Best Cabin Camping near Melrose Park, IL

*** 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.

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.

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 camped here for 3 nights to visit the Dunes National Park.

The campground is privately owned and was almost at the end of the season. There is a check in station at the entrance.

When we arrived we were the only tent campers, so we could pick our spot. Non of the tent sites have electricity or water. Only a few have a picnic table and /or a fire pit. It was basically just a long lawn with numbers on. Some of the sites are in the woods for more privacy.

The RV sites have electricity and water access. Some campers are stored there over the winter months.

The bathhouse was a little out dated but clean during our stay.

You are surrounded by farmland, so we were greeted every morning by donkey braying. It didn't bother us. There are also noises of cars and the train coming through.

The owners are very nice and laid back.

The drive to the national park or state park is about 15 min. The dunes are very impressive and beautiful. If you need something, there are stores, gas stations or restaurants within 10 driving minutes.

I think we would camp her again. No idea how it is during peak season but even with other tent campers around on the last 2 days, it was pretty quiet.

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.

I stayed here for my first trip to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore area in early June '18. It was clearly recently renovated and very nice. It was actually my first time ever staying at a private campground, so I don't have much to compare it to. But it had 2 sets of bathrooms, a pool, a basketball hoop (I don't recall if it was a court, but I think it was just one) and a prayer room. I didn't look for laundry, because I didn't need it, but the map indicates they do have it.

The main office sold firewood and ice. Otherwise, just a few lantern batteries and such. Not a "store" by any means. But it's like a 5 minute drive to grocery and gas. Great location, in fact. Less than 10 minutes from the interstate.

Light-sleepers will have difficulty anywhere in the region because of train traffic, but it was respectably secluded. Vampires beware: there's a 8-10 foot cross at the entrance. But didn't notice any garlic strewn about.

Would stay again.

(No pictures because I found this site right after I returned. Map from website because the site is glitchy and you might not find it otherwise.)