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

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.

Located in the middle of corn fields,this 840 acre preserve is made up of woodlands,marsh and…read moreprairie. There is a small creek that runs along a gravel path that is a 1.3 mile loop around a 65ft deep quarry filled lake. Pets are welcome including horses. Swimming is not allowed but the lake is great for fishing and kayaking. Bathroom facilities are available along with plenty of parking. Part of the Kane County Forest Preserve.

Peaceful preserve with a former quarry now lake that has a gravel trail (also used by horses) going…read morearound it. Nice variety of trees and a few wildflowers. Many species of birds call this area home as there is a creek running through it as well. Part of Kane County Forest Preserves. Saw paddle boarders and kayakers enjoying the serenity. Not far off of Rt 47.

We had a great time staying at this yogi bear campground! We stayed in a 2 room rustic cabin that…read moresleeps 8. The cabin is small but serves it's purpose! The front room has a space heater, fridge, and microwave along with a twin over queen bunk. There is a solid door separating the front room from the back room. The back room has the window air conditioner and a wifi box along with another twin over queen bunk on one side and a twin over twin bunk on the other side. Keep the door open to get cold air into the front room in hot months. The cabins ( both two and one room rustic cabins) are located close to the comfort station, recreation center, playground, store and main office. We stayed in cabin 26, which is the 2 room cabin closest to the comfort station. This cabin is handicap accessible with a deck and longer picnic table to accommodate wheelchairs, there is also an aboveground fire pit on a cement pad. Be aware that there is a ton of poison ivy near the fire pit and around a log that would otherwise be enticing to sit on. Cabins do not come with linens or bedding so remember to bring a sheet along with your sleeping bag/ blankets and pillow so you aren't sleeping on plastic! We also recommend bringing a power strip as the outlets are all in use. So if you want to plug in your device you'll need to unplug something else. The curtains are sheer, hang up a towel if you need it darker. Water pump outside. The comfort station was always clean, toilets working, showers hot! The store on site sells some eggs and packaged food, fire wood, merchandise, toys, some emergency supplies for RVers, and staff scooped ice cream. Prices are reasonable. Pool was clean and cold. Refreshing on a hot day. Play equipment looked pretty new! There's a jumping pad, play ground equipment for both the littles and the bigs. There are built in ping pong tables outside the office and by the rec center. There are two sets of permanent bags/ Cornhole games by the playground and Gaga ball court. Volleyball net was set up in the play field. Basketball court is small but functional. Balls and paddles were all available in the rec center. Having stayed previously at a tent camp site, I can say that those sites are equally nice. Water is clear, electric works. If you'd like a good look at the seasonal sites available, take a hayride. If you'd like to get a look at the more rustic tent sites, take a walk or a drive down the road at the entrance to the campground. Maps are available in the office. There are also deluxe cabins on site which offer more amenities, check out the website for more details on these. Overall, we had a great stay. Watch out for poison ivy, as there was quite a bit by our cabin. Otherwise, go have a great time!

Very disappointed. This RV park is overpriced and lack the amenities at advertises on its website…read more The pool was down for maintenance issues in June. You'd think that I've been more prepared. The Camp store is completely abandoned and closed. The manager flat out lied to us when you ask about being compensated for the lack of amenities as advertised.. He said he would get back to us. Never did. My best advice Drive right past this place find somewhere else.

Great park located around Yorkville with a few big lakes. It has lots of hiking trails. Silver…read moreSprings State Park gets its name from the pool of bubbling water. Of course, there's tons of other things to see around it. The popular activities include boating, fishing, and picnicking. Bigger park with a lot of history. It's an area that was purchased by the state in 1969 and turned into a park. The park was originally 1,250 acres, and added a prairie restoration project in 1980 among expansions since. Kind of what the land was like before settlers took it. There's a path that goes through it where visitors can check out animals, grass, and wildflowers. A few man made lakes are highlights. Loon Lake is the biggest one, popular for fishing or getting photos. A refreshment stand is located by it. The spring is the biggest attraction of the park though. Amazingly the water in it never freezes. There's amazing plantlife around it including watercress. Also fun when it's colder. There's a toboggan hill that's fairly steep. Among the kinds of trails are equestrian. There's also plenty for basic hiking. Has lots to look at here for hours and you can even stay overnight by camping. It's got an area that's available for youth groups. This area is only reachable through backpacking so it's far away from loud noises or vehicles.

Serene lake with a good 2-mile hike along lake, river, woods amd some prairie. It was a quiet…read moremid-day walk one snowy day... until I pass by a group of kids screaming and sledding along a slope, how fun :)

Just came in last night, and although it was the middle of the night we were welcomed by very…read morehelpful guests. This place is extremely cozy with nice shaded lots, and a nice family environment.

