Campgrounds Near Chicago with Spacious Camping Sites

Everyone has their own idea of what the perfect campsite looks like. Some people like spaces that are close to one another. There is a feel of community that comes with close spaces. The chance to socialize with others around you. Never feeling like you are alone. Many people feel that this social style of camping is the best type of camping. And for them, it is.

But other people, my family included, don’t like that style of camping. We feel like sardines when we are crammed into a tight space with other tents or RV’s directly on either side of us. When we go camping, we want to feel like we are far away from it all. We don’t want a community feel, we want to feel like we are out in the wilderness. We don’t want to hear people talking, we want to hear the birds and the wind. And I know we are not the only one who prefers to camp this way.

We want trees around us, not other campers

Finding Secluded Sites is Hard!

I don’t know how many hours I have spent trying to find campsites that fit the bill. Big space, at least a couple of feet of trees between them (more is better), and not crammed together. Some campgrounds have nice pictures of their camp spaces on their websites. But many only have one or two shots and they just don’t show how close the next door spots are.

There are also some websites, such as The Dyrt, that collect photos from people who have visited, so that others can check then out before booking a site. Sometimes you get lucky with websites like these and someone has posted photos that show if there is another site right next door or not. Sometimes you can find a big secluded site this way. But this is based mostly on people who have taken the time to post their photos. And many campgrounds just aren’t well covered yet.

For me, if the campsite isn’t secluded enough, I’m not going. If I can’t confirm that sites are big, I’m not taking the risk. And because of that I end up spending a ton of time researching and hunting for pictures, trying to ensure that I won’t be disappointed when I get there.

So I want to share the findings of my many many hours of research. I’ve done the work for you. Here are the nice, big, secluded sites I have found in Wisconsin and Illinois. Save this article and check back from time to time because I will be adding more as I discover them! And if you know of any I haven’t found yet, please let me know in the comments, I would love to go check them out for myself.

Wisconsin

Buckhorn State Park

Buckhorn State Park is right in the middle of Wisconsin in the town of Necedah, about 3.5 hours from Chicago. The park is on a little peninsula between Castle Rock Lake and the Yellow River. This park is well worth visiting because not only are its campsites huge, but there is a lot of other things to do here as well. And if you want even more space, they have walk-in sites too.

Their hiking trails are great. One of them even has a little spot of sand flats right in the middle of the pine trees. It was quite surprising to come across that in the middle of the forest, but it was a good find!

Being surrounded on 2 out of 3 sides (the park is a triangle) with water, boating and fishing are big here too. Rent a canoe and check out their interpretative water trail.

We like Buckhorn so much that we have camped here multiple times. And it never disappoints! Outside of the park are some beautiful Wild Wisconsin places that are well worth exploring too. Such as Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (Check out our for-kids video about Necedah!), Quincy Bluff State Natural Area, and Devils Lake State Park. (Crowd avoider be warned, Devils Lake is popular! But it is also beautiful). The nearby town of Baraboo is also home to the International Crane Foundation, and this beautiful place it well worth a visit by the nature lover too.

Harrington Beach State Park

We really liked Harrington Beach, not only because of the campsite but also because of the beautiful scenery and the beach itself. The campground isn’t huge, but the sites are well designed to create privacy. Most of the drive ways are set at an angle so that the tent or RV spot is mostly hidden from the road. And while it really isn’t in a forest, the shrubbery and what trees there are, add a decent privacy screen between the neighboring sites.

One of Harrington Beaches campsites with an angled driveway and plenty of smalls trees and shrubs surrounding it.

Not all of the sites are huge, and some have less plants between them than others, but all are decent sized and have space between them. Some even have cute little spots for tents cut out of the shrubs and trees in addition to the main tent or RV spot. Over all, this campground is very well designed and very nice. The showers are clean and well maintained, and the outhouses are good too.

The hiking trails are very pretty. The forest floor is covered in ferns and flowers. And one trail leads around a flooded quarry that is quite scenic. And the beach is quite nice too. It isn’t huge, but there is plenty of space for quite a few families to set up towels. The section further north is rocky, and the section further south is mostly sand. But all of it is good for kids, the waves are small, the slope is shallow, and the bottom is mixed sand and smooth rocks.

But if you really want some seclusion, try one of their 5 walk-in sites. We stayed at W3, and it was awesome. It isn’t just a single large square of space cut out of the prairie, its a maze of little spaces. Very cute layout. We really liked it and plan on going back again.

One of the walk in campsites in Harrington Beach State Park at sunset.

