Best Campgrounds near Park Forest, IL

I recently spent three nights in the flamingo campgrounds of the Florida Everglades. The campground was surprisingly void of campers. Well under half of the tent spots were occupied. That taken into consideration, one of the restroom buildings was closed (not sure if the lack of campers is related).

The restroom building that was open was sufficient (granted I only visited the men’s side). Two showers in the men’s section, large area in the shower, there is a bench in at least one of the two shower’s. The roads are well tended to and paved. The greatest adversity I encountered were the ceratopogonidae insects. More commonly known as no-see-um bugs caused me great discomfort as I learned an invaluable lesson, which I’m glad to pass along to you, finer holes in the material of your tent are required to prevent these insects from invading your tent.

Not a bad spot. Average and relatively inexpensive.

We stayed in the Chippewa Campground in early October.

Pros:
 - Large trees provided a high shade canopy and an open feel

 - Well maintained open-grass layout

 - Spacious campsites, similar to other IL State Parks we've stayed at

 - Quiet (when we visited)

 - Boat ramp is accessible via trail or a short drive away

 - Another boat ramp about 3 miles downriver makes a gorgeous through-paddle possible

 - Many miles (7ish?) of riverside paved trail for jogging, walking, or biking adjacent to campsite

Cons:
 - We liked no brush because it gave the campground an open feel. But if you were looking for privacy, you won't get it from the layout
 - Some sites had fewer trees than others and might not be able to accommodate e.g. hammocks, market lights, etc. We picked one with a good setup of surrounding trees
 - BYO watercraft, no watercraft concession

 - No riverside campsites a-la Illini State Park etc

Overall: Great state park to serve as a base for a point-to-point paddle. Great fall colors.

Lovely area and there’s so many beach areas nearby. Not on the lake but close! Best hike nearby is Mount Baldy! It’s short and you have the beach to yourself!

Convenient to Indiana dunes, each site is easily accessible and spacious. The facilities are fairly clean and showers are available though we didn’t use them. Would recommend as a stop over. As a solo female traveler I felt safe.

Can get a little crowded ar times

Advertised as $25 a night, but you must have an Indiana Dunes park pass, which is only good for this specific park. Site was fine, facilities were decent.

This is a nice national park campground and has all that you would expect from that, but the mosquitos here are insane!!! I came back with giant welts from the bites even with bug spray on. I honestly couldn’t wait to leave!

This was a very nicely managed site. All services you might want, even showers. Our spot wasn’t very closed off from other sites, and you’re not likely to get much privacy here

Nice Privat Spot and lots of Shade, Train is on Duty all Night Paid $12.50 with my Senior Discount 👍

"Our family had an incredible stay at Leisure Lake Resort RV Park over Easter week. The location was perfect for a peaceful retreat, and the amenities provided everything we needed for a comfortable and enjoyable visit. The kids had a blast with the available activities, and it was the ideal setting for our family to come together and create lasting memories. The staff was exceptionally friendly and went above and beyond to ensure our stay was pleasant. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a family-friendly getaway!"

This is actually our second visit here. It’s only 20 minutes from our home, so we expect to come back many times. It’s a unique location about .5 miles from the actual beach and there’s a path/boardwalk that takes you right there. This is one of the few state parks that has a year-round heated bathroom with shower, so even with our popup camper we were able to take advantage of the decent weather for our first trip of the year. Sites are decent sized and have asphalt driveways with concrete pads. Sites are electric only, but there’s several water fills, even in winter. Very popular campground so you do have to book well in advance during regular season. Be aware that because it shares an entrance to the state park beach, entering on a summer Saturday or summer Sunday can take upwards of 45 minutes or more.

As we were driving eastbound on I80 that day, we spotted the Love’s RV Hookup, which is a new concept that this oversized fueling depot / travel store has been working on for the past year or so. Having checked out one of their other locations in Bloomington earlier in the year, which I have to admit, I was fairly impressed by, we decided to stop in here to have a look. Located just due east on the outskirts of little known Morris, Illinois just off I80, this little roadside stand isn’t the largest Love’s I’ve ever seen, but it sure does pack a punch. 

If you do find yourself hustling and bustling east or west along the I80 corridor and are in need of a pit stop or an overnight stay, then the good folks at the Love’s RV Hookup have you covered. While the other Love’s I have stopped by seem enormous by comparison, this spot felt more like a corner convenience store that also had a fairly large fueling bay (4 double-sided pumps) in the front, primarily for cars and SUVs. 

As you pull in, there’s 4 spots earmarked to the right of the entrance for RV’s. As you pull further along in front of the Love’s fueling bay, on the other side, an additional 6 or so slots exist for other RVs to park. In all, there’s 10 back-in RV slots available and inside you’ll find that there’s 7 individual shower stalls (all of which were in pristine, brand-new shape when we stopped by) along with a laundry facility, which we were happily surprised by, as well as a designated RV dump service, propane refill station and all of the typical hook-ups (water, 30 / 50 amp electric and sewage) along with WiFi. Inside, there’s of course the Love’s retail market, which was just decent, an ATM, Hardee’s and Naf-Naf (think Subway, but instead, Middle Eastern food). There’s even a small dog park here. As I hinted at, quite a lot here for such a small location. 

If you would like something more substantial to eat, just head back west on I80 to the next exit, where if you head north there’s an IHOP, Chili’s, Bellacino’s Pizza or you can head on back to the TA Travel Center where they actually have a proper sit-down 24 hour restaurant called R-Place. If instead of heading north, you drive south on the main drag (Road 47), there’s a Buffalo Wild Wings, Pizza Hut, Starbuck’s, Wendy’s, Culver’s, Dunkin' and Burger King. But if you want something a bit more memorable, I would recommend either Morris Diner & Pancake House or La Casa Michoacana. And if you don’t mind a slightly longer drive back towards Ottawa, there’s 2 amazing places I would recommend that you won’t soon forget: Hank’s and Lone Buffalo. 

Should you want to actually enjoy a bit of the nature around these parts, you can continue to head south on N. Division Street / Road 47 where you’ll come to 2 parks: Goold and Chapin, where either would make for a great place to stretch your legs, walk the dog or grab a picnic. If you’d like something a bit more splendid, then head on over to William G. Stratton SP or Gebhard Woods SP where you will be able to hike the I&M Canal State Trail. 

While scoring criteria may vary from one person to the next, here are the 5 most important criteria that informed my rating of this overnight location: convenience (EZ on- and off-access), safety & security, quality (of facilities), peace & quiet and amenities (either on-site or nearby). Here’s how I ranked this particular overnight spot: 

Convenience: 5 

Safety & Security: 4 

Quality: 5 

Peace & Quiet: 4 

Amenities: 3 

Overall, I scored this location a 4.

Happy Overnighting!

I’ve been to this site a handful of times growing up and it’s a good campsite for the kids. Lots of activities to do everyday like crafts to keep the kids preoccupied during the day. RV, tent, and cabins make it easy for everyone to enjoy their stay. Bathrooms need some attention and hotter showers would be wonderful. Always came here for trick or treating and it’s a fun event for the camp ground with plenty of spooky things to do. Might come here when I have kids of my own, but I know there are better camp sites out there!