Looking for tent camping near Mineral? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Illinois camping adventure.
Campgrounds with multiple campsites along the canal can be found at Lock 21, North Day Use Area
Equestrian camping is restricted to the south side of the Lock 21 area. Equestrian campers are asked to bring a shovel to clear their own horse droppings, which may be pushed off to the side of the trail. There is no tethering to trees.
If you are not familiar with the canal it may be confusing trying to find the campsites. Stop by the Hennepin Canal Visitor Center to pick up a detailed map of the canal, which shows all of the country crossroads. You can also call the visitor center and ask to be mailed a copy: 815-454-2328. I
$8 / night
The Hennepin Canal State Park is not enrolled in the ReserveAmerica camping reservation system and DOES NOT take camping reservations. Camping at the Canal is on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are no set check-in or check-out times. The Canal’s site security officer makes rounds to each campsite to collect camping fees, in-person. Campers can pay by cash or check.
Camping along the Hennepin Canal towpath is PROHIBITED – camping is only allowed in the designated campsites. Fires are only allowed in the state designated fire pits at the campgrounds. Camping is not permitted in the main complex area (the area around the visitor center).
Currently, the ONLY DRINKING WATER available on the ENTIRE canal is located at the main parking lot in front of the visitor center at the large shelter. There is also a faucet on the side of the visitor center, just to the left of the main entrance. There are no operable drinking water fountains along the rest of the canal so bring your own water for your hike or camping trip.
Castle Rock State Park is located along the west bank of the Rock River in Ogle County, three miles south of Oregon, on Ill. Rt. 2. Castle Rock camping is centrally located in the Rock River Hills region of Illinois, and its rolling topography is drained by the Rock River. The park is representative of the Rock River Hills area with rock formations, ravines and unique northern plant associations. A sandstone bluff, adjacent to the river, has given the park its name.
$6 / night
1170 N. 27th Road
Ottawa, IL 61350
630-567-4653
Open mid April thru mid October
Waterfront Primitive camping directly across from Starved Rock State Park. Less than 1.5 hour from Chicago! Featuring high end kayak rentals, Guided Kayak tours and riverside primitive camping right on the beautiful shores of the Illinois River. Come see Towering St. Peters Sandstone bluffs, soaring bald eagles and beautiful lotus flowers.
$29 / night
$8 - $12 / night
$6 / night
The Youth Group Camping area is only reservable for approved youth groups (youth 18 years of age and younger with adult chaperones) such as scout packs and church youth group organizations.
Legend
Located just northwest of the little hamlet called Franklin Grove, which is just due north of Ronald Reagan’s birthplace in Dixon, Franklin Creek State Natural Area Equestrian Campground is ideal if you are one of those primitive campers who want to take their noble steed(s) with them for the night in order to gallup along some pretty amazing horse-friendly trails. While there’s not a lot in the way of amenities here, if you need a post to tie up your horse, a round-about where they can go for countless circle walks along with plenty of hay to keep them fed, then this location might just be ideal for you.
What I enjoyed most about Franklin Creek State Natural Area is the 882 acres of fresh prairieland that feels fairly untouched and ready for some eager exploration. There’s several small natural springs completely shadowed by endless forests of hardwoods along with all of the natural fauna that you would expect in these parts like gray and fox squirrels, white-tailed deer, racoons, chipmunks, beavers and opossums. If you’re a bird watcher, you’ll enjoy the flycatchers, warblers, and woodpeckers, vireos as well as barn and horned-rim owls. And according to the information I found on-site, there’s more than 19 species of fish that you can find in the fresh water streams, creeks and rivers here.
From an amenities standpoints, while you will find 4 picnic shelters (Bartlett, Sunday, Banker and Hausen-Knox, all of which can be reserved), restrooms, potable drinking water, stand-up grills and fire pits, there is very little in the way of amenities in the actual equestrian campground apart from water spigots with a picnic shelter, restrooms, running water, show area and the occasional picnic table. The equestrian trails offer more than 12 miles of horse hoofing fun and the terrain is heavily forested with just slight variable grades increasing and decreasing around fairly easy-to-maneuver turns. You’ll also discover that there is a very nice stream here that the kids will love jumping across and / or wading in searching for crawdads or small fish.
