Chicago Campgrounds with Full Hook-ups?

wpgman19 · 03-28-2019, 09:02 AM

We are hoping to head to Chicago for July 2-9, and want a water/30amp elec/sewer for our 32' TT. Also must be clean and of course safe. Looking for suggestions as I prefer not to make a 60+ minute commute to downtown each time. I am willing to take the METRA as long as it is a close drive to the campground (ie. within 10 minutes). Appreciate any feedback.

Skip12 · 03-28-2019, 09:57 AM

You're asking for a lot over 4th of July weekend this late in the season. We stay at Michigan City Campground in Indiana for 2 weeks each summer and I commute to Chicago on the South Shore Line from there but that'll give you a >90 minute commute each way.

There will be other options, but that's what we do...

formerFR · 03-28-2019, 10:05 AM

there are none, it's Chicago...

wpgman19 · 03-28-2019, 10:05 AM

Hi Skip12. I was worried about that too. Figured I would ask. Maybe a trip into the USA that week is not the wisest thing for me now. Appreciate the tip.

formerFR · 03-28-2019, 10:13 AM

...but if you're willing to 'camp' off-grid for $20 per night, right downtown, in a secure area... then check out the McCormick Place truck Marshalling Yard - very convenient.

McCormick Place - Chicago, Illinois

located at 31st Street and Lake Shore Drive, (adjacent to Lot B) Marshalling is available for overnight truck parking based on availability. Services include a certified truck scale, 24‐hour staff, 24‐hour convenience/vending center and security cameras.

many of us have done this, successfully, and on our stay we almost had the whole huge lot to ourselves - also, while we had a toad, we just hailed an uber and it took us directly to the HouseOfBlues, where our concert was located - nice.

**ependydad** · 03-28-2019, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wpgman19

Looking for suggestions as I prefer not to make a 60+ minute commute to downtown each time. I am willing to take the METRA as long as it is a close drive to the campground (ie. within 10 minutes).

That's the biggest kicker. For full hook-ups and within 60 minutes, I didn't find anything.

I found a few smaller parks that were water+electric only; no sewer/just a dump station.

Otherwise, we stayed out at Sycamore RV. The commute into the city was a long one. Since we fulltime, we actually ended up staying at a hotel on points near the airport and left the camper unattended for a weekend. It gave us a good 2-3 days of being in the city for exploring. But I know that doesn't help you.

jeff64 · 03-28-2019, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wpgman19

We are hoping to head to Chicago for July 2-9, and want a water/30amp elec/sewer for our 32' TT. Also must be clean and of course safe. Looking for suggestions as I prefer not to make a 60+ minute commute to downtown each time. I am willing to take the METRA as long as it is a close drive to the campground (ie. within 10 minutes). Appreciate any feedback.

Like others said no close in campgrounds with FHU and few w/o. Chain o Lakes SP is nice but no FHU, but it is 10 min to metra station in Fox Lake. If you do that you better get a reservation in pronto with Reserve America.com for a holiday weekend like that. I have stayed at the Michigan City Campground last year. I'd give it a just OK. From my place near Wi. line it was a PIA to get there on the tollway system and lots of construction/congestion and even with the iPass cost about $35 round trip dragging a TT. FYI

**Iwritecode** · 03-28-2019, 11:28 AM

There is a KOA in Union, IL that has full hookups. There are a couple of different train stations about 20 minutes away and the train ride is about an hour to downtown.

Anything closer is going to probably be a forest preserve.

jeff64 · 03-28-2019, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

There is a KOA in Union, IL that has full hookups. There are a couple of different train stations about 20 minutes away and the train ride is about an hour to downtown.

Anything closer is going to probably be a forest preserve.

There is another one out that way called Lehman's. I can't place what train station you could be referring to though

**Iwritecode** · 03-28-2019, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff64

There is another one out that way called Lehman's. I can't place what train station you could be referring to though

Forgot about Lehman's. Driven by it plenty of times but never been in there. Website says they have full hookups.

There's a Metra station in Woodstock. There are also a couple in Crystal Lake.

sunseekercamper56 · 03-28-2019, 12:29 PM

Hi
A few years ago we stayed at a very nice KOA in South bend to attend a Michigan /Notre Dame game.We were told,it was very easy to get to Chicago from here by train and the station was close by.
Just a suggestion.
A very grocery store down a short path to town.Well run campground and very strict about noise on game night!

jeff64 · 03-28-2019, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

Forgot about Lehman's. Driven by it plenty of times but never been in there. Website says they have full hookups.

