This is a solid state park offering. The sites are decently spaced with good tree cover. Noise seemed to travel between sites, I had some loud neighbors during the day but they settled down before quiet hours. The grass was easy to get tent stakes into. Bathrooms were your basic state park situation. Clean with warm showers so no complaints from me. The star gazing area was great! Intermittently had 1-2 bars of T-Mobile with LTE Internet. Wi-Fi is available at the park entrance.
Nice distance from the twin cities for a weekend away with some nice hiking trails. The tent pads have been upgraded to pea gravel by the friends association (which seems to be quite active based on signage around park improvements). Showers and bathrooms were clean. Wi-Fi near the park entrance and spotty T-Mobile service throughout. The outside of the loop is good for tent camping but could be a little noisy if the campground had been fully booked.
The sites here are pretty close together and not particularly private. The good thing is it wasn't particularly booked up the night I stayed there. No showers and the pit toilets exist. (I've seen worse, I've seen better, clean but doors are a bit hard to shut the door, no handwashing readily available). I'd recommend this for folks bringing a camper more so than planning to pitch a tent if you want to stay more than one night. It's a good spot for a quick overnight just outside Chicago.
This was a walk up quick overnight for me. Plenty of sites available and self registering was easy(cash or check only). Tent loop was surprisingly dark at night for how close to town you are. There is a train somewhere in the area that I heard few times. Interior of the loop had more level sites with less privacy where as external were a various degree of slope but more private. The shower was hot and clean. For the price it's a solid experience, though plan on a car & tent wash after lots of tree sap.
The sites are decently private with good tent pads. Shower house was clean with good hot water. Acamper sink for dishwashing was a nice bonus. The hosts were friendly. Definitely heard railroad and road noise but that's the trade off for being close to town with good cell service.
This was a quick overnight in a tent on a road trip for me. Site 75 was what was available when I booked last minute. It's level with grass to pitch a tent but definitely in a loop of the park better suited to travel trailers/RVs etc. Not much privacy between sites but backs up to woods. The bathrooms were clean with good hot showers. Would return again if I could snag a tent loop site.
Porta potty was spotless and had nighttime lighting. It was easy to find a level spot to pitch my tent. I didn't end up meeting Nicki or really interacting beyond some minimal booking details. I'm not a light sleeper but I was glad I brought earplugs since I'm not accustomed to being right next to a commuter/freight rail line. My inflatable sleeping pad seemed to amplify the vibration of the train going by. I easily found street parking and felt safe walking to the El at dusk. (I'm a city dweller so ymmv if you're not accustomed to a city lifestyle).
I agree with the other reviewer that Site G is the one with the best view in this campground. I booked over the phone since a change of plans meant it was within the 7-day window where they lock out online reservations. Left a message at the reservation number and received a prompt and helpful call back from a member of staff.
I camped at site J the tent pad was level and easy to drive stakes into. I didn't use the toilets so can't comment on the cleanliness there. The noise carries from other sites so, your neighbors will make or break how well you sleep here. Would return again, hopefully to a lean-to!
The hosts were readily available at check-in and friendly. The site's gravel was so firmly packed it was impossible for me to get my tent stakes hammered in. Thankfully it wasn't a windy night so the tent stayed put just fine. Sites aren't very private so the neighbors will really make or break your experience here. I had a nice quiet night.
I'd return with the following caveats: Sites 1-14 feel much safer in terms of flood risk if there is any precipitation. They're also close to the flush toilets [Which were very clean!] unlike the other two loops where the sidewalk is steep up to the restrooms. This is a popular fishing spot first thing in the morning for locals, expect day use visitors starting as early as 6am.
The Pine loop is a pleasant escape for tent campers hoping for a good view of the lake. Note that the access gravel access road to this loop is about a mile to the "comfort station" with flush toilets and showers. This loop only has pit latrines. Site #136 was slightly sloped towards the lake, the ground was soft enough to get stakes in easily. Would return again but probably stay on the lakeside of the Pine loop next time.