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Best Tent Camping near Lincolnshire, IL

453 Reviews

MacQueen Forest Preserve offers primitive tent camping in a secluded setting approximately 80 miles northwest of Lincolnshire, Illinois. The preserve features nine tent sites spread at least 50 yards apart, providing privacy rarely found at established campgrounds. Located along the Kishwaukee River, these sites require a short walk along gravel paths or across meadows to access. Camp Shabbona Woods, another tent camping option in the region, provides a more urban camping experience but still caters to tent campers seeking a natural setting.

Tent sites at MacQueen Forest Preserve are equipped with basic amenities including fire pits and picnic tables. The preserve operates on a self-check-in system with a payment box in the parking lot, charging only $4-5 per night per tent. Campers should note that while water is available from well pumps throughout the grounds, it is not potable for drinking. Vault toilets are maintained regularly but reflect the primitive nature of the campground. Sites are first-come, first-served with no reservations accepted. The entrance gate locks from sunset to sunrise, requiring campers to plan arrivals accordingly.

The tent camping experience varies across available sites. At MacQueen, sites 1, 2, and 8 are located in forested areas, while others surround a large open meadow that offers potential for stargazing. Campsite 8 is particularly noted for its remote location overlooking the river. Campers should be prepared for occasional train noise at night, as tracks run relatively close to the preserve. The former Boy Scout camp atmosphere provides a rustic experience with minimal development. A visitor commented, "It's very basic, just a fire pit and a picnic table at each spot. There wasn't anyone there. I assume it's because it's early in the spring."

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Best Tent Sites Near Lincolnshire, Illinois (6)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Lincolnshire, IL

7 Photos of 6 Lincolnshire Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Lincolnshire, IL

453 Reviews of 6 Lincolnshire Campgrounds

  • Marisa A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 16, 2020

    MacQueen Forest Preserve

    Secluded Hike-in Tent Campsites on the Kish

    This is where to go if you don't like pitching a tent in a field of RVs. There is one wheelchair accessible tent site on a blacktop path in the forest canopy. This is a very primative campground with 1 set of Vault toilets. The other campsites require a walk/hike along a gravel path for completely wooded sites or cross a football sized meadow for open air sites. There are several well-water pumps "not for drinking." Each campsite has a fire pit and a picnic table. Pack out your garbage for the dumpster in the parking lot. There are only 9 sites total. VERY private and secluded. Tents only! Massive forest preserve area for excellent hiking. Some fellow campers were doing a diy tubing right to the campground. (About a 2 hr lazy river tube from Kingston or 5hrs from Genoa on the slow moving S. Branch of the Kishwaukee River which can be pretty deep in places.) Absolutely NO ALCOHOL. Cost for tent sites is only $4 per tent or tent-like structure. There are primitive cabins for rent and a large lodge if you rented the structure for an event here. By their facebook page, it looks like there have been beautiful weddings here. This is a former scout camp flanked by more forest preserves. The ranger is very nice and the entrance is locked from sunset to sunrise. I hesitated even posting this tent-camping primitive heaven, because I almost want to keep it for myself and the locals. Please practice leave no trace and follow the rules if you go so this place stays open. Dog friendly, but must be leashed all of time or a $50 fine. My dog loved the trails and river crossings! Gorgeous hidden gem about an hour into cornfield country from Chicago NW suburbs like Woodfield Mall. I had cell service at one spot in the parking lot, but it was fleeting with T-mobile. A fellow camper had the best private spot (#2) which other than the ada site was the best because it was closest to the parking lot, yet she still had a festival/yard cart to pull her gear up a gravel path. Make sure you bring yours or are outfitted with backpacking gear. Like anywhere, prevent insect deforestation and don't bring firewood, it's fine, they have plenty.

  • H. K.
    Jun. 26, 2022

    Camp Bullfrog Lake

    Nice but very little shade

    We stayed in the primitive tent area near the back of the park. It is walk in.

    There was a pole for a lantern, a picnic table, a fire ring and tent pad. There is one clean flush toilet and shower per each gender (the shower stall was spacious with plenty of hooks and benches). There were also vault toilets not too far away. The water spigot was pretty far away though. There were plenty of garbage cans.

