Best Glamping near Sterling, IL

first timers/ young kids- yes. Primitive campers- no. My husband had never been camping. I grew up with very primitive camping- no electricity, only pit toilets, sometimes fresh water, and no showers (milk jug showers!) Little by little, I’m warming him up to camping. This is a great place for new campers, families of young kids, or just looking for an easier trip. There’s a shower house with flush toilets, warm showers, and surprisingly CLEAN! The site was medium size. Enough room to spread out. Ground was flat so finding a tent site was no problem. Electric hookup worked. Picnic table was good. Check your site before booking! One section of sites is like an open field? No trees and full view of others. But these surround a playground- also very nice. Glamping with young kids? These sites would be a perfect. AT&T and Verizon cell service worked fine

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.

We saw an article about "Dutch Days" in nearby Fulton on www.OnlyInYourState.com, (first weekend in May) and thought it looked like fun. The nearest campground at Thomson causeway recreational area was closed both for repairs and for flooding so this was our best choice.
It was not crowded this early in the season, though most of the sites are pretty private and that wasn't an issue. We stayed in the 60's loop which is more open than most since it has the playground. There's only one shower building, which is clean and well-kept, and it is on the 80's loop, though there are paths to it from the others.
There are a few pull-through sites, but I'm not sure they're indicated. The ADA sites are large and well paved, though the tables do not have wheelchair overhangs.
Fire rings are hit and miss, our site had a low square pit with a non-adjustable flip-over grill, other sites had taller, circular rings, check site photos.
There are two trails downhill to the lake from the 60's loop, no lakeside campsites.
The lake is small but pleasant and stocked with fish. There are boat rentals available and a small restaurant and general store.
We went on day trips to Fulton and Clinton, IA. Eagle point park has a good view of the Mississippi, but  more spectacular views are at Mississippi Palisades State Park, a 50 min drive.
If you don't feel like cooking, a great choice is the Candlelight Inn(s), half an hour to the east or west in Clinton, Sterling or Rock Falls. A great family restaurant/ steakhouse famous for it's "Chicken George" (they'll give you a free sample to get you hooked)

Hhidden along the Rock River in Prophetstown Illinois is the state park campground. Plenty of sites for both tents and campers, playgrounds, shower rooms that are very clean compared to others we have been to. Walking distance from stores, and easy access to the water.

Located here in the north central part of Land O’ Lincoln just due south of the Illinois River Valley, Cozy Corners gets its descriptor because it sits right on an intersection where N. 25th Road meets Route 178 that is literally across the street from the entrance of Matthiessen State Park, likely the main reason you are here in the first place. And while its very close proximity to this pretty amazing nature destination makes it quite an attractive spot for those looking to access the best of what the Illinois River and surroundings have in store for them, the place itself feels more like a farmer’s front yard that got repurposed as an RV grass parking lot. 

So, if you ask me, the first thing I would tell you about Cozy Corners Campground is that this likely is not going to be at the top of your list in terms of campgrounds to choose from in the area, especially if you’re a tent camper who doesn’t want to pretend they are out in nature surrounded by a bunch of RVs on what is glaringly obvious is simply someone’s farm. There’s tons of options to pitch your tent, most notably, is Matthiessen SP itself, which has some pretty amazing land to drop anchor for the night. That said, this is one of the few ‘off-the-radar’ choices you might want to consider when visiting the Illinois River Valley area, particularly during the major summer holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day), where if you haven’t booked up something WELL IN ADVANCE of arriving here, especially at nearby Starved Rock State Park, then Cozy Corners likely will have some vacancy. 