What you’ll enjoy most about being here, apart from the peace & quiet as well as the abundance of serenity is that this place has a really nice connection with history as it features a fully functioning grist mill that goes all the way back to early Americana where corn meal and wheat flour were made from the stream currents of water passing by that would fuel the grist mill. On weekends, you can actually take the kids to this site, located just 70 yards west of the Equestrian Campground for a super-cool interactive exhibition. Other activities here that you can access include an archery range, cross-country skiing, fishing, hiking, biking, hunting and even snowmobiling.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Should you get tired of trying to conjure up that next meal from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler or on-board RV mini-fridge, then you are in luck as with in the nearby town of Franklin Grove, given its very small population of just slightly more than 1,000 souls shouldn’t have many restaurants (let alone stop lights), but thankfully for your sake, it does. Apart from the Casey’s gas station, which actually serves up some pretty awesome pizza believe it or not, there’s 3 proper restaurants all serving ‘down home Midwestern comfort food’ that are each pretty delectable: Lincoln Way Café, Rooney’s and Rev on 38; (2) If you are looking to explore a slice of history in these parts and the grist mill just isn’t your thing, head due west to Dixon where you can go explore the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan. There’s also nearby Chaplin Creek Historic Village featuring an old salt box farmhouse as well as a one room school, which will take you back to the late 1800s before the world knew modernization and technology; (3) Although the trail hiking at Franklin Creek State Natural Area are very good, should you be on the hunt for much more challenging trail hiking or biking, then head on over to either White Pines Forest State Park or Castle Rock State Park, both of which are only about a 20 minute drive from here and offer very large areas to explore; (4) Should you come with kayak or canoe and are looking for some good challenging currents to get some excellent oar-rowing in, you will struggle to find that here at Franklin Creek State Natural Area, so I highly recommend towing your watercraft over to the banks of the Rock River where you will be richly rewarded; and (5) When you are ready to book this particular equestrian campground, just go to the IL SP site to book it: https://camp.exploremoreil.com/location/221.
Happy Camping!
Guide
I have camped at this park several times over the last few years. Especially like winter truck camping here. The pit toilets are always available in the winter, and I usually have the park to myself. There’s a small fishing pond off the road a bit. The trails will be closed for deer season though. I enjoy riding my bike around the park and down to the actual college. There is a really old cemetery at the college if you just want to creep yourself out at night.
Legend
Hiding underneath of the I80 bridge carrying you over the Rock River, you’ll spot Lundeens Landing on the EAST side of this interstate (you’ll want to take note of this as The Dyrt has this campground in the wrong location on the WEST side of I80 in the small town of Barstow). Getting here to Lundeens is not the easiest journey, as you’ll need to head northwards on I80 crossing the bridge (if you are coming in by way of Colona), where you’ll want to get off on I88 heading west, where shortly after the exit, you’ll have to make a U turn and take the frontage road (193rd Street) that straddles I80 heading south until you can catch Route 4 / Barstow Road heading east, where you’ll pass underneath that bridge holding up I80 and continue east about 2 miles before spotting Lundeens on the left with a gorgeous view of the Rock River.
Now that you’ve made your way here, let me tell you about this place. First, you’ll be greeted by the main office that sits up about a story on stilts, which BTW isn’t for bird watching, but rather to safeguard the building from any river flooding that may happen (and trust me, in this parts, it happens). After checking in with the owner, Joe, or one of his few employees, you’ll make your way down a single narrow loop that will take you to your designated plot of land. It goes without saying that the best sites are those located right in front of the Rock River. And if you’re a tent camper, you’ll find bliss at the far end of the loop as far away from the main office as possible, where you’ll find water & electric-equipped sites tucked into some really thick brush complete with your own mini-forest.
Apart from the very warm Midwestern hospitality that you’ll receive here from Joe, his father and the rest of the Lundeens crew, this medium-sized camping outpost offers up a no-frills, basic level of camping comfort with direct access to one of the most exciting rivers I’ve had the great pleasure of kayaking and fishing on. Amenities include: pull-thru and back-in sites for RVs, general market, typical RV hook-ups (water, 15 / 20 / 30 / 50 amp electric), concrete patios, picnic tables, fire rings, honey wagon, dump station, pet-friendly, playground, nature trails, weekly events, boat ramp & 7 river docks, shuttle service, canoe & kayak rentals, pretty clean restroom & showers, innertubes, adventure island (located just across the river) and a small beachhead.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a handful: (1) While it’s likely the direct access to Rock River that attracted you to this location, if you have bikes, you should bring them as the frontage road that brought you here is one very EXCELLENT road to bike on to see and explore the gorgeous Midwestern country landscape that exists here; (2) In speaking with Joe’s father at length about the campground, there’s plans to put in another campground area just across the street and due northwest of this property, which will offer additional RV spots, a designated laundry facility with coin-operated washers & dryers as well as many more amenities; and (3) Depending upon your interest and a craving, if you want to gnosh on some local grub, the best nearby spots include: Choppers Bar & Grill, Tap 22 Bar & Grill and 11th Hour Bar & Grill (yes, everything's a Bar & Grill out in these parts).
