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Campground in/near Chicago?

flintsters
Explorer
Explorer
I am looking for a place for us to spend 2-3 days exploring Chicago with my young family during mid-August. We are looking for safety and convenience getting in and out of the city. At first I was thinking about Indiana Dunes, but when looking at their subway schedule it looks like it would be a 2 hour ride each way...not interested in that! Any suggestions?
2012 Jayco Jay Feather Select 29L
2015 Chevy 2500 Duramax
20 REPLIES 20

GraciesDaddy
Explorer
Explorer
Chicago McCormick Place Marshalling Yard – that's its "official" title – is dry camping, emphasis on "dry", in a parking lot for $35/night. Not that easy to get to BUT it is just south of downtown and, using the EL train, accessible to the entire city. There is active security patrolling. BE AWARE: If there is an event at McCormick Place you will be turned away. CAUTION: Do NOT take your rig down Lakeshore Drive! You WILL get a ticket! At least, you will if you head north on Lakeshore; toward downtown. Going south, toward Indiana, I think you'd be OK.

Our go-to campground is Fish Lake Beach Resort in Volo, IL. Yes, it's a couple driving hours out, BUT we drive into the Dempster/Skokie [Yellow Line] CTA station; about an hour's drive from the CG, pay $3 to park [plan to pay $25+ for parking if you take the car into the city], buy a 1- or 3-day CTA pass and hop the train to Howard Station and x-fer to the Red Line, which goes ALL the way downtown in about 1½ hours ...and WAY less if you wanna stop off at Wrigley Field/Addison Station and catch a Cubbies' game!!

I'm getting tickets to opening day/1st home game next year! 😉
Watch your tail swing... Keep the greasy side down and keep it 'tweeeeeeeeen the ditches, Y'all!

John E. Baker, III & Sally Baker - The Traveling Siblings!
Co-pilots: Llasah Lilly, Brown Daschie Chloe and Tuxedo Foots

Mortimer_Brewst
Explorer II
Explorer II
GordonThree wrote:
McCormick truck marshalling yard


I heard second hand from a Chicago Police officer that the area around the Marshalling Yard has gone downhill.
If ethics are poor at the top, that behavior is copied down through the organization - Robert Noyce

2018 Chevy Silverado 3500 SRW Duramax
2019 Coachmen Chaparral 298RLS

STBRetired
Explorer
Explorer
FYI. Joliet has a commuter rail line (Metra) that runs into downtown Chicago. If you ride during rush hour, it takes about 1 hour to get into the city. Off peak, the train makes more stops and it it close to 2 hours. Hollywood Casino is about a 10 - 15 minute drive from the Metra station.

There's an awful lot of suburban sprawl around Chicago. It's going to be hard to find a campground that is close in.
1999 Newmar MACA 3796 F53 6.8L
2016 Ford Edge Sport
Roadmaster Sterling A/T with Brake Buddy Select

GizmosMom
Explorer
Explorer
We are going to a wedding in the Bolingbrook area this summer. We are staying at a hotel but I had checked into some campgrounds and found two in the SW Chicago area:

Camp Bullfrog Lake

Hollywood Casino Joliet (scroll down to the RV park)

I really couldn't find any others that I liked.
Marilyn w/ Joe, 2016 Class C Sunseeker 2430 SF, often pulling a Ranger bass boat. Traveling with Trigger
Smudge & Gizmo are waiting at the Rainbow Bridge

GordonThree
Explorer
Explorer
McCormick truck marshalling yard
2013 KZ Sportsmen Classic 200, 20 ft TT
2020 RAM 1500, 5.7 4x4, 8 speed

2oldman
Explorer II
Explorer II
See if these posts help.
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman