The Chain O' Lakes region supports year-round camping near Richmond, Illinois at an average elevation of 800 feet. Winter temperatures drop to the low 20s while summer averages in the 80s with high humidity. Most campgrounds require reservations even during weekdays in summer, with tent sites starting at $12 per night and full hookup RV sites reaching $35 during peak season.
What to do
Kayaking through nature preserves: Turner Lake South offers access to smaller lakes with abundant wildlife viewing opportunities. "I love to kayak through here because I don't need to paddle through the river unless I'm feeling competitive. I enjoy this route for the wildlife and nature scenery. I've seen beavers, minks, ferrets, and sand cranes on my two trips so far," notes one camper at Turner Lake South.
Fishing from dedicated piers: Multiple campgrounds provide direct lake access for anglers, with Mud Lake East featuring shoreline sites for easy fishing. A visitor reports, "There are numerous sites that are on a small lake with great sunset views. Sites are decent size but not much privacy in between sites. Lots of wooded trails within the campground."
Horseback riding trails: Richard Bong State Recreation Area provides dedicated horse trails within a short drive of Richmond. "A great campground with tons of amenities a clean campground, great hiking trails, ATV trails, a nature center, a self-guided audio hike, fishing and more," shares one camper.
What campers like
Clean facilities despite high usage: Despite being busy, many campers appreciate the maintenance of shower houses and restrooms. At Fox Den Campground, a visitor noted, "Fox den at Chain-o-Lakes state park provides a more secluded camping experience than Honeysuckle or the 2 tent camping areas. Pads are pretty level, and each site has some semblance of privacy from other campers."
Kid-friendly recreation options: Multiple playgrounds and swimming areas make the region ideal for families. A camper at Honeysuckle Hollow shared, "Multiple playgrounds, access to launch sites for kayaks, little store to buy ice cream or snacks."
Site privacy variations: Some loops offer more seclusion than others. "Turner South - one of the older tent camping loops, and the age definitely showed. Most of the sites on this loop are pretty worn, with not much privacy. We stayed in T10, but would consider T9 if we returned to this loop for a different reserved site," mentioned one visitor.
What you should know
Wildlife encounters: Raccoons and ticks are prevalent throughout the area. A camper at Honeysuckle Hollow warns, "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!"
Alcohol restrictions: Unlike private campgrounds, Illinois state parks enforce strict alcohol bans. At Prairie View, a camper observed, "We took our 2 Newfoundlands camping on a long weekend. Just needed to take a break from our everyday life. Couldn't be happier from gate welcoming person to everyone else we met during our long stay."
Closing times: Gates at state parks close at 10 pm, restricting late access. One visitor explained, "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."
Tips for camping with families
Pack bug protection: Screened shelters are essential for comfortable outdoor time with children. A visitor reported, "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."
Check site configurations: When booking, look for flatter sites away from main roads. A camper at Illinois Beach State Park advised, "We visited this fall and were happy. I always forget that the sites in the 340's are awesome. There was some flooding but it didn't effect our trip."
Weekday visits offer more space: School-year weekdays provide a dramatically different experience. "We stayed here for a week over the summer in 2021. We had a back-in site on the north side of the campground. The campground was really busy during the weekend, but cleared out Sunday and we nearly had the whole loop to ourselves during the week."
Tips from RVers
Electric hookup locations vary: Many sites have electric boxes shared between multiple campsites. A visitor cautioned, "These sites share an electric box. Some spaces the box is further than 30 feet from the pad. A lot of the spaces are also crowded together. Recommend sites 23 to 46 for spacing and electric distance."
Prepare for site limitations: Some RV sites have obstacles that restrict slide-out usage. "We originally booked 96 but could not extend our slide because of large trees on either side of the pad and then the electric was about 50 feet away. Moved to 50 one of the nicest spots."
Dump station timing: Plan around peak checkout times to avoid waiting. "The dump station was near the entrance to the camping loop and had potable water. It was also very busy and we had to wait when filling up and again when dumping."
