideways I wouldn’t have reserved it, not gonna lie I was pissed when I saw it as I reserved it for 3-4 days. There’s lots of them that are on flat ground/tucked away and look excellent but it’s a gamble unless you go there beforehand to look. There’s a ford you have to cross to get to the campground but its not that bad people this isn’t Oregon Trail you won’t float away and lose an Ox and wagon wheel.

  Read More