With this campground in mind, there’s about 10–12 slots available with what looks to be sewer, water and electric hook-ups along with aging fire rings. If there were other amenities like BBQ grills, picnic tables or pavilions, they certainly weren’t available when we paid a visit. And at this time, to provide a visual, it’s early Spring, so what that means in Illinois out in the farmland is that all of the area surrounding this place is barren, so while I am sure the fall provides for a much better sense of privacy, at this time of year, one feels quite exposed without any degree of privacy, save the few barren trees that are on this Midwestern ranch. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) While Cozy Corners can most certainly not be classified as a destination, if you are looking for a place to drop anchor for the night because you are just passing through, then this place is flat, simple and pretty cheap, but I would still recommend a number of other places for those toting RVs, like nearby Pleasant Creek Campground, which has a ton more to offer albeit at slightly higher prices. But what do they say about ‘you get what you pay for?’; (2) No doubt being this close to both Matthiessen and Starved Rock SPs, you’ll have no shortage of great trails to go hiking on with 5 miles of trails at Matthiessen and the 13+ miles of hiking trails that form snake-like patterns throughout, across and over the nearly 20 or so canyons that make up Starved Rock: (3) If you come hauling watercraft, you’ll definitely want to hit up the Illinois River, which is just down the street from here at Cozy Corners wherein my recommendation is to swing by the lower dells area of Starved Rock, where you can park and launch your kayak, canoe or boat from; (4) The three nearest towns that have any form of civilization around these parts are Oglesby, Utica or Tonica, wherein I would recommend a visit to either long-time favorite Garzanelli’s Supper Club, which has a pretty amazing Midwestern take on Italian food or Starved Rock Lodge, just due south of Utica; (5) Looking for a place to ‘whet your whistle’? Then head on over to Aces & Eights in Tonica for glorified bar food and cheap tall boys OR head into Utica and check out Obscurity Brewing Bier Garten for some unusual draft brews or August Hill Winery for some fairly mediocre wine from Illinois; and (6) Finish off your entire camping experience by visiting Two Girls and a Cupcake for some sweet, albeit overpriced, desserts and treats. 

Happy Camping!

This was an unexpected good find in Illinois. The campground was nice with the standard set up - picnic tables, restrooms, water available. You can follow the road or the trails and make your way to the lake. We didn't go in the lake but we saw people fishing.

The hiking trails were enjoyed often by us. We found one section that had some interesting wildflowers. We paused and turned around when we found the archery area. We suggest keeping an eye on hunting season if you head this way.

We would certainly return in the future.

I drove out here from the Chicago area this last nice weather weekend in October 2020. I haven't been here in years, but as every campground in Illinois was booked-up from everyone getting out during the pandemic, I took a chance on the few walk up sites still available according to Reserve Amereica. They were open, but I took a hard pass. I forgot about the "ford" crossing into the campground. It's where the water crosses the road about a foot high. My husband would have been joining me later, and I knew he would not have been happy seeing that on his motorcycle. The few walkup sites still available were in the Sunny Crest loop. I've never seen so many people camping so close together. The sites all had some form of firepit. Some had a table, but many didn't. There were hundreds of people camping on hilly terrain. It looked like a music festival, only without music and lots of families who looked like they had never been outside before so they were set up about 15 feet apart. Even if the campground would have been empty, all of the tent sites are in the open right next to the next one. Winnebago county forest preserve has a few campgrounds nearby that are much more private. This kind of "camping" is not for me.

Wow!  This place is massive!  That was my first impression when visiting this family-owned and operated campground located just outside of Amboy, here in northern Illinois, where the sheer veracity of this place (some 130 acres in total) is simply enormous. While when I think of anything too oversized (big trucks, big houses, big buffet lines), I tend to cringe, because, you know, oversized anything comes with pretty big drawbacks, right?  But somehow, the concept of oversized here isn’t terribly bad – there’s space, and very good distance between you and the folks that would be your neighbors. These grounds are pretty well taken care of and very well organized. 

As for the campground, there’s a number of snaking gravel roadways that will have you navigate the entire property, which by my count, takes up about 4-5 football fields – sometimes hilly, sometimes flat – of cleared north central Illinois farmland. Surrounding the campground is a fairly good wall of brush, ancient Oak and Walnut trees, and of course, the ever-present, and now in late Autumn, completely barren corn fields. 

