Best Cabin Camping near Sterling, IL

Recent Cabin Reviews near Sterling, Illinois

214 Reviews of 27 Sterling Campgrounds

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 5, 2023

  Rock Creek County Marina and Campground

  Neat County Backwaters CG & Marina

  CG is spread out along bottomland river forest and includes camping cabins, tent and RV sites, RR/showers, playground, dump and water stations, Eco Tourism store/grill, paddling rentals, Blue Heron Cruises, nature center. Sites include fire rings, tables, gravel backing pads, electric with some right near water edge.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 21, 2021

  Bald Eagle Campground and Cabins

  Nice County CG , Nice amenities

  CG is primarily RV but tents can setup and there is a luxury cabin in CG. Showers/restrooms, wood available, host onsite, overflow parking, standard sites, trails nearby, Pool open during season, golf course nearby, well maintained. PRIDE Lake nearby for paddling and fishing. Pioneer Village cultural site at north end.

• 

  Scott S.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 10, 2023

  Blue Lake Resort

  A gem of a place in the Midwest.

  Looking for a safe and relaxing place to enjoy the sun naturally? Needing to get away and just enjoy some time nude? Are you raising your kids to be body shame free and want a place for them to enjoy while being safe? This is the place for you and your family to visit. Great playground, fun pond and a nice restaurant to get a good meal. All while enjoying your time without clothes. Safe and friendly along with welcoming to all. Beautiful land to wander, lots of different spots to camp and a hot tub for the cool nights. So much fun and so easy to get to from anywhere in the Midwest. Highly recommend and suggest all go check out this place.

• l

  lynne M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 4, 2017

  O'Connell's RV Campground

  Stay Away for a better getaway

  $77.00 a night for a horrible experience. Stayed here over Labor Day weekend 2017. Had 2 sites. Sites were adequate but most sites took quite a bit of maneuvering for anything over 25 ft. Almost every activity you have to pay extra for. If you are looking for a nice place to get away from it all STAY AWAY from here. All the campers in our section (all visiting guests) were quiet and courteous. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm to 7 am and everyone abided by those except the park itself. Saturday night they had a DJ that was suppose to perform from 7-10 pm. It was loud banging music and it didn’t end at 10 he kept going until 11:30 and then we were all treated to the whooping and hollering by the people returning to there campsites. Finally quiet at midnight. With small children throughout the campground there were a lot of sleepless babies because of the loud noise. You would think it was an outdoor concert at Grant Park! Ridiculous. We tried to go swimming on Sunday but all 3 pools were so crowded you couldn’t get in. Capacity says 60 but there was a lot more than that and no one to enforce the rules. The drunken adults took up the hot tubs staking out their territories with their coolers full of alcoholic drinks. So we decided to go to the beach. The ranger station backs right up to the beach. We were inundated with boom box music that was so loud you couldn’t even carry on a conversation. No one from the staff came and asked them to turn it down. The rules state that you can’t have music, tv etc that is so loud it can be heard in the site next to you at any time. HA! Walking 200 feet down the lakeshore by the rental cabins you could still hear it.  Don’t tell me those “rangers” couldn’t hear it.   We were willing to pay the outrageous site fees because we thought it would be like Yogi Bear in WI. Not even close. Way too many golf carts speeding around driven by kids-it is dangerous on the roads throughout the park.  A very unpleasant weekend filled with noise. Not what you want while you are camping. Way too expensive for a rundown campground. Certainly NOT A RESORT experience.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 28, 2024

  Bald Eagle Campground and Cabins

  Nice modern cabin in County campground

  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.

• J

  JC

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 29, 2021

  Lena KOA

  Lena Koa

  This campground is absolutely wonderful. Spots are spaced apart nicely. Many activities for kids and adults. Also, a pool, showers and if you just want a weekend getaway they have cabins as well.

• 

  Ryan

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 28, 2021

  Rock Creek County Marina and Campground

  Great place for the family

  This campground has an assortment of primitive and electrical sites. They also have cabins and canoe/kayak rental, a visitor shop with food/drink and a mini museum of the local wildlife. Great place for the family.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 9, 2021

  Rock Creek County Marina and Campground

  Mississippi River backwaters & Eco Tourist Center

  Turn at quarry off Great River Road/Highway 67. Plenty of sites, boat landing, kayak/canoe rentals, naturalist programs, nature center with native  animals including large fish aquarium,  cabins, park store and kitchen, shower house, pontoon  river cruises. Watch river levels for flooding, bugs can be bad since location is bottomland riverine forest.