Just camped here for the first time. This is a great place to camp, especially if you have kids…read more The lake was great. It's separated into 3 sections by buoys...one shallow end for small kids, a deeper end for bigger kids, and a fishing area. Both swimming areas had lake toys for the kids to climb on, including 2 trampolines with slides and bounce pillow, log roll, a giant iceberg, and some other things. There are smaller lake toys in the kiddie area. The lake had no algae or fish smell like other reviews noted, so they must have solved that problem. There is plenty of lounge chairs and picnic tables around the lake area for parents. The pool was nice too, but the kids liked the lake the best. They also had activities during the day: bingo, a glow stick dance party at night, and a scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt doubled as free campground cleanup for them because they had things like bottle caps, juice box straw wrappers, and cigarette butts on them! Please take the cigarette butts off that list!!! Nobody wants their kids picking those up!!! They had bean bag games, pedal cars, horse shoes, basketball and volleyball courts. The grounds were clean and well maintained. The sites are typical for a place like this...fairly close together but there were huge trees everywhere so we had shade and gave it a little more wooded feel (I hate camping in a big grass field). Cost: We paid $45 a night for water and electric (no sewer) which I think is reasonable because you're paying for all the facilities as well, not just the camping. They do nickle and dime you a bit...you gotta pay to use the pool, carts, and some activities. As long as you're OK just using the lake it's not too bad. Checkout time is non-negotiable. We wanted to stay an extra hour or 2 after checkout time so we had to pay for a whole extra night. Most places don't mind if you stay a little longer if the campground is emptied out. The kids really wanted a little extra time so I ended up paying for the extra night and we stayed until dusk so I could get my money's worth. One last note...the owner has a lot of rules and he enforces them. They are mostly to keep the kids safe and keep the camp family friendly. He was out multiple times during the day making sure the kids in the lake had their life jackets on and had parents watching them. If you're planning on partying loudly until 2 am, don't bother coming. He will kick you out if he has to. This has led to some bad reviews from scorned folks, but it's nice to see a campground enforce their rules for a change. Since I was there to enjoy family time it worked out well for us.

Great for family's. Lots to do. Halloween was best... Camp…read moresite are two small. Shower needs some help too

Blackberry Creek Camp and Conference Center is only an hour away from Chicago and has amazing…read morefacilities ready for use. We used the facilities for a fun event with our team and loved the hospitality that the staff provided us. We recommend this facility to anyone looking to hold a wedding, a party, a concert, a meeting, or a retreat.

Nice park with great views. Some 30/50 amp sites. Check the…read morewebsite for specs. No water during winter months. That means no water at the dump site as well during this time.

We got back yesterday after a great two night stay in a heated cabin here. I took my teenage son…read moreand three of his friends. We camp a lot and were looking for a winter adventure over break. Bullfrog was 45 minutes away and definitely did not disappoint. First of all, the area is gorgeous. I have never been to Willow Springs and was amazed by the landscape. Hills, woods, lakes, the Des Plaines River, huge Cook County Forest Preserve areas, with ample shopping and restaurants nearby of needed make this an ideal camping destination. The campground has a welcome station with after hours gated access. We were the only campers in the cabins and our first night there were a couple other groups using tents. It was amazing basically having this place to ourselves for about $100 a night. The cabin is accessible for those with special needs so it has a roll in shower and ADA accessible routes and features, for those seeking those amenities. It had 4 bunk beds in the main sleeping area, a separate bedroom with two beds, and the aforementioned bathroom. There is a wall unit for AC and heat in both sleeping areas so our comfort was at peak level. Those babies put out the heat and fast! This was especially great after we took an 8 mile hike which included a trip to the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center. The cabin and surroundings were immaculate. There are also a couple heated bath houses, dining pavilions, and docks for fishing or enjoying the beautiful views. In addition to the large cabins they also offer smaller ones without heat for warmer trips. Boat rentals are available when warmer out, as well. I saw canoes and other manual craft behind a fence by the welcome station. Inside the station they sold ice cream bars and much needed firewood bundles for $5. I would guess in the summer they offer more treats. The cabin featured a large fire pit with a swing out cooking grate, which was much appreciated. We cooked many a thing on it! A picnic table is also provided at each cabin. The staff were super friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this place for your next camping and hiking adventure. We look forward to returning this summer!

Beautiful park land alongside the Illinois River. Campgrounds, picnic areas, lookout benches,…read moretrails, and boating in this lush forest by the river. There are places to launch your boat, $15.00 in one area and free by the Lock. Lots of things to do! A great place for the day or a few days!