Amenities?  Yeah, this place has more amenities than Disneyland! The basic hook-ups for RVs can be found here (30 / 50 amp electrical, water and sewage) along with 2 heated swimming pools (although they shut off the heat towards the end of the season in late October), 2 playgrounds, ball pits, carpet ball tables (don’t ask), great fishing on nearby Lake St. George where you’ll catch blue gill, bass and even some catfish as well as Green River – which is truly the gem of this place – where you can fish, canoe, kayak, inner-tube and otherwise float down this small stream), free arts & crafts for the kiddos, kayak rentals, free WiFi in select spots (trust me, the signal is not terribly great), a cost-free bike exchange program, community library, courts of all kinds (volleyball, tennis and basketball), shuffleboard, horseshoe pits, mini-golf course (I know, I can’t believe it either!), rec room with foosball, billiards (or pool as it’s called around here), air hockey, video games, card tables, etc. There’s even a baseball diamond here! You’ll discover a laundry room, folding area, general store with snack bar, proper dump station as well as even a propane filling station. Geez, this is one long list of amenities! 

This place is family owned and operated by Dennis and Nanette Gillan – who are two of the nicest people I’ve ever met – and offers pricing by the night, week, month or by the season. Truth be told, you can drop anchor here for the whole year if you’d like, although it’s fairly desolate and deserted during the winter months. Best part? Even if you don’t have a tent or RV of your own, this place has you covered by offering affordable leasing options for both RV’s and some pretty sweet cabins. 

Here’s something noteworthy – while I didn’t get to enjoy with my family when we were visiting during the Fall, apparently, during the summer, each week has a theme attached to it (e.g. Barnyard Palooza), and subsequent activities organized around it, so if you’ve got kids that you are thinking about putting in a camp during the summer, this might be a really good option for you. Did I fail to mention that there’s even a free arts & crafts class for the kiddos every weekend? This place is truly VERY family-friendly. 

Insider’s tip? Here’s a few: (1) If you get tired of eating beans and dogs fireside, fret not, just a short drive from Green River Oaks to nearby Amboy, where I recommend the fried chicken over at Long Branch Saloon (although their family-style pasta offering is pretty good too); (2) If it’s your thirst that needs quenching, then just head on over for a tall boy at Depot Tap or Last Alarm for daily drink specials and some seriously bad Karaoke; (3) If you come bearing any sort of watercraft, while the Green River is nice, for more challenging waters to navigate, head due north to Dixon for some pretty gnarly currents on the Rock River; and (4) For a truly amazing outdoor immersion, head a bit further north to Lorado Taft, where you’ll have plenty of trails to explore, all from a scenic overlook where there’s a towering statue of the great Indian chief, Black Hawk.  

Happy Camping!

If you find yourself either stuck in the middle of nowhere here in north central Illinois or actually looking to escape the hustle & bustle to find peace, serenity and a tranquil encounter with nature, then look no further than Nature’s Way RV Park, which is set amongst the golden rows of sweet corn that you’ll find out in these parts. From the winding blacktop that you’ll have to maneuver to get here, just a few minutes north of I80 and east of I39, while you will feel as though you are completely isolated, and for the most part you are, what I like most about Nature’s Way is that if you know where you are at and the surroundings, there’s actually an awful lot to explore and enjoy, but if you don’t want to go anywhere, you can simply set up camp here and allow nature to envelope you in a way that only she can. 

As for the campground, what makes Nature’s Way pretty amazing is that there’s a tremendous amount of infrastructure and a ton of amenities that most private campgrounds don’t offer. Upon entry, you’ll veer left and arrive at the main office where you’ll check-in. Here also is a quaint community room chalk full of books, DVDs and VHS tapes (for anyone still using these) and board games as well as a small alcove kitchen area complete with microwave, sink, dining table & chairs along with 2 driers and 3 washers, both coin-operated. Beyond this, there’s also a seating room with two oversized dollies with freshly cut wood bundles available for purchase as well as yet another room that is the campground market store and has everything from souvenirs to camping supplies, ice, beverages and snacks to charcoal and lighter fluid, BBQ tool sets and roasting forks and just about anything else you could think that you’ll need during your stay here. Just outside and behind this main building, you’ll discover a rather large, covered pavilion which is great for larger groups or for anyone wanting to picnic under some shade. 

