Best RV Parks & Resorts near Park Ridge, IL

My first impression when I first arrived here was the overwhelming scent of a newly minted campground, what with the freshly laid gravel, the mint condition security gates, finely manicured and recently raked greenery (as it was October when we visited, it might be better described as brownery) surrounded by a fairly decent gated enclosure lined with perfectly pruned tall towering oaks. Upon arrival, you’ll find what looks to be a brand-spanking new log cabin office on the right after passing a seemingly freshly-minted activities center / community lodge complete with in-ground heated swimming pool and jacuzzi on the left.

Amenities? As you could guess, this pet-friendly 60-acre RV resort has all the attractions in spades from pickleball, playgrounds, volleyball, log pergola patio, full hook-ups (30 / 50 amp electric, water & sewage), picnic tables, fire pits, BBQ grills, wagon rides, river access, picnic areas, bathhouses w/ showers & restrooms, cable TV WiFi (pretty poor connection though), gaga ball, game room, community room, billiards table, playground, wet bar, tabletop shuffleboard, community living room with large screen TV, DVD player w/ DVD library, clubhouse, dog park, horseshoes, hot tub, covered pavilions with picnic tables, catch & release ponds, inflatable water toys, jumping pillow, laundr-O-mat, propane refueling station and dump station.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a handful: (1) This place isn’t EZ to find – for some reason, if you plug the campground into your GPS, you’ll literally be on the wrong side of the tracks, where you will arrive at a dead end with a sign that says you are in the wrong place and that you’ll need to double-back, cross the train tracks heading north and turn right just before arriving to High Road School of Belvidere (so if you see a school, you’ve gone too far); (2) You will want to take note that yes, you actually cross train tracks to get to this campground, so if you’re sharp, you’re going to want to ensure you haven’t booked a site right next to where trains will shoot through every few hours, this specifically means avoiding sites #E1-#E5 and #FS23-#FS36 as well as #FE1-#FE20; (3) If you’re a tent camper, you can certainly stay here, but you will want to note that this is very much an RV outpost; (4) The best sites IMHO are those on the northernmost perimeter, as far away from the train tracks as you can get and that also border the Kishwaukee River with sites #S9-#S20 being excellent, as well as #S25-#S81, which are equally amazing; (5) If you are planning on using that amazing pool that you saw as you came in, make sure you call management a good day or two before you come in to ensure that they turn on the heater – when we were there for 2 days, by the time we left, the pool was still too cold to go for a dip; and (6) When you grow weary of trying to conjure up a meal from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler and want to venture out to try some local fare, just a short walk into the nearby town is Garden Prairie Café, which has a very simple menu offering no shortage of fried everything (fish, shrimp, chicken, etc.) and then there’s Pleasant Street Tavern, but that’s mostly cheap national beers and frozen pizza fare, so if you want something a bit more substantive, head west of here to Miles Bar N’ Grill that serves up typical Midwestern fare like cheese curds, pork tenderloin, Italian beef and a variety of fried fish like blue gill, cod and catfish.

Happy Camping!

We pulled in around 4:30 in the evening. The sight was spacious with plenty of room in between sites. Since the weather was cooler , it was pretty sparse with other campers. We stayed 2 nights over the weekend. You are within walking distance to the beach within the park. The buildings have great architecture. The sight had 50 amp electric hook ups but no water or sewer connections, and we knew that going in. We had a back in sight #69. There was plenty of space on all sides. We have a 37’ motorhome and pulled a Jeep behind it. There was plenty of room to maneuver around. The sight also had a wood picnic table and fire ring for a wood fire pit. We will definitely be back! I wish I had taken more photos from the beach and beach pavilion.

The state park is located within the boundaries of the Indiana Dunes National Park (formerly National Lakeshore), so don't get confused by this. There also is a national park campground, but it's closed in the winter.)

This state park has a nice layout because the sites seem to be staggered so that they don't back up to each other. Also, there is a good buffer space behind the sites and decent space between each site. 

All sites have 20- 30- and 50-amp service available, plus almost all are a combination of a concrete pad and asphalt apron. Note that just because they're paved doesn't mean all of them are level. Each site has a fire pit and it appeared they all have grill grates on them.

One nice touch is that some sites have wider asphalt aprons so if you have a longer rig, you can put your towing vehicle or your towed vehicle off to the side once your rig is in place. Also, the ADA sites are nicely laid out with larger concrete pads so that even the fire pits are in the concrete section for ease of access. 

Note that after Nov. 1, the water is shut off and bathrooms are shut down until spring, although there are vault toilets available. 

You will hear a pretty regular stream of train whistles at this campground, but they aren't so loud as to be disruptive. 

You can hike to the 1929 Dunes Pavilion and a large beach on Lake Michigan. The best hiking activity, however, and also easily accessible by walking from the campground, is the series of dune trails. The Nature Center, which sits between the campground and the trails, has some good visitor's information about the dunes, the flora and fauna, and the history of the area. 

Once you finish seeing what you want in the state park, there's still the entire national park to see. Plus, there's a multi-use trail that runs for 9 miles along the state park and into the national park. 

Cell service for Verizon was two bars but speeds seem to be good. Less signal and speed for Google Fi, but not terrible.

We booked here sight unseen due to temporary employment in the area.

What a terrible mistake.

The best thing was, that there is "full hook up" here???

This place is old and run-down to say the least, there's not a flat spot on any of the roads. The sites are dirt with something green in between. The stinkest water we've ever smelled, horrible!!! Our sewer connection was nearly buried. There is a laundry area, I don't know what it's like, I'd never wash our close in that nasty water, we found a Laundromat. The lots are verious sizes of tiny. Most sites you're back to back to your neighbor. Your door faces your other neighbor's door, it's like you shared a site. We asked for a picnic table and got one, but when we left for a week, when we returned it was gone! Despite the high rent, there's no internet or cable TV, basically no emenities. We were told there was planned activities, but we weren't there long enough to find out. There's a area for long-term, yearly sites. Several of the trailers in that area were old with beat up decks, some surrounded by junk.

We installed interior security cameras to keep an eye on our rig. Then stayed in a hotel until we changed our job location.

We can't image a worse location. I should be condemned.

We feel bad for those who are on the road and fall into this trap for a place to stay on the way, or close to Chicago.

Took our new to us Pop Up Camper to this resort during Labor Day weekend on her maiden voyage. Was surrounded by awesome people in their big rigs but not once made us feel inferior or less than for not having an RV at an RV resort. Pros:

• Activities provided by the campsite
• lots of room and not overcrowded since they dont book the whole campground (manager said so)
• close to Chicago
• friendly campers and seasonals

Cons: -Hard to find (GPS takes you to a school parking lot, the campsite is behind it) -Bathhouses need major upgrade and cleaning (seems neglected by the river sites)

• Very Very Pricey even for a holiday weekend.
• Pool was not heated (confirmed by a seasonal that it is indeed a heated pool but wasnt turned on)
• Staff could be a bit more customer friendly

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.