Best Glamping near Wheaton, IL

Recent Glamping Reviews in Wheaton

111 Reviews of 10 Wheaton Campgrounds

• 

  Addison G.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 23, 2024

  Turner Lake South — Chain O' Lakes State Park

  Awesome choice for campers on a budget

  These campsites are as low as $12/night!! One of my favorite spots to test new gear. Family friendly. There’s some small trails around as well that are beginner. There was electricity, however those sites are $25/night. Bathrooms could’ve been cleaner but we were grateful for the facility which doubled as a storm shelter. There’s indoor showers and bathrooms. There are also cabins at this campsite, not sure on pricing tho

• T

  Thomas C.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 21, 2024

  Camp Sullivan

  Urban Camping near Chicago

  Camp Sullivan offers a charming and well-maintained space for campers of all kinds, from tent enthusiasts to RV travelers like us. All the RV sites here are back in, and while they are tight, they are certainly manageable. We brought our 36-foot RV, the Badger, and although it barely fit, we were able to position it close enough to the power box by choosing not to extend the slide. This turned out to be a smart decision, considering the timbers that line the gravel surface of the site. These timbers add a bit of a challenge when maneuvering a larger rig, and in our case, (note to staff) removing the timber closest to the road would have made things much easier. 

  Each RV site is equipped with 15, 30, and 50-amp electrical connections, though it’s worth noting that there’s no water or sewer available at individual sites. As a result, water conservation becomes essential. The bathrooms here, however, are clean and well-kept, which is always appreciated, especially after a few days without on-site water. There is also a stainless steel sink for use in front of the RV area's bathroom where you can do dishes.

  Security at Camp Sullivan feels solid, and while there is some noise, it wasn’t disruptive. We stayed over a weekend, and though there was a lively group in the group campsite Saturday night, they respectfully wrapped up their activities by quiet hours, ensuring a peaceful night's sleep. 

  The roads throughout the campground are in good condition, and the trees aren’t a concern for your RV clearance. In addition to RV sites, Camp Sullivan offers a range of accommodations for all kinds of campers. There are small rental cabins, large bunkhouses for group camping, and plenty of tent sites spread across the grounds. We didn’t have the chance to check out the"Barn" yet, but it’s a major feature here, housing a climbing wall and concessions. 

  We also noticed staff busy cleaning the bunkhouse areas and taking care of trash removal, even on a quiet Sunday. Everyone we encountered was friendly and added to the overall positive vibe of the place. Camp Sullivan is an excellent spot for a weekend getaway or an extended stay, (up to six days allowed) with plenty of amenities and a welcoming atmosphere. It’s a place where we feel comfortable and cared for, with just the right balance of adventure and relaxation.

• 

  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:)

• 

  Jennifer K.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 15, 2024

  Camp Bullfrog Lake

  Pretty great!

  I somehow booked a different campground- website was confusing apparently. However the worker was so helpful and found me a spot anyway. Sites are kind of small so not a lot of space for big big campers. Cute lake and relatively quiet. Odd though that when I asked questions like where can we fill water and if they had a park map I got looked at like I had 3 heads.

• 

  Kenny P.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 7, 2024

  Thomas Woods Campground

  Great place for secluded camping

  Camped here on a whim. Amazing area. Super friendly hosts. The only thing I wish was a little more accessible is the website. I didn't know what kind of site I was getting, what it looked like, or if it was a hike in site or not. Turns out mine was, but it was not an issue for me on this trip. Site 30 for anyone interested.

• 

  Julia B.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 18, 2024

  Turner Lake South — Chain O' Lakes State Park

  Nice lake

  The campsites are kinda small but not on top of each other. Had some raccoons at night even after we locked up everything in the car. The lake was very nice. We were able to kayak but be careful getting the kayaks in. Stairs down to the pier and the bottom of the lake is very mushy. The water was very clear and you could see the fish swim by. This loop is best for tent camping. The other loops are basically all rvs. The boat launch to the fox river was nice too but it does get busy.

• 

  Addison G.

  Guide

  

  May. 14, 2024

  Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

  Super cute little campsite

  We stayed in Honeysuckle Hollow for a night. Not many people were there that night, as it thunder stormed. However site was well kept and concession stand available by the boat dock with everything you might need.

• 

  Susan K.

  Scout

  

  May. 12, 2024

  Thomas Woods Campground

  Thomas Woods Campground

  The campground is beautiful wish it was open more than the weekend's. The campground host needs to lighten up and shes out on the gator every 30 minutes, that gets annoying, also since we have also worked as campground hosts you don't run around with the gator giving people rides. It is a shame but we won't camp here again.