Roche-A-Cri State Park

Not too far from Buckhorn State Park, and a little under 4 hours from Chicago, lies Roche-A-Cri State Park. This state park has some beautiful rocky bluffs and ancient rock art (though the graffiti on and around that art takes away from the effect.) But the campground is a very nice one. It isn’t big, only 41 campsites, but the campground is laid out like a circle with a line through the middle. And since most of the sites on an a curve, they are wider at the back than they are at the road. And that helps with the feeling of space between the sites.

One of the main attractions at this state park is its name sake mound. A 300 foot nearly vertical rock bluff. There are stairs leading to the top, but be ready for a workout to get there! Though the views are well worth it.

Yellowstone Lake State Park

I enjoyed telling my friends and family that I was going to Yellowstone, then after a dramatic pause added in “Wisconsin.”

This Wisconsin State Park is located on a lake of the same name, in the town of Blanchardville. Which is about 2 hours and 45 minutes from Chicago. The campsites aren’t huge, but they are big enough, and most importantly they are very secluded. The trees around them are quite dense, and even if the next site is actually close by, you can’t see or hear them much because of those trees. We really enjoyed the seclusion here.

Some other things to do are hiking, boating, fishing, swimming, wildlife viewing, cross country skiing, and horseback riding.

We enjoyed how the tent site was tucked into the woods here, and the fire ring was in the clearing in front of it. If you were in a camper it would sit where our car is, effectively blocking off the road in front and the whole area would be a closed in ‘backyard.’

Illinois

Illinois is tougher than Wisconsin. The population is denser and the vast majority of campgrounds here are tight spots. And another challenge is that the majority of campgrounds in Illinois are first come first serve. I am not a fan of this style because you don’t know what you are going to get, or even if there will be any spaces left by the time you get there. But visiting during the week or arriving early helps improve those changes, and I did manage to find one campground that has some really great large secluded sites.

Morrison-Rockwood State Park

This state park is located very close to the Illinois-Iowa border in northern Illinois, just over 2 hours from Chicago. It is a pretty park with a nice central lake and a lot of trees.

Not all sites are created equal in this park though. So if you are hunting for big spots, be careful about which ones you choose. There are two loops and one out and back road of campsites. In general, the lower numbers loop (sites 1-25) is the loop with smaller, closer spots. Numbers 12 and 13 are decently sized, though both are open with no vegetation between them and the rest of the nearby sites.

The straight road and second loop (sites 26-90) are the bigger spots with more vegetation around them. Even here though some of the sites have minimal vegetation, and while all are more secluded than the first loop, some are still more spacious and secluded than others. Sites 26, 31, 34, 36, 40, 53, 65, 76, 82-86, and 90 are the biggest. We stayed in number 85 (pictured above) and it was great!

There are some nice hiking trails here, though the trail heads aren’t all that well marked. You can fish in Lake Carlton, or bring a boat and paddle the lake. Boat rentals are sometimes available, check ahead if you want to do this. If there is no firewood available in the park, set your GPS for the Morrison Veterinary Clinic. Right next door is a red farm with a giant squirrel statue out front and a pile of firewood for sale right next to it. Cash only.

Indiana

Shades State Park

About a 3 hour drive from Chicago is Shades State Park. This pretty little spot is about 45 minutes west of Indianapolis. But you would never know you were so close to a large city. The roads leading in are small, windy, and some of them are dirt (the best kind in my opinion!)

Like Morrison-Rockwood in Illinois, not all sites at Shades are created equal. Some have quite a bit more space than others. And some are good sized, but intentionally connected to the site next to them. Which is great if you have multiple families camping together, but not so good for a family alone. Some of the biggest sites are: 30, 51, 54, 57, 59, 61, 66, 82, 90, 93, 100, 101, and 102. Though there are plenty of other sites that are smaller, but still secluded. The website has photos of each site, which is very nice, and that helps with choosing the right one.

One of the fun things about Shades is that there are several hiking trails that lead right up the bottom of stream ravines. (Don’t take those if there has been recent heavy rains!) and wear the right footwear. But they are some very fun and interesting trails! And also the nearby Turkey Run State Park has some pretty cool ravine trails as well.

Nothing quite beats an evening by the campfire with good food, good company, and plenty of space around you.

This list is ever growing. As we discover more nearby campgrounds that meet our secluded criteria we will add them to this list! And if you know any that we missed, please find us on Instagram and let us know! We would love to check it out!

Campgrounds Near Chicago with Spacious Camping Sites

Finding Secluded Sites is Hard!