Another reason why I love Nature’s Way RV Park so much is how they have organized the living arrangements. For mi tent pitching bredren, this campground IMHO has set aside the best spots for us – clear in the back, completely surrounded by God’s green nature, you’ll be able to pitch a tent just about anywhere under this shaded forest and will feel a world away from the caravan camping types that, rest assured, are on the other side of the careening creek that cuts this campground nearly in half. Over in these parts, just past the bridge that you would need to cross to reach this primitive camping area, there’s a K9 dog park as well as plenty of scattered picnic tables, in-ground raised BBQ pits as well as water spigots. For the RV driving / 5th Wheel toting crowd, Nature’s Way has spots reserved on its front porch lawn that you will encounter upon first arriving to the entrance. There’s about 20 or so designated RV spots here that offer full hook-ups including 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage. Apart from being located right in front of the main office / market, you’ll be straddled next to the main road, which really should be a problem as this is just a quiet, small country road with not much traffic on it. Just due east of these RV slots are 4 cabins available for rent along with small porches complete with benches, brand new grills, fire pits and picnic tables, which is great for anyone not packing a tent or hauling a makeshift campground with them. Due south of these cabins as well as west of the main building are additional RV slots, but these only offer electric and water, so if you need sewage, you’ll have to book slots #1– 19. 

From an amenities standpoint, apart from what has already been covered, the ‘crown jewel’ asset here is the in-ground heated swimming pool, completely fenced in preventing the young kiddos from straying too far. Above and beyond this, there’s a designated propane refilling station, very well-maintained restroom and shower facilities, basketball court, scattered picnic tables and stand-up BBQ grills, WiFi and cable access, kid’s playground, community fire rings as well as designated dumpsters and dump stations. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s but a few: (1) When you grow weary of trying to conjure up that next meal from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler or onboard mini-fridge, then check out some of the local establishments, of which I highly recommend nearby Cajun Connection, which has some pretty amazing deep fried alligator tail as well as somewhat mediocre Jambalaya (but ask yourself the question: who else is serving up this dish so far away from Louisiana?!); (2) If you are a hiker and looking for some trails to blaze, then check out either Starved Rock SP, which as more than 13 miles of hiking trails awaiting you, or better, the lesser known Matthiessen SP, which has 5-6 of fairly decent challenging, but completely isolated, non-touristy-laden trails to plant your steps on; (3) Should you be wanting to get that beak of your watercraft wet on your outdoors expedition, then look no further than the Illinois River, which is literally less than 5 miles away from Nature’s Way, where you’ll be able to oar your way to some pretty epic wildlife encounters as well as some fairly decent currents as well as amazing fishing holes; and (4) Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you – within just a 20 minute drive of where you have camped out, you’ll discover Rip’s Chicken, which is hand’s down, unequivocally, and judged by experts in more than 40 nations (mmm, OK, that last one may be a stretch) as the best fried chicken in the known universe. Oh, and they have Schlitz on tap. But this place only takes cash, so come prepared. 

Happy Camping!

This campground is a lovely gem! Most of the camp sites are fairly secluded from one another by distance and from surrounding foliage (see pic). The exceptions would be sites 55-64 that loop around the playground. We, unfortunately, didn't know this and so had site 61. It was nice little spot with plenty of shade but I was a bit jealous of those with more secluded spots, especially since we are tent campers and all of the others on the loop were big RVs.

The pros:

- The campground hosts were lovely. Friendly but not overbearing, as some can be.

- The on site restaurant/bait shop/ boat rental was very convenient! Husband forgot to pack something and the little bait shop had what we needed. Plus, we were able to buy firewood there, too.

- Lovely scenery! The hiking trails were well maintained and there were lots of beautiful flowers, bird, and butterflies. We even saw a raccoon!

- The (and I cannot emphasize this enough) CLEANEST campground bathrooms I've ever seen! I'm not squeamish and have been camping for years so my expectations for campground bathroom cleanliness is well calibrated but these bathrooms (even the vault toilets!) were amazingly clean! There weren't even spiderwebs on the ceiling of the shower house. Just *chef's kiss*

- The water from the pump was very clean.

The cons:

-  Lack of privacy/seclusion for the 55-64 sites along the loop.

- For that same loop, since it circles the playground, if kids playing noises bother you, might want to choose a different site.

- The food at the restaurant was meh. It was fine- it was sustenance. Nothing to write home about.

- LOTS of big RVs. It wasn't an issue for us on this trip, but on other camping trips sometimes being surrounded by big RVs just isn't a great vibe.