    There were a few small trees but very little shade. On hot days I think a pop up shade shelter would be necessary to make it bearable.

    Overall it was pretty quiet.

    The last night we were there a large group of people with their tents showed up. There were not enough tent pads or picnic tables for all of them. I don't know if it was the park that booked so many people or if it was the group that overbooked.

  • D
    Aug. 3, 2025

    Paul Wolff Campground

    No showers

    We would gladly stay here again!

    Great campsite with the best staff ever! The sites are clean and very well maintained. We loved the staff patrolling the grounds. The trail system is great for walking the dogs. And I even grew to like the no alcohol in the preserve rule.

    The vault toilets are clean but smell like vault toilets at 95 degrees. There is one very clean flush toilet building but no showers. They don't advertise showers, but this is the newest and nicest campsite I have seen without showers. There is some shade, but you have to search for it.

  • Marisa A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 16, 2020

    Paul Wolff Campground

    Great value Chicago suburb campsite

    I've camped here four different occasions this 2020 covid-19 year. The staff are super nice and the campground has great social distancing rules in place for the check-in shack and bathrooms. It is a super clean campground with multiple hosts and forest preserve staff. There are a large number of RV pads overlooking the prairie and a few along a grove of trees. I was lucky once to see the equestrian area full of campers with their horses. There are 9 walk-in tent sites about 10-20 yards from parking (the two at the end p7 and p9 are connected for groups that know each other). There are multiple ada sites and two "walk-in/ie roll-in" site in the tent-only area. It's a good mix of young people, retired people, and families. I've seen weekends with mainly RVs and one weekend with a quarter of the drive-in sites being tents. The most shaded sites are p1,3,5,7 and 9. Many of the sites in the middle are wide open with little shade but nice summer breezes. Prices are a great deal if you live in Kane county but still worth the trip if you live in another county. Firewood is $7 for about .75 cu ft (what you can fit in a milk crate.) There are a few trails and I've seen lots of butterflies, gold finches, hawks, deer, flocks of giant sandhill cranes, rabbits, ground squirrels, and of course actual squirrels. Lots of people (including me) bring their leashed dogs. The other campers have been polite and friendly. I wish there was more distance between sites in the water/electrical loops for more privacy, but I'd go every weekend if I lived in Kane county because it would be worth the resident price even tho there are so many RVs. Because there is electrical it is a peaceful campground with no generator noise.

  • GoWhereYouAreDraw N.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 12, 2020

    Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    Well maintained and clean

    Very impressed with this state park! It was huge, almost 3 miles just to our site! The showers were clean. The spots were large and wooded with nice fire ring set ups. The staff was very helpful answering any questions and giving recommendations. We stayed on a primitive/wilderness site for $12 with no electric. They will allow anyone on these sites-we even saw huge RV'S and 5th wheels on primitive sites.

    There are amazing trails through park for people to hike, bike, or ride horse on.

    Spring Grove is a tiny town nearby with a little corner bar called “The Grove”. They serve amazing food with great service. Very clean! I recommend checking it out if you’re looking for some good food.

  • Amy G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 15, 2021

    MacQueen Forest Preserve

    Beautiful primitive campground I almost don't want to tell anyone about

    $4 individual primitive site

    Note: if you cannot sleep to the sound of trains at night, this is not the campground for you. I don't mind them at all, and rather enjoy the sound, but there were probably three of them that went by in the middle of the night rather close to the campground. There's a little bit of road noise, but not disturbing at all in the middle of the night. There's also a river on one side of the campground, but it can only be heard if you were at one particular campsite.

    This is one of those places that's so awesome, you really don't want to tell people about it. It used to be an old boy scout camp, and now they let the public use it. There are eight primitive campsites here, and they're spread out at least 50 yards apart. That's right, at least 50 yards. You can't see the campsite next to you, and they all have a picnic table and a fire ring. You do have to walk into all of them, but they do have one wagon and a dolly you can use to tote things in. It's an easy walk, on a crushed gravel road and mowed trail, and they do have one space near the parking lot that's handicap accessible. About half of the campsites are in a meadow at the back end of the campground. It would be beautiful for stargazing! There's also a giant fire pit with benches. The perfect area for a small group camp (as long as each party paid for the campsite that's back there).