  They should check up on the campground host and hire one with a pleasant personality

• C

  Chad A.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 5, 2024

  Leisure Lake Membership Resort

  "Easter Week at Leisure Lake Resort RV Park"

  "Our family had an incredible stay at Leisure Lake Resort RV Park over Easter week. The location was perfect for a peaceful retreat, and the amenities provided everything we needed for a comfortable and enjoyable visit. The kids had a blast with the available activities, and it was the ideal setting for our family to come together and create lasting memories. The staff was exceptionally friendly and went above and beyond to ensure our stay was pleasant. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a family-friendly getaway!"

• 

  Chris H.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 2, 2023

  Chicago Northwest KOA

  Nice, but far away from Chicago

  We use this as our base when we went to Chicago. The only problem is that it is anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half from downtown Chicago. The facilities were nice and maintained. We had a nice Prairie view spot.

• M

  Mariusz P.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 23, 2023

  Fish Lake Beach Camping Resort

  Great RV Park

  Very friendly staff and people. Great accommodations. Spots are ok size. Pretty level.

• E

  Erick B.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 4, 2023

  Hi-Tide Beach & Campgrounds

  Great family place

  We go every year with another family. We have had sites 105-103 and 123-125 and 29/36. We love it. Tons of activities for kids and pretty chill for adults. Sometimes other people suck and you have to deal with that but that’s at every camping place I’ve ever been to. Love this place and we will be going back every year.

• 

  Richard M.

  Scout

  

  May. 28, 2023

  Camp Bullfrog Lake

  Beautiful campsite but...

  The campsite overall is beautiful and the land is well kept. The reason for the review is due to the bathrooms being horrible. Hot water for showers did not work and floors were nasty, need to be remodeled. There is no water near any of the sites. 2 of the 3 hosts I dealt with were very rude. The one on the late night shift was very nice and knowledgeable. The other guys who helped me on arrival act as if they didn't want to be there. The site overall is amazing. Just wouldn't ever camp here again due to the high price and the bathrooms being Terrible.

• m

  michael S.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 1, 2022

  Camp Bullfrog Lake

  Instant camping

  Hidden in the woods by the lake and a very short trip from home. No complaints

• 

  Terran B.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 17, 2022

  Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

  Nice place, not maintained

  It’s a really nice site, but the running water bathrooms were not cleaned regularly and the pit toilets were almost overflowing on a Thursday. The site was also filled with garbage when we arrived.

• 

  Jackie F.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 8, 2022

  Chicago Northwest KOA

  Great stay

  Loved our site as it was a pull through but more of a half-moon style off the side of the road. Loved the privacy and the space. Saw a few of their “puppy sites” that included a private gated area for dog owners. It poured all weekend but we still enjoyed the stay. They accepted two packages for me while here and were waiting for me in their theater, which really looked like a storage building.

  They are very big on hospitality here as they drive you to your site and will deliver anything you want from the store. My only suggestion is to include a list of things you can buy at check in.

• L

  Lily B.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 30, 2022

  Camp Bullfrog Lake

  Not worth the price

  Good if you want to be close to the city but otherwise it’s not very worth it. The spots are small and it’s very crowded.

• 

  Connor E.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 28, 2022

  Camp Sullivan

  Camp Sullivan

  Nice Staff, Good hiking. They are working with their space so the sites aren’t that big but lots of shade on the tent side. Clean bathrooms You will hear cars as it is near roadways but you will also hear lots of natural sounds.

• 

  Glenn T.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 19, 2022

  Fish Lake Beach Camping Resort

  Good reputation is deserved.

  Very big campground with mostly seasonals. Atmosphere is the perfect balance of fun and relaxing. Site size varies. Lots of fun activities. Didn't use bathroom or showers but appear to be clean and well taken care of.

• 

  Art S.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 18, 2022

  Thomas Woods Campground

  Nice camping with a variety of trails

  The campground is set up nicely. Our site had the usual picnic table and a short walk to the restrooms and water. What we enjoyed the most was the variety of hiking trails. They aren't the longest but we were able to vary the route up to keep it fresh for our dog to sniff out her adventure. Some of grass and others were dirt. The wildflowers caught our eye and we enjoyed pausing to appreciate their beauty.

  We would come back here to have a weekend getaway in the fall or spring.

• 

  Kara W.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 9, 2022

  Camp Sullivan

  Only Option

  This park is not great. Others have mentioned small, un-level sites. We did not have this issue in Spot 8 but I can see other spots have that issue (and there are only 10 RV spots)

  It was the only option for us to visit Chicago for the weekend. Still, it’s an hour away from downtown. They do NOT have water available or a dump station despite advertising that they do. “Water” was a garden hose that an employee pulled out from the cleaning closet when we asked where the water was. The hose had holes in it, and barely trickled. So we had to fill up plastic jugs from the shower.

