Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Wilmette, IL

I was here for three months this time as i get to business completed.  The park was still kept up very nicely and this time I was here long enough to be able to see how.  The grass is mowed every week.  There is patroling at all hours for security.  The laundry machines are great the dryers ore good.  The dog park is clean and secure.  The lake is natural and kept free of litter and garbage.  The park is much bigger than i thought it was last year.  The store has many items you may need.  The showers are cleaned and work great.  The camp water is high in Iron.  The pot roads need service as thay do have a lot of pot holes.  Good thing for the 5mph speed limit.

For years, this was our go-to campground for weekend nearby adventures. Over the years, the price has increased and at $30 per site for non-residents, it's a bit steep for tent camping for me (so I left off a star rating). All sites are electric, so if you are tent camping and want your fan or slow-cooker, then it's as good as it gets in the burbs. It's located in a beautiful wooded Dupage County Forest preserve. While the sites are pretty close together, there are a few good ones that feel more secluded. Designated chip bark tent sites are level. The grounds are very well maintained. While I didn't camp here this year, I took these photos the last weekend in October to give everyone a sense of how nice this campground could be for them. My favorite sites over the years were the ones closest to Silver Lake along the South Loop road because those sites have the best views. For privacy, my favorite site is #27 on the north loop road which makes you feel like you are alone in the woods. Other than plenty of hiking options including a big hill, the fishing is outstanding. There are lots of places along the lake and ponds to get an easy catch and release. There is also archery, a dog park, picnic areas, boat rental/ramp, and a compass course. It is a great place for families. I've brought cub scouts here and my kids' friends. Heads-up that sites 21 & 22 may not be able to see traffic on the busy Winfield Rd in the summer, but you will still hear it at those sites.

Prairie View campground is in the Chain O Lakes State Park series. This is the no services campground. We could walk to fill up with water but no electric on site. Checking in was interesting. No online reservations were allowed and their phone systems were down but we only found a few sites that were available. We were only able to camp for the night. I would recommend looking into this a bit more before driving out. 

Our campsite was encased in foliage which gave us some privacy. I could see through the brush to neighbors but it was enough to give my dog a sense of peace without disturbances. The sites are near enough together - we heard many children playing from all around us - but still gave us a sense of being out in the woods. Even with the amount of people we still only encountered a few as people walked past our site. 

A pit toilet was a short walk one way and flushing toilets were at the entrance. Water was dispersed at select locations but we brought our own for the weekend. Garbage and recycling bins are also available.

We drove back out into the state park and parked to hit the hiking trails. The ones we found are wide - maybe 8 feet - and covered in crushed gravel. Portions were paved. There are a series of connecting trails giving a wide variety of options. There are even horse rentals and a trail designated as horse friendly. We took a look at the boating docks and found paddleboats and row boats for rent. Most people were putting their own boats into the lakes. If we hadn't gone to the docks, the water was seen only in passing. 

This was an enjoyable stay along the Wisconsin/Illinois border and is well worth checking out.