Best Cabin Camping near Willow Springs, IL

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.

From the start you feel welcomed. My site was small compared to other campsites. It was still big enough for our tent and a table and pit. We had to park in a nearby parking space because our site was surrounded by other sites and common area. There is no electric in "tent city" either, but it is near the roundhouse and showers. There is an outdoor shower as well. That was awesome. The events were great forLabor Day weekend. This was our first time at and adult only resort or clothing optional. The people were friendly and helpful to others. This convinced us that this is how we will camp from now on.

I visited Palos early this week (mid-April) for a very very chilly three days. The tent sites are right next to the water which is beautiful but can get very windy. There is no privacy between the sites (no trees, etc). There are small and medium cabins, some heated with their own bathrooms, that feature bunk beds and are great for getting out of the cold. The central bathrooms are clean, heated and offer showers. The water is not yet potable so bring your own or check with the park team to ensure it's drinkable when you go. The hiking here is AWESOME with a bajillion different routes right from the campground. We hiked 10 miles and saw tons of animals and birds including a snake, loads of herons and songbirds, deer, a raccoon and a Cooper's Hawk. I will definitely be back!

We camped here for 3 nights to visit the Dunes National Park.

The campground is privately owned and was almost at the end of the season. There is a check in station at the entrance.

When we arrived we were the only tent campers, so we could pick our spot. Non of the tent sites have electricity or water. Only a few have a picnic table and /or a fire pit. It was basically just a long lawn with numbers on. Some of the sites are in the woods for more privacy.

The RV sites have electricity and water access. Some campers are stored there over the winter months.

The bathhouse was a little out dated but clean during our stay.

You are surrounded by farmland, so we were greeted every morning by donkey braying. It didn't bother us. There are also noises of cars and the train coming through.

The owners are very nice and laid back.

The drive to the national park or state park is about 15 min. The dunes are very impressive and beautiful. If you need something, there are stores, gas stations or restaurants within 10 driving minutes.

I think we would camp her again. No idea how it is during peak season but even with other tent campers around on the last 2 days, it was pretty quiet.

I stayed here for my first trip to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore area in early June '18. It was clearly recently renovated and very nice. It was actually my first time ever staying at a private campground, so I don't have much to compare it to. But it had 2 sets of bathrooms, a pool, a basketball hoop (I don't recall if it was a court, but I think it was just one) and a prayer room. I didn't look for laundry, because I didn't need it, but the map indicates they do have it.

The main office sold firewood and ice. Otherwise, just a few lantern batteries and such. Not a "store" by any means. But it's like a 5 minute drive to grocery and gas. Great location, in fact. Less than 10 minutes from the interstate.

Light-sleepers will have difficulty anywhere in the region because of train traffic, but it was respectably secluded. Vampires beware: there's a 8-10 foot cross at the entrance. But didn't notice any garlic strewn about.

Would stay again.

(No pictures because I found this site right after I returned. Map from website because the site is glitchy and you might not find it otherwise.)

Had a great time this weekend camping with my wife and two boys. We camp in an Hybrid trailer and really appreciated the price point with full hookups. Sites were decent size and had fire pits at each location. They had plastic picnic tables which where light to move and easy to clean. Decently quiet camp site with a pool for the kids to cool off made for an enjoyable weekend. Close to Kankakee and some of the other towns in the area for things to do. I would definitely come again to kayak on the Kankakee river. Unfortunately the water levels where too high for this trip as warnings had been issued

This gem of a campground is run by the Cook County Forest Preserve District and the care they have for it shows! There are pavilions, air conditioned/heated dining hall, shower building, restrooms (seriously the cleanest I’ve ever seen, even the ceilings were cleaned!) and cabins, along with tent sites and 5 RV sites, 2 of which are paved. The other 3 are gravel pads. They all have electric and the camp hosts will pull the hose over to the site in order to do a water fill up. This makes it very convenient to refill.

I was visiting family in the city and surrounding suburbs and felt secure staying here as well as leaving my RV in this campground. There is a gate that is closed at 10pm every night and opened again in the morning. The campground is centrally located to the major roads (Quentin/NW Hwy) and about 10 minutes from the Palatine Metra train station. So there is the smallest amount of road noise, but after rush hour I didn’t notice it.  It's a short trip to get groceries or whatever you need in Palatine, but there’s also a little camp store.

The campground provides easy access to hiking and bike trails directly in the park and they go for miles and miles. This was a highlight for me, along with the butterflies and fireflies that put on a beautiful show. There are so many wildflowers everywhere!  I almost wasn’t going to review this place because it’s that special and I’d love to keep it all to myself. It’s not easy to find a place to camp this close to Chicago, let alone someplace really great!