Best Equestrian Camping near Rockford, IL

Equestrian Camping Reviews near Rockford, IL

198 Reviews of 13 Rockford Campgrounds

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Turner Lake South — Chain O' Lakes State Park

  Fine camping in Northern Illinois

  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:)

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• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  Sep. 11, 2016

  Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

  Rock Cut State Park campground is huge!

  Of all of the campgrounds that I have visited in Illinois, I would say that Rock Cut State Park is the best that I have seen. It boasts as being the largest State Park in Northern Illinois. It has a large lake with almost 40 miles of hiking trails, including equestrian trails and an equestrian campground. There is boating and fishing as well as swimming in the lake.

  The campground staff is very helpful and do a good job at keeping it clean and well maintained even with the large number of visitors. Don't miss my interview with Marsha, one of the friendly staff members at Rock Cut State Park.

• 

  Ashley J.

  Guide

  Jun. 18, 2020

  Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

  Great spot for Chicagoland campers

  Rock cut is only about a 50 minute drive from the far burbs of Chicago. It’s situated a few miles outside of Rockford so if you’re into exploring old industrial river towns, this is a nice one.

  The spots are average size. The bathrooms are pretty busted but for what it lacks in amenities it gains in acres to a cool giant stocked lake, bike paths, and being just far away to make a weekend gateway worth it.

• 

  Ashley J.

  Guide

  Oct. 14, 2020

  Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

  Fun little casual spot

  Take a leisurely stroll, or fish in their stocked lake. Rock cut is a sweet park just outside Rockford. The sites are not private in the least, but I've met some really nice people!

• 

  Shari G.

  Legend

  Dec. 30, 2020

  Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

  An Easy Respite from City Life

  Just outside of the sprawling metropolitan area of Rockford, Illinois, the recreational oasis of Rock Cut State Park awaits. With miles of walking, hiking, biking, and even some intermediate mountain biking single track around a damned lake, there is plenty for every outdoor enthusiast to enjoy. 

  The campsites offer a spacious escape from the city, with the usual amenities of fire ring and picnic table, but most had long paved driveways and electrical hook-ups to boot.  But our site had plenty of sun, so we were able to run on solar and not worry about the hookups.

  The bathrooms appeared to have full-flush facilities with hot showers, however these were not open in November when we arrived.  Instead, pit toilets (fairly clean) were available for use. The park and one loop of the campground remains open year-round, however the water and facilities with plumbing shut down at the end of October. 

  All of the trails double as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing areas as well, so don’t think of this as just a summer time getaway. We experienced one of the best late fall summers ever in November, 70 degrees during the day and cool at night. It was perfect, and while the place was full over the weekend, it never felt too crowded.

  Just outside of the park boundary the suburban sprawl encroaches, so gas, ice, and groceries couldn’t be any more convenient. The winding park roads help slow things down and make it feel like you’ve wandered into a little slice of the wild on the edge of the prairie.

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• 

  Melissa B.

  Ranger

  Sep. 1, 2017

  Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

  Fun on the water!

  Great boating. Beautiful nature. Not something you would expect near Rockford.

• S

  Syndy Z.

  Guide

  Jul. 8, 2021

  Seward Bluffs Forest Preserve

  Quiet, off the beaten path

  Outside Rockford ILL. I didnt stay, was just scouting. Hardly anyone here. Sites are close together. Has electric. $13 residents, $23 non reaidents. Pit toilets. Water.

• J

  Jesse M.

  Traveler

  Jun. 8, 2021

  Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

  Very nice campground

  Rock Cut St. Park is in the middle of an urban area, but you would not know it. The park is very large(the largest in northern Illinois) and has multiple campgrounds. I stayed in the Prairie View campground. Trees all around, plenty of shade. There is a central bathhouse with flush toilets and 3 showers. There is also a pit toilets throughout the park. Sites have electrical hookup, but water is from a hydrant or there is a dump station and water supply near the campground entrance. There are bike trails, hiking, and equestrian trails. You can swim in the lake at the east end of the park. Paddle boats, canoes and kayaks for rent as well as two boat ramps on the big lake in the middle of the park. The Plum Grove campground is more open between sites and sites are closer. Staghorn, White Oak, and Prairie View are father apart and have more under growth between sites. Hickory hills campgrounds is all tent sites and most are on the lake. Also there are AOA sites.

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• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  Nov. 15, 2024

  Franklin Creek State Natural Area Equestrian Campground

  Primitive Equestrian Camping in the Prairies

  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!

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