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 14, 2023

  Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area

  Wooded Oasis in The Midst of Corn Patches

  If you find yourself out in these parts near Shabbona in north central Illinois it is because of either one of two reasons - you are incredibly lost and stumbled across this hidden natural preserve gem by accident OR you are incredibly knowledgeable already or resourceful.  Whatever drew you to this particular location, here's the fact of the matter - you have arrived at an absolute natural treasure trove, whether in the midst of a humid and hot Illinois summer or in the bitter cold of a snow white winter looking for great cross-country skiing trails.  So now that you've found yourself nearby or contemplating a stay at Shabbona Lake SP, let me just forewarn you - you are about to embark upon one of the most amazing outdoor camping experiences Illinois has to offer!

  As for this campground, PLEASE NOTE: there exists not 1, but 3 separate, individual campgrounds here at Shabbona Lake State Park: Teal Bay Campground (Sites#1– 60), Merganser Circle (Sites#61– 100) as well as Canvasback Cove (Sites#101– 150). In this review, I will be isolating my contributions towards the Shabbona Lake State Park – Teal Bay Campground.  That said, please do look at all the reviews that I leave behind here on TheDyrt, in order to find the absolute best campground for you and your family / friends, should that be arriving by RV / 5th Wheel, those looking for an existing wooden cabin by the sea (er, as it were, because we're in Illinois, a lake) or for mi tent-pitching bredren.

  The first of these three campgrounds is the first loop you will encounter after passing the Ranger Station at the front of the park, where you’ll drive about a half mile around the bend before reaching the first of three clearly marked Camp Host spots. At this point, you’ll want to hang a right, where there will be a slight left bend where sites #2–10 will be on your right, wherein site #1 is earmarked for the Camp Host, and at site #10, you’ll see opposite this spot a small water / privy facility, following which, you will see the rest of Teal Bay campground as it encircles a small loop (effectively sites #11–31 on the exterior of the loop, interrupted by another small water / privy facility between sites #29 and #30, with sites #32– 47 being plotted on the interior of this loop and finally, you’ll see sites #48– 50 upon your exit from the loop, where you’ll encounter that first small water / privy house, before coming across the final sites #51– 60 on the right as you exit Teal Bay. Immediately to the right, once you exit this campground, you’ll come across the lone Shower Building (more on this below). You will need to pass the Shower Building to access the second campground, Merganser Circle and to access the third campground, Canvasback Cove, where you would have turned left before passing the Shower Building as you head towards the lakefront and boat launch area. 

  With Shabbona Lake State Park specifically in mind… Holy Cow! (nod to Harry Carey and all my Cubs loving friends there!) are you in for a treat if you find yourself in north-central Illinois right off the I39 corridor and are rolling with either your RV, 5th wheel or are packing a tent and looking for an exceptional lakeside camping experience completely surrounded by God’s greatest natural prairie! To be blunt, Shabbona Lake State Park could be, quite possibly, one of the best, most pristine camping experiences that exists in this sweet corn riddled and drilled bean harvested farmland in the entire Land O’ Lincoln. 

  From a clandestine entrance, beset with golden tall grasses and strategically planted old Pines along with its superbly laid out and easily sign-posted inner roadway to the non-stop 3 meter wide natural hiking trails that are jam-packed in this luscious, picturesque state park along with its signature sparkling clear blue, man-made Shabbona Lake, this is one multi-campus campground that you must prepare yourself for, because it packs quite the punch! All in, there’s 150 Class A Premium campsites with 90 of these available for reservation with the remaining open on a first-come, first-served basis through the state’s online reservation system: ExploreMoreIL. 

  With amenities in mind, you will discover scattered spots that accommodate both RV and tent camping brethren alike, where half of the slots are nicely paved concrete, while the other half are cleverly laid small pebble-strewn platforms. All sites come with a fire ring, picnic table, water and electric hook-ups and no matter where you go, you are surrounded by some solid wilderness so there is never the chance that you will wake up or go for a hike and feel as though you are not being embraced by one of the best wilderness areas in the country. 

