Best Glamping near Willow Springs, IL

OK, let’s put the most important thing here in perspective – you’re in north central Illinois and there should be absolutely no reason to find a beach anywhere in this state apart from a few select places bordering Lake Michigan – other than this, finding a proper beachhead is impossible. Yet, here at Hi-Tide Campground, the sandy beach is exactly what you’ll find and what a great time it is for the whole family, complete with all of the many on-water distractions and entertainment options this place offers from sand castle building, waterslide, ‘moonwalk,’ ice berg, which is a 15’ climbing wall in the center of the lake, water trampoline, log roll, rocket balls, floaties, innertubes as well as floating ‘lilly pads’ and shallow waters for the young kids. Let’s just say, in the heat and humidity of a Midwest summer, Hi-Tide offers a really great respite with this toy-packed lake refuge.

As for the campground, upon entry, you will have no other choice but to head straight to the main lodge where you will check-in. Here you’ll meet the crew that run this place as well as see the market that’s here offering up just about anything you could think of while you are camping (ice, propane, s’mores ice cream, chips, soda, water toys, firewood, fishing supplies, RV maintenance items and campground gear), along with an arcade complete with video games as well as air hockey, foosball and billiards. Behind the market, you’ll discover both pedal carts for rent as well as a pretty decent 9-hole mini-golf course that has recently been upgraded. There’s also a picnic area back here, lakeside deck, fishing dock, further afield as well as an in-ground community heated pool and playground just in front of the main office. The on-site restroom and shower facilities are first-rate offering sparkling clean and well-maintained showers, toilets and even baby changing stations. There’s even an on-site laundr-O-mat located right near the shower / restroom facilities with 4 sets of coin-operated washers and dryers. On-site, you’ll find a proper dump station as well as designated dumpsters throughout the entire property. A handful of reservable small (no electric, 60 people max) and large (electric, 80 people+) are offered for rent at $50/day and $100/day respectively as well as very small ½ mile hiking loop that follows the Little Indian Creek, which is kind of a joke, but hey, it’s a nice stroll. Like most entertainment-themed campgrounds like Hi-Tide, every week has a theme, there’s planned activities like bingo and hayrides and disco parties to keep both young and old alike busy and entertained.

In short, what’s the upside to being here at Hi-Tide? Well, if you have a young family and are looking for a lot of distractions and planned activities that allows you to enjoy a fairly mindless planning experience that you can either participate in with the kids or just let them run wild and do their thing, well then, Hi-Tide has you covered in spades. Nobody is going to get bored in this place! Downside? While it is true that you are out in the middle of nowhere, which has a semblance of feeling as though you are engaging in nature, with all of the entertainment and distractions that you will discover here, along with arguably the biggest downside – the place is completely overrun with management packing in RVs and 5th Wheelers as close to each other as possible – it will be actually pretty difficult to truly commune with nature. This is a campground campus that packs RVs in pretty snug, while feigning at offering tent campers some nice flat land to pitch a tent, and for those that don’t have either, you can still rent a cabin. But make no mistake about this place, you are in a little ‘camping city’ and everywhere you go, you’ll have endless options to distract you and keep you entertained, as well as being overwhelmed by the sheer sense of over-crowdedness. So, if you want peace and quiet and some really pristine moments with nature and wildlife, this really isn’t going to be the place you want to call home for a night or two under the stars.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) When you get tired of rustling up beans & franks for dinner and want to try out some local fare, you’ll have to drive a decent distance from here to get to anything, let alone of quality. The closest place you could consider is Somonauk, located on 34 just continuing due east where there’s just a few joints: Hot Diggity Dogs, Rambo’s Bar & Grill where Uncle Milty’s Pizza Palace is located right next door to, but the standout favorite in town is Country Kitchen for down-home Midwestern comfort food; (2) If you have any form of watercraft, you won’t really be able(or want) to use it here on the small lake that Hi-Tide has, especially with all the kids swimming, but nearby and just east is Lake Holiday which makes for a very great place to dip your kayak, canoe or outboard in; (3) For kicking back and enjoying some drinks, I highly recommend Tin Roof Tavern right on 34, where Teeks serves ‘em up strong, there’s a juke playing good tunes and even a mechanical bull riding, but was unfortunately not working when we were there; and (4) If you are looking for a real outdoors encounter with nature that may (or may not) include camping, give Shabbona Lake State Park a visit – it’s only 20– 25 minutes from Hi-Tide and has everything, whether that’s fishing, hunting, hiking, biking or kayaking – you’ll be amazed at what you have so nearby.

Happy Camping!

We’ve camped here a few times and it is always a great experience. Each site comes with a free bundle of oak firewood which is nice to use on the fire pits.

What’s great about this location is the access to the miles and mile of MTB and hiking trails just out the front step of your campsite.

We live 15 minutes away so like to take midweek camping trips to break up the work week.

Great site, not far from Chicago, but feels well away from city life.

Tent sites around rim of a lake. RV sites and cabins as well.

Beautiful forest surrounds the lake, lots of hiking in the surrounding enormous forest preserve. Lake has fishing and boats as well.

We stayed here for two nights recently. This is our second time staying at this campground...we also stayed here in 2019. Our camp site was #2. For the most part, all of the 30/50 amp sites are very similar. Can't really say one appears to be better than the rest. Sites # 4 and 5 probably have the longest length parking pad. I believe this is a relatively newer campground. There is NO shade during the day. None at all due to the trees within the campground being small. There are two bath/shower houses. I would rate them at a 4/5...not the best we've seen, but by far not the worst. Our son was playing in a youth hockey tournament nearby so the location was perfect for us. We aren't huge into bike trails, but we did bring our bikes after I read about the trail systems. The mountain bike trails were awesome. If you're a trail rider, you must stay here. The lack of shade won't matter because you'll be riding all day. There are miles and miles of trails. We saw several vehicles carrying top of the line bikes in and out all day. We had a blast riding our bikes.

I'm giving Camp Bullfrog Lake 4 out of 5 stars. The lack of shade trees and the high cost per night took away the fifth star. We paid $122.00 for two nights.

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!

Easy reservations and check-in. We used the primitive spots and were a short walk from the bathrooms. Lots of hiking and mountain biking trails in the area.

My family loves coming here! The scenery is beautiful, you can fish, hike, or just relax. You're in the Chicago suburbs so it's easy to get to a store or restaurant if you need. It's close to home for us, so it's perfect for a quick camping trip. Only drawback is that it's a little pricey, but the facilities are updated and clean, and you get a free firewood bundle when you arrive.

Excellent campground …with lake and fairly new installations. Clean ..spots are not to close. Pricy. One negative point the gate close at 10pm.

This campground was easy peasy and had an incredible view of the lake. We were right there on the lake. We went in September so I'm not sure how it would be in the summer since there is little to no cover. 

There was nice hiking and we were able to get out into the woods for a while. My friend and I were surprised that such a nice place is so close to Chicago. There is a dock and the campground had good access to water, sink, and a nice bathroom. Lots of families were there when we went. Overall would recommend.