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This isn't a good spot for hiking. It took us hours to find the Rock Creek trailhead and once we found it, the trail was just "meh" (Caveat: we only did the red trail, a trail that is both confusing and boring at the same time.) Signage in the park and along the trails is poor. The map that's posted on the wall outside The Visitor Center (which was closed on a Saturday in April) does not match the map on the park's website, which also does not match the map at the Rock Creel trailhead. It's not the same map at any point nor is it an adequate map, especially when trying to find the waterfall or cave. These aren't clearly marked on Google Maps either so you can't rely on Google. The park seems designed for cars but not for pedestrians or hikers. There's tons of parking, but it's not clear where to park to get to Rock Creek Trail or waterfall. At first we parked near the cemetary. You can walk along the bike trail which runs along the river, but it's not very interesting. From here we were hoping to see signs pointing us to the Rock Creek trailhead, but we had to get back in the car and drive to the entrance that says North Loop. Don't try to cross the busy highway on foot because it's not safe. Overall the park is laid out very strangely. Another off-putting part of this experience was the constant gunshots from hunting/turkey shooting/target practice/who knows what. Luckily they ended by 10:30. But it's kind of hard to enjoy a bucolic environment with the sound of gunshots in the background.
Love this place! Camp here as often as I can. It's a great deal and the way it's setup you can still Have some privacy with your rig. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because the bathrooms are pretty bad every time I reserve a space. I camp every 2-3 weeks. I can get there on a Thursday and there is no TP the entire time. Bathroom have dead bugs and debris all over inside and always needs to be cleaned out - the smell is overwhelming. I always see the guys driving around in their Kabodas but have only seen them stop once at bathroom. Two of them stopped for about 10 seconds - turned on leaf blower on outside of bathroom and left. Why even bother??? They all seem to not like their job or their upset they have to work weekends. And yes... I bring my own TP but other don't. Camp host this year seems pretty green and they don't always take down the reservation tags so you can get a spot if you are a walk-in. I always reserve online. I will continue going here as often as I can, I love it!
The weather is so nice, and this park is so beautiful. We came here for fishing, but there is a lot of other fun activities like canoeing, hiking, and hunting can be done here, too. The park is pretty clean and neat. I will definitely come back for water sports and hiking because I don't really like fishing but just came because my husband loves fishing. Well, so far we didn't catch anything yet, so probably will stay here for couple more hours.
Kankakee River State Park is pretty great, the main trails are paved and mainly for biking and running but, if you hit up the side trails you can go right to the river and through the woods (not to grandmas house though). There's a neat little bridge that crosses Rock Creek with small side trails at each end going down to the river to explore and hike about or for fishing if that's your thing. The few times we've went there for hiking we didn't notice many ticks or Mosquitos but, when camping the Mosquitos came out like crazy! We got pretty bit up even with OFF applied by the gallon. There are plenty of covered pavilions and even playgrounds for the kids, just be careful and watch out for rebar sticking out from the wooded surrounds on the playgrounds, wouldn't wanna get impaled :/ There is also a small cemetery in the park, pretty neat to look at the hundredish year old tombstones. We've camped at the Potawatomi Campground in the Osage area once, it was pretty nice, the attendant on duty was VERY helpful too. We failed to reserve a campsite on reserveamerica.com in time (make reservations one week prior, not 3 days like most places) but, they DO have first come first serve available. The attendant told us to go, pick an open site, get all setup and then come back at some point to pay and fill paperwork out. It was very easy, he even has some basic camping tools if you forgot them. Ended up borrowing a stake hammer for the tent. The ground at the site we were at was pretty rocky but, it looked like there were a few that had softer ground that the stakes can go into easier than we had. All in all it's a great place, good hikes, clean and fun to explore. Plus, there's no charge to enter.
My wife and I had a great time camping here! $25 a night for electric and showers/flush toilets and the hosts are super sweet. The sites are nice and shady and the hiking and fishing are great too. TIP: don't buy firewood from the outside. There's a guy who walks around with a wheelbarrow of wood and you can buy a whole wheelbarrow of wood for $15 bucks. It's a LOT of wood too. Just make sure you get in before dark. He leaves at dark.
We arrived on a Friday, late afternoon with the storm following us. Checked in quickly and the people here were very nice and friendly. I was surprised that the bathrooms weren't horrible. It's just a toilet to a hole in ground, but I've been camping where they had running water and the bathrooms were gross n covered in bugs and a greasy slime. Camp sites are close so you don't get a lot of privacy. Luckily that stormed cleared out a lot of people so its actually quiet for labor day weekend. The website you book on is reserveamerica.com. Since its a state park, you have to book 3 nights. But at only $8 a night for a primitive site (no electric, no running water) this is a pretty affordable weekend. Especially considering that private campgrounds can cost $30 a night. I would definitely return next year for a weekend! We gotta use all the tent n camping gear again to make it all worthwhile.
Always come fishing here never disappointed when coming, caught plenty of fish over ten pounds, carp, all catfish breed and white perch
17 years ago
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More info about Kankakee River State Park
5314 W State Rte 102
Bourbonnais, IL 60914
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(815) 933-1383
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Where do we park for the 3 mile loop Rock Creek Trail?
North loop across from main entrance
Review Highlights - Kankakee River State Park
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