  Beyond the basics, and this is where Shabbona Lake SP shines brightest, you’ll discover that there are tons of additional bonus features such as: scattered picnic tables and sheltered pavilions, designated dump stations, (2) lakefront log cabins for rent (complete with their own balcony / veranda, grill and fire pit), Pokanoka’s Dockside Café with spectacular views of Shabbona Lake, concession store offering wood, groceries, bait & tackle, snacks, soda and camping items, over 8 miles of hiking in pristine wood- and grasslands, fishing piers (this is the Muskie Capitol of Illinois, BTW!) where you’ll find no shortage of bluegill, walleye, perch and many other fish. If you’re into hunting, Shabbona Lake SP has you covered too with 744 acres of land that allows for archery hunting of deer, dove and waterfowl (for those wanting to use firearms, there is discretionary times of the year where deer and pheasant hunting is allowed). 

  Insider’s Tips? Here’s a few: (1) This SP strictly enforces its ‘no alcohol’ policy, which is a massive bummer; (2) Tired of fixing beans and franks and want to sample some local fare? Well, you’re in luck because in the nearby hamlet of Shabbona, there’s a few options, top of which I recommend Shabbona Café, which is a no-frills local diner serving up burgers, sandwiches, skillets, salads and typical Midwestern fare followed by a few scoops at Screamers Ice Cream; (3) If you don’t mind a slight drive to arguably the best fried chicken in the universe, then check out Rip’s Chicken in Ladd and trust me, while a longer drive than you might expect, this place is legend in these parts; (4) When thinking about Winter activities, this is one of the very few SP’s that allow for snow-mobiling and cross-country skiing where trails are open between 8am to 4pm with at least 4” of snow. Ice fishing and ice skating are also allowed if the thickness of the ice is good enough; and (5) During the summer months especially, this place fills up, so I would definitely recommend calling ahead for those first-come, first served campsites. Call 815-824-2106 during the week or the campground check station at 815-824-2565 on weekends. 

  Happy Camping!

• 

  Loren G.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 9, 2018

  Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area

  The forest among the corn fields

  Great campground with tent, rv, and cabin spots available. All within easy walking distance to the lake. Camp store and two boat rental spots allow for flexiblity on busier weekends. Numerous walking paths around the lake or smaller loops for those who prefer the land over the water. Can get very busy on holiday weekends during the summer.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Feb. 17, 2022

  Colona Scott Family Park

  Seasonal Campground with RV and tent sites

  Seasonal cg with RV and tent sites, cabins, clubhouse, pool, pavilion.

• A

  Abbey W.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 9, 2018

  White Pines Forest State Park Campground

  Clean and trails are well marked

  Great place for family camping. Very clean, and beautiful hiking trails. My only complaint would be that at the private cabins you are not allowed to cook out. We did tent camping and there were grills, but a separate time we did a private cabin and they would not let us grill. So you basically had to either eat at their lodge, or drive into town about 15 minutes away to eat. However, the cabins did have beautiful fire pits at each site. It was nice to be able to sit around the fire throughout the day and night.

  it was fun to be able to fish in the creek there, and just relax!

  Overall it is a beautiful place. Last time we were there a new hbo series was being filmed, so a lot of stuff was blocked off, however it was pretty awesome to see the production of it come together.

• 

  Audrey S.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 19, 2018

  Geneseo Camp Grounds

  Basic former KOA site

  Near local town. A little pricey. Cabins are very basic, but well maintained. Owners are nice.

• 

  Tony G.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 23, 2022

  Lasalle/Peru KOA

  This is no longer a koa

  It's now called nature's way campground, it's quite nice,they have several cabins,tent sites, and nice pull thru rv sites.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Feb. 13, 2024

  Pine Grove Campground, Scott Co Park

  Neat CG surrounded by forest

  Primitive tent sites include: tables, fire rings, parking, water and firewood nearby, shelter for rent, seasonal host, visitor parking, 2 modern cabins adjacent.