If you want to spend a lot of your time just relaxing at camp, this is a great spot. Our site was huge, flat and private - no trouble finding flat ground to pitch the tent. It rained a lot, unfortunately, but the host stopped by and made sure we knew how to find the shower house for shelter if the weather became dangerous. We had a couple hours when the rain paused long enough for a short hike. There is a small lake for fishing and paddling, and a restaurant in the park (ended up being vital since I forgot to pack coffee). Site had electric and was a short walk to privy and water.

This fairly new State Park would of merited "5 stars", but the pit (aka vault) toilet smell was just tooooooo much and we weren't even close! 

PROS 

Park beautifully maintained and mowed throughout S

Site 109 shady 

Site 109 gravel parking pad level 

Moveable wooden picnic table 

Metal campfire ring with cooking grate 

Roadways easy to maneuver without obstacles 

Quite except for train whistle close by 

Partial privacy from neighbors 

Toilet/shower facility in next campground (Savanna) very clean and sufficiently stocked

 Very nice 12 ft wide asphalt bike trails 

Night sky friendly as no street lights in campground 

Firewood for sale at entrance gate 

Frequent park ranger campground drive throughs 

Double lane dump station 

Double lane portable water fill stations 

CONS 

The aroma of the pit toilet between Spruce and Savanna Campgrounds could be smelled throughout both campgrounds. Disgusting!!! No hand wash station at pit toilet 

Modern toilet/shower facility only in Savanna Campground 

No security gate closure overnight 

All trash dumpsters near campground entrance gatehouse 

5pm checkin 

No interpretive programs Monday thru Thursday

Stayed here 6/12-6/14. There are campsite super close to fishing access. Water access basically through the whole park. Sites aren’t private unless your close to the rivers or on “T” sites on the outskirts. Was kind of loud and rowdy but I didn’t kind it as much.

good campground. Close to river and fishing. quiet.

Prophetstown is a park that has a great deal of history about the Battle of Tippecanoe which happened on November 7th, 1811.  It was a conflict between a coalition of 14 tribes and 1,200 troops.  The indians lost and moved on to Wildcat Creek.  The park has replicas of both the indian village and the white settlement of white settlements. There are excellent bike paths and wonderful explanation of the geology of the park.  The campsites are electricity and full hookup.

It's been a long time since I've visited this area. I remember the park here being peaceful and calm. There were always so many trees and green grass. I loved the smell in the air.

We’ve gone camping here the last two Memorial Day weekends with our three kids currently aged 8, 6, and 3. the hikes are all very doable, there is a playground, ice cream at the lodge and a few wide open spaces for frisbee or playing catch. The hikes were confidence boosters for our kids. Some of them you get to walk through the streams which is always great fun for everyone. highly recommend this state park!

I've stayed at WP for many years, but will now avoid holiday weekends. Made the mistake of staying there over the 4th of July. Very crowded with some sites with 4 tents on them. Woken up at 2 AM by a guy and woman screaming at each other in some kind of domestic dispute. Shower building was filthy with overflowing toilets. Not sure who takes care of these things, but they really dropped the ball.

Regular weekends have been fine but can be noisy during high season. If you're a light sleeper, be aware that BNSF trains blow their horns for a nearby road crossing and possibly the bridge on the north side of the park.

The cabins are nice and the lodge restaurant serves decent food at reasonable prices.

Stayed over memorial day weekend 2017. Even though it was a busy weekend the campground was fairly quiet. Pit toilets were kept pretty clean but the shower house was muddy. This was probably due to the amount of people there on Memorial Day weekend. The sites are a nice size although if you have something other than a tent getting it into the sites might prove difficult. We camped with the pop-up and were able to get our pop up in a spot but there are no pads. The trailheads were a bit difficult to find but once on the trail they were very well-marked. The best part of the campground is probably the fords you drive through to get to the camp sites, that's always fun. Unfortunately due to heavy rains the Fords were closed and we had to use the emergency road. The loop we stayed in all had drive-up campsites however others were short walk ins. These were located in smaller fields that would be great for small groups or two families camping together. Will definitely go back with my tent on a weekend that is not so busy.