    There's vault toilets and the one I used wasn't terrible, but it is primitive. There's even a light switch inside with a functioning light! There is a ranger house at the very front, and I get the impression that there's the possibility that someone actually lives there. The campsite looked very well maintained, like it had been freshly mowed around the edges.

    Even if the rangers don't actually live here, they're here regularly and it's obvious.

    The very best part? You're in the middle of the country, with gorgeous sunsets, and the primitive camping is only $4.

    There is water, but it is not, I repeat is not, potable.

    There are trash cans and dumpsters. There's also a lodge and pavilion which can be rented out for separate cost.

    I'll definitely be back next time I'm through this area. It's all self-checking, you just use the pay box in the parking lot.

  • Jonathan S.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 21, 2023

    Big Rock Campground

    First time campers

    Nice clean area to camp. Most of the sites are for travel camper or RV’s.

    A couple of drive Ups.

    50/30 amps hookups. Water hookups as well. Great water pressure.

    Running water restrooms & non-running water restrooms.

    2-dump sites they have sections for tent camping- but down fall is they do not have showers.

    Overall experience was great and we will return.

  • Scott N.
    Jul. 14, 2020

    Thomas Woods Campground

    Great trails, loud neighbors, lots of bugs

    Thomas Woods campground has some great sites, particularly the tent sites. Many of them are set off a short distance from the parking area. I stayed at site 30 which was less than a tenth mile from the parking spot. There are no trash cans at the site, the dumpsite is near the entrance. Most of the roads are one way so after dropping the trash off you must drive all through the campground to get back to your site. The site itself had plenty of room and privacy. The woods are dense and block all views of the neighboring sites. Unfortunately, I think some people think if they can’t see you, you can’t hear them. Every site has a raised pad for a tent. This was very nice. I did track in some of the small gravel into the tent, though. It looks like kitty litter. Not a big deal. It was nice sleeping flat and not sliding off my sleep pad.

    Near Marengo Ridge is a bike trail called H.U.M. Trail. It is only 3.5 miles long. From what I understand is they lost funding for the project. The path is paved and offers a scenic forested view. The hiking trails of Marengo Ridge are the true stars of the area. I walked for almost two hours and still didn’t see them all. Some of the trails have wide paths of grass while others are single-track dirt. 

    As other reviewers have written, the mosquitoes are insane.  Bring plenty of bug spray!

    My website:  https://www.lost13.com/camping/2020/7/13/marengo-ridge

    My video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh4TzLzf\_PY&t=1s

  • Meg
    Jun. 12, 2022

    Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    Good For families, a few downsides

    *** reviewing as a baby/toddler camp family on the go :-) we chose the loop 11 was on because it was close to the path to the playgrounds and lakes plus bathrooms… avoid the first 2 sites from either end as the ones closest to the main loop aren’t very deep. Closer to the center of this row is best.

    Pros- easy pull in sites and lots of walk-in availability. Sites are almost all flat thankfully, so no weird slopes to sleep on and easy for babies/toddlers to stay safe. Also seemed pretty respectful in the evenings with people toning down the noise.

    Lots of electric sites, deep enough for 2 tents, 2 cars (although close to neighbors and no trees between sites), picnic table and fire pit.

    Bathroom shower houses were decent (we usually just have toddler use her travel potty, but this one was fine).

    Multiple playgrounds, access to launch sites for kayaks, little store to buy ice cream or snacks.

    Cons - SO many ticks. With a baby crawling that needed to be set free, we were constantly doing checks. Luckily our screen house pop up on a tarp that was sprayed ahead for tick repellent plus a blanket on top of that did the trick, but they literally fall out of the trees into people! Plan for toddlers and babies to have a contained covered screen house and have them wear hats or a wagon shade on walks so nothing lands in their hair.

