Tent Camping in Illinois

[Sford13]

I am looking for advice on places in Illinois to take a family tent camping. Would like it to be car camping sites as with two little girls packing gear in and out would not be enjoyable. Looking for places that are less RVish and have more secluded sites. And a playground would be an added bonus with a 1.5 and 2.5 year old. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

[wackyotter]

Kickapoo

I've been to Kickapoo several times and always have fun. They have spots for cars, and I can't even remember seeing an RV. Maybe they have a different area for them. Kickapoo has several things to do, including canoe rentals, mountain biking and hiking trails. I can't remember if they have a playground, but I'm sure they'll tell you if you call them. Hope this helps.

The Wacky Otter
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[AdamGOGC]

The only place my wife and I have been camping in Illinois was at Apple River Canyon State Park. It is a nice park with good camping. It has some nice rock formations and the river is shallow enough to wade around in. I don't remember there being a play area there, but I would think they would have something nearby. The park is worth checking out. We had a good time there.

[Sford13]

The only place my wife and I have been camping in Illinois was at Apple River Canyon State Park. It is a nice park with good camping. It has some nice rock formations and the river is shallow enough to wade around in. I don't remember there being a play area there, but I would think they would have something nearby. The park is worth checking out. We had a good time there.

Adam,

That park is actually on my list to try out. My in-laws live in the NW corner of Illinois maybe half an hour away from Galena. Are there any in that SW corner of Wisconsin that you could suggest. Only issue with WI is that it ends up costing alot more by the time you pay for the car and all the other things they charge you for.

[AdamGOGC]

Are there any in that SW corner of Wisconsin that you could suggest.

Yes. Southwestern WI is a very pretty part of the state. Yellowstone Lake State Park is a nice place to camp. It's a real nice park with good hiking and the lake (actually a dammed river) is nice too. One of the advantages to camping at Yellowstone Lake is the lack of mosquitoes. There is a bat habitat restoration project there and the bats eat all the mosquitoes. When we were there in May we only saw one mosquito. The only down side to this park is that it is usually packed during the summer months.

If you're willing to drive a little further north along the Mississippi River I would strongly recommend Wyalusing State Park. It has beautiful views and great hiking. We go there every year.

Nelson Dewey State Park is just south of Wyalusing. I have heard it has good tent camping, but I have never been there.

When we stayed at Apple River Canyon it was over a Memorial Day weekend. Our initial destination was actually Blackhawk Memorial Park, a county park on the WI side. We heard it would be secluded and quiet even on a holiday weekend, but it was quite the opposite. I'll sum it up by saying that we woke up in the middle of the night to fireworks and someone doing donuts in the mud with their truck! Needless to say we were out of there the next morning and we found ourselves at Apple River Canyon where we had much better time. We stayed at site #29 which was pretty well secluded compared to some of the other sites.

[Sford13]

Thanks for the great information Adam.

[Estigue09]

Tent Camping in Illinois

A forum for our part of the world...woohoo Please post any news or events in Central Illinois.Earl

[NIFamilyTenter]

I have been to both Kickapoo and Apple River. They are kind of polar opposites in terms of amenities but both offer great family camping. Kickapoo is large and can get crowded. It offers a tent only area but it really is a large field with no privacy or seclusion. Even the walk-in tent sites have little privacy IMO. On the other hand, there is a ton of activities for the whole family. We spent 3 days there and we didn't have time to do everything. Some of the things that we did included a ton of fishing, paddle boat ride, dinner and music at the concession stand, arts and crafts for the kids, etc. This park literally has everything including horseback riding and river floating trips.

Apple River is the opposite. The campground is by far my favorite. I prefer quiet, secluded sites and this campground has many great ones. I have gone many times every summer and have yet to run into rowdy campers. The downside is that it is a small and doesn't offer too many pre-packaged activities. Of course that is fine with me but some may not like it. The lack of bells and whistles adds to the peaceful atmosphere of the campground.