This campground is under new ownership and I had nothing but pleasant interactions with the new…read moreowners. They were very friendly and very helpful. When I spoke to them on the phone they made sure I knew exactly how to arrive (there is a low bridge in town that can damage RVs). The park was well kept and quiet. Looking at a map, I assumed the "river" next to the park was swimmable, but it actually is a canal that was quite swampy and not anything you would want to swim in. BUT, there is an awesome walking trail along the canal which was great for me and the dogs after a long road trip!

Did an overnight here, very nice campground. Great walking path along the canal, looked like a good…read moreplace to fish. Staff are very friendly and accommodating, however as noted on their website, no arrivals after 9:00 pm so plan accordingly. Would definitely recommend.

I stay at a lot of Campgrounds & this is one of my favorites. It feels homey with the owner happy…read moreto help and give you local hiking advice. No frills but full hook up & level with a beautiful grassy lawn & lovely trees. Location is excellent next to the state parks. We'll be back!!

I recently stayed at Cozy Corners Campground and felt it was in need of a review as it doesn't seem…read moreto have one at all on the internet. Cosy Corners is a small, family owned campground, quite literally in the couples backyard! Barbara and Dave, the owners were fantastic and absolutely went above and beyond to ensure we had a great experience with them. For example, I needed ice from the store and was given a ride in their golf cart. At one point it rained pretty heavily and as soon as it stopped, they came out to offer us all towels. the couple have a vast knowledge of the area and spent a good while talking with us about the things we could do 'off the beaten path'. Did I mention that this campground is at the entrance to Matthiessen State Park and only a mile south of Starved Rock!! Perfect placement. Also, you don't have to worry about the alcohol bans in the state parks if you stay here. The campsite was dog friendly provided the pups stay on leash. The only thing I could say that may put you off would be that there is no shower facility! This didn't bother us, we are experienced campers and had no issue showering under a hose. there are a couple of hoses around so you can access running water. Oh, anther thing! The cleanest camping porta johns I have ever used. They smelled clean and were also lit at night! OK, I could go on all day. I had a fantastic experience and every one of the 10 people in my group on the Saturday night swore they would return. The service provided by Barbara and Dave is second to none! I can't wait to go back!

This is by far the prettiest campground we stay at. No sewer or water but electric. It's a Army…read moreCore of Engineering campground. Very easy checkin. Pay online. Very nice place. Online you can see it sites and get the measurements. Most are very long backing.

Nice, small facility. Beautiful sites and very clean. Right on the river, so ambience was fantastic.read more

Shaded tree line most of the sites with nice grass pads along level gravel pads, very nice indeed…read more This is a wonderful place to stop and spend a few days to rest along the highways of mid America. The campground has full amenities for the kids of all ages. Friendly staff and well kept facility.

What a WONDERFUL find along our trip!! This campground is a new KOA Journey, and you can tell the…read moreowners are VERY proud of their property! I was especially impressed with their mens room bath and shower! My wife and I were on the road for 28 days and THIS was the cleanest and largest shower I had seen after traveling 6600 miles. We discovered that KOA's have three levels: Journey, Holiday, & Resort. My wife and I enjoyed this Journey as it is the closest to "real camping" with just enough to relax without feeling like you're in some sort of "Disney Resort". I would highly recommend this campground and will stay here again if I ever get the chance!!

Review Visit: October 14th, 2015…read more First impressions are hard to change... If you live in Illinois at all, you know of the budget cuts, budget cuts, tax increases, budget cuts. Jubilee College State Park is one of those that has been hit by budget cuts. Decided to check this place and Jubilee Cafe out in the same day. My first time there, I encountered a few areas that were closed due to inadequate staffing. So a lot of places have become overgrown and broken down. This state park is beautiful and it's a shame that it is in such a bad shape. While looking up some info on it to write this short blog, it appears that after 3 years they finally have a (volunteer?) Park Ranger and a volunteer group to help clean the place up and make it usable. Having never been here, I tried quite a few different places that I thought were openings to go hiking, but I really never could tell what was what since everything was overgrown. Now if this volunteer group is helping out and making the place a bit friendlier, I would love to go back and check it out again. Maybe even update this blog post. I just hope I don't have to mark it 'Closed'. It fills me with such sorrow that beautiful recreational places like these are cut short on budgets and fall into disuse. I won't get into politics, but I hope they figure something out and restore this park and all the other closed/understaffed to their rightful natural beauty.