    Also - the raccoons at night here are no joke. The second it’s dusky, they come scavenging for absolutely anything food has touched. So basically, eat dinner and do s’mores early, then everything must be packed into cars for the night and all surfaces wiped down.

Guide to Lincolnshire

MacQueen Forest Preserve provides secluded tent camping opportunities 80 miles northwest of Lincolnshire, Illinois. The Kishwaukee River flows through this natural area, offering water recreation alongside primitive camping options. Summer temperatures typically range from 75-85°F during daytime hours, while spring and fall camping can experience nighttime temperatures dropping into the 40s, requiring appropriate gear for comfort.

What to do

River recreation: The Kishwaukee River provides opportunities for water activities during summer months. Some campers create their own tubing routes that end at the campground. "Some fellow campers were doing a diy tubing right to the campground. About a 2 hr lazy river tube from Kingston or 5hrs from Genoa on the slow moving S. Branch of the Kishwaukee River which can be pretty deep in places," notes reviewer Marisa A. at MacQueen Forest Preserve.

Hiking trails: MacQueen Forest Preserve offers hiking trails through wooded areas and along the river, though they are limited in scope. A camper explains, "There isn't much in terms of hiking trails. Just the main path and a few paths connecting sites and sort of a path along the river," according to Marcus D.

Stargazing: The open meadow areas provide excellent nighttime sky viewing away from city lights. "About half of the campsites are in a meadow at the back end of the campground. It would be beautiful for stargazing!" reports Amy G.

What campers like

Site privacy: The significant distance between campsites creates an uncommon sense of seclusion. "Spots are pretty spread out. Only sites 1,2,8 are forested the rest are around a large open field," notes Nick C. at MacQueen Forest Preserve.

Budget-friendly pricing: The self-service payment system and low nightly rates make this an economical camping option. "The very best part? You're in the middle of the country, with gorgeous sunsets, and the primitive camping is only $4," shares Amy G.

Well-maintained facilities: Despite being primitive, the campground receives regular maintenance. "Well maintained bathrooms, great secluded sites. Super easy no registration its first come first serve," reports Darshon J. at Camp Shabbona Woods.

What you should know

No potable water: While water pumps exist throughout the grounds, they do not provide safe drinking water. "There is water, but it is not, I repeat is not, potable," emphasizes Amy G.

Gate closure hours: The entrance gate locks from sunset to sunrise, requiring planning for arrivals and departures. "They close the gates after 10pm was weird but overall ok," notes Jeffrey L. about Camp Shabbona Woods.

Train noise: Proximity to railway lines creates periodic noise disturbances overnight. "If you cannot sleep to the sound of trains at night, this is not the campground for you. I don't mind them at all, and rather enjoy the sound, but there were probably three of them that went by in the middle of the night rather close to the campground," Amy G. cautions.

Tips for camping with families

Pack transportation tools: Walking distances to campsites require equipment to transport gear. "You have to walk up to the sites. There's a wagon and a dolly to take your things," explains Marcus D. at MacQueen Forest Preserve.

Urban-adjacent option: For families seeking tent camping with more amenities and less isolation, consider Camp Shabbona Woods. "This camp site is set up very well for first time campers or new people interested in trying out camping. The campgrounds do not have a lot of shade as new saplings are still growing. Caretakers were very helpful and did a great job keeping the campground clean," explains Scott M.

Site selection strategies: For families wanting more shade and privacy, target specific site numbers. "By far the best spot on the grounds. Great remote location over looking the river," Nick C. says about Site #8 during his winter camping trip at MacQueen Forest Preserve.

Tips from RVers

Vehicle restrictions: RV camping is not accommodated at these tent-focused campgrounds near Lincolnshire. "You can't keep your vehicle close to your campsite," Jeffrey L. notes about Camp Shabbona Woods.

Accessibility considerations: Tent camping locations near Lincolnshire primarily serve tent campers with limited vehicle access, though some accommodate those with mobility needs. "There is one wheelchair accessible tent site on a blacktop path in the forest canopy," Marisa A. mentions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Lincolnshire, IL?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Lincolnshire, IL is MacQueen Forest Preserve with a 4.7-star rating from 6 reviews.

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