Happy Camping!
Guide
We have stayed here twice now and both times I was impressed with the trails and local restaurants. Verizon was ok at best. Definitely came and went. The bathroom is old but clean.
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Traveler
BULLET HOLES IN MY AIRSYTREAM. Yes, you read that correctly. I had 4 bullet holes in my Airstream and to date, O'Connell's has NEVER RETURNED ANY CALLS OR EMAILS regarding this incident. A police report was made, photos were taken, and still nothing. Thousand Trails should be aware of this, but I'm guessing they are not. What if your kids were playing outside? My neighbor had a bullet hole in her shed and he also posted about it. O'CONNELL'S IS DANGEROUS, stay away from the new "Premium" lot section. I paid extra for this?
Scout
Met up with family to fit in one last night of tent camping for the year. They didn’t really take reservations and the pricing shifted on us (quoted $75 for 6 adults 4 kids over email, then $10 per person when we actually showed up) so that was a bit weird but I’m not too concerned bc it was still a great deal. This is basic campground—flush toilets/showers and 3 cabins available but no other amenities unless you include water/electric hookups. I couldnt tell where the primitive tent sites were bc the map online doesn’t quite line up with what we saw there. You’d come here to relax around the fire, play some outdoor games, maybe do a little walking, and that’s about it. It was just what we were looking for. Some people looked like they were going to try to fish but the water in the fishing area was low which makes me wonder if it gets really buggy in the summer. We were on 2 huge pull-thru sites with just our 2 tents and we were the only tent campers I saw—maybe 1/3 of other sites had RVs. Some seemed to be permanent so not sure if that is common? Views of the river were great, kindling was plentiful, and it was SO QUIET and peaceful at night! I usually don’t sleep the first night of camping because my brain has to tune in to the new noises but we got some good rest even with temps dipping down to 45. Would love to come back in the summer for longer.
Traveler
This a really nice campground with a lot of recent upgrades. Great location, excellent piece of land, and the owners are super friendly. Sites give you TONS of room and they are all FHU.
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Traveler
Stayed in the east loop, overlooking the ravine, had a small trail behind our site that was all wooded. Decent pines and brush separating sites on both sides. Didn't feel like the sites were on top of each other. Not too far from refill station, farther from toilets which is nice to reduce flies and bugs. We'll definitely stay here again.
Didn't bother with $9 bundle of firewood from the vending machine. Jacks had a wagon load of firewood for $20 cash, much better deal and it lasted for 3 nights.
Keep in mind the grounds are fully separated from the state park, you'll need to drive 8 to 10min to get to the hiking trails. Biking out of the campgrounds also didn't seem close enough with young kids.
Guide
Nice educational center with canoe and kayak rentals, with lots of Mississippi backwater to explore. Showers are open until October 14 this year.
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Scout
Nice grassy sites, very vlean redtrooms.
Scout5 site in all. 4 sites can be accessed by rv or trailer. 5th one has barriers up and only tents. Each site has fire rings and tables to use. 3 sites back up along the canal. Public park restrooms near by.
TravelerVery friendly host at the gate! Just what my wife and I were looking for. Quiet campground not far off the highway! Didn’t expect this kind of camping in Illinois! Nicely wooded and picturesque area, similar to northern Wisconsin!
Guide
Very nice, affordable and peaceful campsite. Stayed one night for tent camping, campsite was clean and accommodating with fire pit, picnic table, lights, Wi-Fi, and power plug. Bathrooms and showers were clean. Perfect camping site.