There's a Metra station in Woodstock. There are also a couple in Crystal Lake.

Did Lehman's once, that was enough. They played the old switcheroo on the site and you had to have people move vehicles and be ground guided into it. Woodstock would be closest to KOA which we'e only driven through. 20 minutes would be tight though on the drive to Woodstock

wpgman19 · 03-28-2019, 01:11 PM

I really appreciate the great feedback from everyone. Doesn't look realistic for me this time around, but at least if I go to Chicago with the TT in the future I have lots of options. Definitely will avoid JUL 4 weekend too.

Happy camping!

rockfarmer · 03-28-2019, 01:47 PM

Another one is Fish Lake Beach in Volvo, IL. I looked at it but did not like some of the reviews. It is close to a METRA station.

We are going to stay at Cliffside County Park near Racine, WI. They do not have sewer but we are only going to be there 4 days and most of the time we will go to Kenosha and catch the train into Chicago.

RudysWorld · 03-28-2019, 01:48 PM

We stayed in Kankakee once on the way to WI with full hookups. Not sure on commute times.

pengle · 03-28-2019, 04:34 PM

The "where can I stay in Chicago" question comes up a couple of times a year and no one seems to mention Leisure Lake Membership Resort out near Joliet, IL. I know it says "membership", but we didn't have one and we stayed there for a week.

We drove into Chicago most mornings around 9am and just took the route in that didn't have an accident on it each day. Some days we would be visiting Route 66 places so we just drove on that for a while and then headed in to downtown for whatever we had planned that day.

Long Drive · 03-28-2019, 04:37 PM

Thousand Trails park. Off I90 east of Rockford. Like the others, long ride into the city but a decent place if members haven’t already booked it up. Good luck!

donkro · 03-28-2019, 04:57 PM

Actually, there is a full service campground they bill as closest to Chicago, but probably still a 40 minute car ride away (during non rush hour). I live 10 minutes from it. Their mailing address says Joliet but it's really closer to New Lenox, a nice, safe area. It is right next to Interstate 80, so expect traffic noise. Only minutes from local train stations if you don't want to drive in. Good Google reviews, see below. The Indiana Dunes (which is now a National Park, is also an option, maybe an hour ride to downtown Chicago, but not sure of train service there.

https://martinscampingground.com/

Reprise · 03-28-2019, 05:22 PM

That KOA in Union is probably the best bet, since FHU was requested, and it's close to the Metra stations.

Best alternate to that is probably the Racine / Kenosha combo (Kenosha is serviced by Metra, and you can get all the way to Union Station downtown from there (although it's probably +2hr ride, each way)

BTW, Union, IL is practically as far north as Kenosha, WI (but a little more west)

During the holiday weekends, extra trains are put on the Metra lines, along with special fares. Better bet than driving into the city, especially if one isn't familiar with the area.

Since the OP is coming from up north, makes sense to camp north & commute in, rather than drive all the way to the southern part of the metro area (e.g.; Joliet) & backtrack up north. Unless the OP is planning to travel south after Chicago. Then it could make sense.

BTW, if Interstate 80 is part of the plan afterward, do NOT use the bridge that spans the Des Plaines river, in Joliet. It's been recently rated structurally unsound (yet the bridge remains open, and thousands of vehicles use it, daily).

Belvedere is pretty far northwest of Chicago (closer to Rockford, actually), and not super close to Metra.

Fish Lake Beach in Volo is nothing to write home about (I'm very close by).

Chain O' Lakes would be better (although you need a minimum 3-day commitment over July 4th weekend -- and as I think about it, COL is an absolute party town during the summer holiday weekends, so I wouldn't recommend them for that time. Sorry)

Most IL state parks don't have sewer at the campsites, although they do have a dump station. Many don't have water on the individual sites, either., but they will have a central water fill, usually away from the dump station (so you have to move the trailer twice, if you want to dump *and* take on water.) Almost all have electric.

Eagle2405 · 03-28-2019, 08:08 PM

We were in Chicago last september, we stayed at the Hollywood casino Joliet Rv campground. It is in Joliet, 10 minutes from the train station, and with the express, It was a 75 minutes ride to downtown Chicago. The campground is 3 services, good sites. Worst case, If It is full, you can boondock in the casino huge parking lot.

You may also like: