Best Tent Camping near Gridley, IL

Stayed with daughter in tent site right on shore of Illinois River. Has marina adjacent, showers, host, and laundry. Inexpensive tent sites with access for fishing, paddling, wildlife and sunset viewing.

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 typically tent camp here, but have car camped in one of the RV spots. Staff is always great, and facilities are clean. Hikes are always fun too!

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!

Condit’s Ranch is family friendly and away from it all. Sue and the staff could not be nicer. We did tent camping and the setup was perfect. Huge lot. Fire pit and electric. 

The small fishing pond, the swimming hole and the clubhouse were great to mix in to keep the youngsters entertained.

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.

We came on Memorial Day weekend so the campground was very full. It didn't feel too crowded though except when playing on the playground there were lots of kids and its not a very big play area. But it was fun for the kids to play with other kids. 

While I wish the tent are and comfort station were closer to one another, the walk really wasn't all that bad from our campsite. I loved that the tent sites (especially as you go further back (like to sites 6-10 probably) just had a secluded woodsy feeling to them. I loved how convenient our site was though being right by our car and the road to the restrooms. 

Some of the tent sites are close together with some having a little more seclusion. There are a  lot of trees and plants with it being in the woods so this does help. But with the trail running right down the middle that cuts out a little of your privacy. But the seclusion is definitely better than the RV sites that we saw in the main big loop of the campground. 

We walked a couple trails and they were lots of fun for us and the kids/dogs. 

There is a STRICT no alcohol rule in the tent sites. A sign said coolers are subject to inspection, but from our experience and the vibe of the place, I don't see this really being an issue unless your group gets kind of rowdy ;) 

All in all a great experience.

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!

First stop on a cross county trip. We were directed to Catfish Bay for tent camping. It was lightly drizzling and on an overcast day most of the tree-covered campsites were dark. There are some nice sites right on the water (be prepared to walk your gear in from parking lot). Site #21 was private, with more open sky and a shorter walk to parking/outhouse. The outhouse was in really rough shape--looked like it hadn't been swept out or hosed down for awhile. Won't be back.

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 went here with a group of tent campers sight unseen, so that’s always rolling the dice. We stayed until the main part where you could reserve online through reserve America. Would not recommend that area to anyone. Sites are right on top of each other in every direction. Not sure who would seek this out or agree to it after seeing it.

Upon finding the rustic tent sites, we’d wished we’d known about that area before going. Those were still a little close together but were at least wooded and you could walk from your car.

The dispersed camping sites were the closest to what I’d been used to coming from New Hampshire, but it was more of a hike than I would be looking for.

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.