So many great memories of Jubilee State Park. Went there many times as a kid and we had our annual…read moreChurch Picnics there which were a ton of fun. The place is a gem and truly beautiful with fantastic hiking and biking. I recently discovered the "South Trails" for Mountain Biking. Some super sketch single track in areas and you will find a ton of crossover bridges, many with only a 2X4 allowing to cross the copious small creeks that meander throughout the woods. Decent elevation and tons of roots, rocks and obstacles to keep you on your toes...or pedals as it were. You don't want to miss this I will be back for sure next time i'm down visiting the fam!

Shabona Lake is a relaxing place to enjoy nature. It's nice to walk by the lake on the paved side…read morewalks & stop at the different picnic tables & benches for just a little rest or bring a picnic to enjoy ... sunny or shadey options. Also WheelChair friendly!

Tried to make reservations online but because I'm within 72 hours I must do walk in 1st come 1st…read moreserve. I showed up to camp and found out the park has different rules than idnr or the reservation website and do not allow walk in for prime sites. All sites not registered online must sit empty. So my family was turned away, the site along with many other prime sites are going to sit empty all weekend. I even offered to pay double and I spoke to the deputy director of the park. Sad to see the park turning away money over a 72 hour online only policy

Every single time we have the tournament for camp big sky it goes well. Nate one of the owners is…read morevery helpful and happy to see us.

I've been a full time camper here for about 4 or 5 years now. We haven't been able to get out here…read moreuntil today do to work. One thing we love about the owners of this place is that they put a lot back into this place each and every year. Here are the newest exciting developments we came back to. A new restaurants, snack shack, covered picnic tables at the beach, fire pits at the beach and MORE camper site developments. Very nice!! Great place to take your family!

this is like a piece of Heaven on Earth! The permanent residents are so warm and welcoming to us…read moreseasonal and random tenants. Fantastic amenities, Smiling faces, and Space to Breathe!

It almost seemed like a dream. From the very start, cruising through a large patch of lotus plants,…read moreit felt otherworldly. Very peaceful, going at our own pace. Enjoyed the cliff walls of Buffalo Rock and the shallow waters of some side passages. We paddled for 5 hours, covering 8 miles total. After we were done we headed to charming, historic downtown Utica for drinks and dinner at Skoog's Pub & Grill in North Utica, IL. I was impressed with the logistics and operation of the kayaking experience, from the guide* to the equipment and online booking process. *Full disclosure, the guide was my twin sister, but I am being objective...seriously.

I have mixed feelings about this kayak tour company. I signed up because although I'm a very…read morecapable and seasoned kayaker, I didn't know this river and I like learning about the ecosystems and local wildlife. For this reason I like having tour guides. Going up the river was fine. Coming back went a bit sour. I went as slow as I was capable of paddling or not paddling, but apparently it was too fast for the preference of our tour guide. I was barely touching the water with my paddle. I have no idea how I could have gone any slower. It wasn't humanly possible. After shouting at me several times, he took to chasing me down and ramming my kayak so it'd spin in circles. Would I rent a kayak here and kayak the river alone? Yes. Would I personally use a tour guide here? No I wouldn't. Would I recommend? If you're a family with little kids or a drunk sorority house, absolutely. If you know what you're doing, just go it alone. You'll probably enjoy it more. Edit: If the tour guide had concerns for group safety, he could have said so. Although ramming my kayak with his seems to be a bit of a conflict as far as my safety goes. It was an unprofessional approach when he could have simply explained why he needed me to slow down