Legend
Our RV GPS took us off I-39 for a nice country drive to the campground (CG). Google Maps wanted to bring us in off I-80, which also works as the CG just off I-80. The CG check in time is 2:00 PM. We called and they said it would be fine to come in a half hour earlier. Upon arrival, we checked in at their office that has a nice sized store that sells sundry, gifts, and camping stuff. Check-in was fast and we were off to pull through site L-1 with FHUs in the far side of this large CG. The pull through was plenty long enough for our 40’ 5th wheel and F450. The utilities were centered on the pad so that was nice as I was able to dump both black tanks with a 10’ hose. There’s a shower house on this side of the CG as there are also tent sites in this area. Water pressure was good at about 50 psi and we got between 2 and 3 bars on Verizon. When we checked in, we just got a map and no rules or information sheet. Their rules etc. are on their website. There was a well maintained picnic table and an old fashioned rock fire pit, which was kind of cool. The pool is up front by the office/club house. And the large playground along with a dumpster is at the entrance to the back CG area. Up front by the office, there’s a small fenced dog area that we didn’t use and another dumpster as you head out of the CG. They also have Wifi in that area, but not throughout the CG, which was fine with us for our overnight stay. As we were in the back of the CG, we did not notice highway noise. The shower house in our area also had laundry consisting of two washers and two dryers. You can rent golf carts here along with selling wood and ice. The sites are nicely spaced for a private CG, but we would not call them spacious. Loves and a Dollar General are nearby. You can also buy sundries in the campground's store and gift shop. We enjoyed our short overnighter.
GuideExcellent campground for those who want to relax and have quiet time. Nature trails are nicely groomed and mowed. Not a lot of amenities for families with young kids but bring your own corn hole bags and badminton. Nice for adults who want some peace and quiet.
Legend
Cabin sits at end of campground lane with covered porch, parking for 3 cars, ADA accessible. Cabin has 2 sleeping rooms, sleeping loft, and sofa. Capacity is 10, with all kitchen amenities. Has fire pit, wood available in campground, tables, and gas grill with rental. Playground nearby, park has seasonal pool, garden of course, trails, Pride Lake for fishing and paddling.
Legend
Campground has gravel lanes, roads pads, appears to have annual residence, campground office, pool is clean, planes, farm, and fleet nearby for Supplies. Sites include tables, water, electric, though need updating.
GuideFound this on our way to Colorado from Michigan and what a Gem. We don't like crowded campgrounds and happy to give up some amenities to have some elbow room, peace and quiet. No water hookup but spigot nearby. No sewer hookup but dump station on-site.
So fun to hike and explore a series of canyons along the Illinois River. Nearby Ottawa has all the city amenities and nearby Utica in the opposite direction a quaint strolling town, bike paths.
Will return!
Guide
Just 5 minutes to Starved Rock state park and one mile from interstate 80. Great country setting with full hook ups, pool, laundry, camp store and showers.
Guide
We stayed here at the beginning of May last year. We thought it was a pretty good camp ground, but didn’t realize how different it would be the second time around a little later in the season. It was noisy and packed, tenters taking up more room than they should’ve, and no one to tell them not to. We had a camper set up close to us and taken over three sites. It was even uneven terrain than we remembered where we were set up, more dirt than grass. The bathrooms smelled heavily like urine and were not clean. When we left to dump the dump we had to switch to the other dump station because the hose threading was so bad. Even the other one wasn’t great, but we had to make it work. We will not be back, unless we try at the beginning of the season when it’s less busy and things aren’t as dirty. Even then, I don’t know if we want to battle the uneven sites.
ScoutWe stayed in the east loop which is heavily wooded compared to the west loop. Site 99 has no grass but is very large - ended up camping behind the RV on a little point that overlooks a ravine. Very neat, rustic feel. Heavy tree canopy means no Starlink. Verizon and AT&T both had only 1 bar. TV was nearly impossible to hold a signal. From our site closest bathrooms were a short walk but are port-a-pots. Shower house is likely a drive away especially if you have women and children in your party. All of the Starved Rock State Park trails and sites to see are a drive away, not part of the campground. For me the most annoying thing we encountered… there must be a small airport nearby because there was nearly constant small planes buzzing around thought out the day. Would stay here again, but not a favorite.
ScoutThe place is nice and very quiet on weekdays. My only complaint is Rick who runs the place. I have not had good experiences with him. He really seems unhappy in his job. I heard him tell a good friend of mine while I was standing just feet away "... I hate managing the place".
Guide
They are spending a lot on this campground. New restrooms, traveled all pads, trimmed trees, new playground equipment. It is a hidden gem. If you are on I 74 great place to stay. We will be back. A lot of events scheduled. Cabins being put in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Mineral, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Mineral, IL is Chief Keokuk Campground — Johnson-Sauk Trail State Recreation Area with a 4.3-star rating from 23 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Mineral, IL?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Mineral, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