  All garbage cans were full when we arrived. Showers and bathrooms were deplorable - had obviously not been cleaned in days. No toilet paper available for two days. They did finally clean and restock on Saturday - I guess they only do maintenance on the weekend. Hose went back into the supply closet then for all the good it did.

  Employee questioned us for arriving at 1pm when check-in for the RV spots is 3pm. We had already parked in our spot since no one was there. He said that was fine. Check out is 12, no more than half the park was ever full, and no one is cleaning the sites (our fire pit was full of trash), so it makes no sense to wait until 3 to park.

  I don’t remember what the nightly rate is because they never sent me any confirmation email when I booked months ago. But I can guarantee it’s too high. As it was our only option near Chicago for an RV, we made the best of it. Only reason it doesn’t get 1-star is because, as others have mentioned, there is a lot of greenery to enjoy as well as solitude.

• R

  Rob

  Scout

  

  Jun. 29, 2022

  Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

  Nice little get away

  Large sites with plenty of room to spread out. Plenty of birds and other wildlife for the kids to see. No alcohol is allowed so it made for a great family weekend. Short walk to bathhouse. Pit toilet for emergencies.

• 

  H. K.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 26, 2022

  Camp Bullfrog Lake

  Nice but very little shade

  We stayed in the primitive tent area near the back of the park. It is walk in.

  There was a pole for a lantern, a picnic table, a fire ring and tent pad. There is one clean flush toilet and shower per each gender (the shower stall was spacious with plenty of hooks and benches). There were also vault toilets not too far away. The water spigot was pretty far away though. There were plenty of garbage cans.

  There were a few small trees but very little shade. On hot days I think a pop up shade shelter would be necessary to make it bearable.

  Overall it was pretty quiet.

  The last night we were there a large group of people with their tents showed up. There were not enough tent pads or picnic tables for all of them. I don't know if it was the park that booked so many people or if it was the group that overbooked.

• 

  deb K.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 23, 2022

  Chicago Northwest KOA

  Not a bad campground

  We had to leave a horrible CG to the south. Booked this site on app the day before. Which was a huge plus. This KOA has very limited full hook up sites. As far as KOA standards, it is not great. It is about an hour and half from Chicago and Milwaukee We paid for the deluxe patio site, which had no sewer. Site was not level but it had a lot of shade which was nice. Had horrible WiFi, no cable and limited reception. One bathroom and shower was nice, the other had disgusting showers. Pool was ok, but tons of kids. CG was very kid friendly, with tons for them to do. The people running the place were still COVID crazy with restrictions for check in and everything else. But what do you expect in crazy Illinois. Makes you insane, when you come from the free parts of the US.

• 

  Tony T.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 20, 2022

  Camp Bullfrog Lake

  Beautiful and clean

  Beautiful campgrounds with a lot to do like hiking, biking and kayaking. The restroom and showrooms are very clean as well.

• K

  Kathryn

  Scout

  

  Jun. 17, 2022

  Camp Sullivan

  Cook County Illinois Surprise

  Wooded electric paved sites with fairly new bathhouse facilities. Pretty clean. Only one indoor water faucet working but this may be a COVID casualty. The FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY online camping reservation site is tricky but after several tries I figured it out. We stayed in April at Camp Reinberg and in June at Camp Sullivan, both for a few nights. There was confusion at Camp Sullivan; we arrived and someone was in our reserved site,,, but we were lenient and agreed to move in the next day. Our purpose for camping was visiting our adult children who live in Chicago but both have roommates. Camp Reinberg is a tad closer to downtown and north suburban shopping but has only 4 electric sites, 2 disabled accessible. Camp Sullivan has twice as many sites and more availability.

• 

  Meg

  Guide

  

  Jun. 12, 2022

  Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

  Good For families, a few downsides

  *** reviewing as a baby/toddler camp family on the go :-) we chose the loop 11 was on because it was close to the path to the playgrounds and lakes plus bathrooms… avoid the first 2 sites from either end as the ones closest to the main loop aren’t very deep. Closer to the center of this row is best.

  Pros- easy pull in sites and lots of walk-in availability. Sites are almost all flat thankfully, so no weird slopes to sleep on and easy for babies/toddlers to stay safe. Also seemed pretty respectful in the evenings with people toning down the noise.

  Lots of electric sites, deep enough for 2 tents, 2 cars (although close to neighbors and no trees between sites), picnic table and fire pit.

  Bathroom shower houses were decent (we usually just have toddler use her travel potty, but this one was fine).

  Multiple playgrounds, access to launch sites for kayaks, little store to buy ice cream or snacks.

  Cons - 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! 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.

  Also - the raccoons at night here are no joke. The second it’s dusky, they come scavenging for absolutely anything food has touched. So basically, eat dinner and do s’mores early, then everything must be packed into cars for the night and all surfaces wiped down.