• 

  Timothy C.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 5, 2020

  Geneseo Campground

  Very friendly people that have it

  Great camping and close to the bike trail. At the time it is $22 for a camp site and $45 for a cabin. Very nice camp store and WiFi

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 31, 2018

  Pine Grove Campground, Scott Co Park

  Nice County campground, well maintained

  Wooded sites, host onsite, wood available, dump station, clean restrooms, wildlife, trails, shelter with fireplace, and 2 cabins available. Pool, Pioneer Village, gold course, Pride Lake, fishing, bike and horse trails.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 29, 2018

  Bald Eagle Campground and Cabins

  Wilderness CG, Great county park with lots to do

  Clean facilities including: golf course, historical pioneer village, miles to hike, Pride Lake is smaller but fun to fish, has both horse and bike trails, a model airplane field, and 3 cabins.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 29, 2018

  White Pines Forest State Park Campground

  Great, clean park

  Cleanest IL State Park I had been to. nice camp sites not too close together. Loved driving through the fjords. On-site restaurant was nice, cabins were clean and cozy.

  Inn has been closed and new owner.

• E

  Elizabeth R.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 12, 2020

  Geneseo Campground

  Great campsite in a thriving small town to explore

  Great place to camp! Right on the Hennepin Canal. RV, tent, Cabins, and Yurt camping. The couple that run this campsite are so sweet! Pedal bikes for kids (and grown ups), a spray ground, and more! Two local breweries in town and tons of shopping and food options.

• 

  Daniel M.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 28, 2022

  Pine Grove Campground, Scott Co Park

  Very nice, large, and well kept

  We stayed in the cabins, which were in great condition and spacious. The camp sites look very roomy, and they are spread out in several sperate area which helps minimize congestion. Beautiful area that is well secluded, especially since it is so close to the city.

• 

  Sara S.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 13, 2016

  White Pines Forest State Park Campground

  decent but not the best

  The sites here are rather close together and ours was not very level for sleeping comfortably. Another unfortunate draw back was that you could hear trains passing throughout the day and night. The cabins might be a nice choice if you want to stay at this park :) The park itself has a few short trails.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Mar. 26, 2024

  Bald Eagle Campground and Cabins

  Good County CG with amenities

  CG is open all year offering: hard pads, fire rings, tables, water, electric, dump station, shades spots, RR/showers, firewood, seasonal host, trails nearby, overflow parking, and large cabin for rent. Park offers gold, hike/bike/horse trails, Pride Lake for fishing and paddling, swim pool, concessions. Pioneer Village at North end of park.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 17, 2023

  Pine Grove Campground, Scott Co Park

  Nice wooded CG

  RV sites are closed for season. This CG offers both primitive tent and RV sites. Seasonal host site offers firewood, there is a play ground, shelter, RR/ showers, trails, dump station.and two cabins available for rent. Park offers trails: hike, bike, horse, golf course, swim pool with concessions, historical Pioneer Village with Soda Shop.Pride Lake offers fishing, paddling.

• 

  Erin W.

  Ranger

  

  May. 15, 2021

  Chief Keokuk Campground — Johnson-Sauk Trail State Recreation Area

  Beautiful campground

  We visited mid week in May. Campground was empty. Rented the one cabin they have $45 has heat/ac and a secluded view of the lake. Bathrooms were a walk and were porta potties. Full toilets and showers were other side of campground. Trees were awesome. If it wasn’t so cold that night we would of camped and hung our hammocks

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 23, 2023

  Bald Eagle Campground and Cabins

  Clean County CG

  CG is only CG open in winter in Scott County Park. CG sites offer full service including fire rings and firewood is available. Seasonal host is not available in winter. Trails are good for hike/bike/horses/xc ski/snowshoe when open conditions allow. PRIDE lake offers ice fishing with good ice. There is a large modern cabin at north end of CG for rent.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 20, 2025

  Pine Grove Campground, Scott Co Park

  Smaller campground in primitive tent, site area

  Pine Grove campground has primitive tent sites open this time of year, the other portion, including RV spots are closed for the season. The tent sites are well shaded, gravel, parking area, tables, firings included. There is firewood at the campground, and cabins for rent at the end of the Lane. The park itself offers many trails, pride Lake for paddling and fishing. The campground itself offers, restrooms, showers, dump station, and a seasonal host.