The Best in Tent Camping: Illinois: A Guide for Car Campers Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos (Best Tent Camping)

I have lived in Illinois ten years, and have yet to camp here (life gets in the way of recreation sometimes). Now that my son is old enough to camp, I was looking for inside information on places to camp which would not be overrun with RVs -- I want him to experience camping as I have experienced camping. Trying to find information on quiet, isolated sites (surprisingly difficult to find such information online), I stumbled across this book on Amazon. I ordered it, and decided that this may be the best eleven bucks I have spent in a long time.The author divides the state by region, and gives detailed tips and information on 50 campgrounds throughout Illinois (all of which appear to be on state or federal -- rather than private -- land). He also breaks the sites down by "best for" categories, such as "best for hiking" "best for beauty" "best for privacy" and more.What I particularly like is the practical advice the author gives. For example, in discussing the Apple River Canyon State Park, the author lists the particular campsites in each loop which offer good space, shade and seclusion. You will find such excellent information for just about every one of the 50 campgrounds. This is just what I was looking for, as I have no experience with any of these campgrounds.I have not visited any of the sites yet, but if the advice in this book proves as useful as it appears, this book is a must-have. I will try to update this review after I have tried out a couple of the sites.UPDATE: I just returned from Apple River Canyon State Park, and can say that the author nailed the description of the park. This park is one beautiful place, and exactly as described in the book. The park was empty; my party was the only one using the first loop, and there were maybe four other parties using the second loop -- meaning that five of fifty sites were occupied. We essentially had the park to ourselves, although we did run across one other party hiking the quiet and beautiful trails. I even took the book's advice and headed over to Mississippi Palisades Park for a day trip (and made it back to the campsite with ample time to build a fire, prepare supper and relax before sundown).In sum, if you are not already familiar with Illinois as a camping destination, you should do yourself a favor and pick up this book. However, do not visit Apple River Canyon State Park, because I want it all for myself!

Very good reference for those of us who prefer quiet camping without generators running and loud music or parties going on. Was taking a trip to Illinois and knew that I rely on the Wisconsin version of this Guide a lot with much satisfaction. Rates Parks for scenery, cleanliness, and sites for spaciousness and privacy.

Maybe I read more into the title and brief description than others, or maybe I was looking for something different than most. I found this book rather misleading from it's title. I'm a primitive temp/hammock camper. When I say primitve I mean primitve. I need no electric or water and defintiely don't want to tent camp with RVs. Tent camping to me isn't driving to a campground that has "walk-in" tent sites. I do appreciate the list of campgrounds that have tents areas located in different locations than RVs and car campers. But to be honest, I was not looking for a book with a list of campgrounds in Illinois that have walk-in tent camp sites but RV and car as well. If you like to camp like I do, this book is not for you. If you like to tent camp with the closeness of your car or other campers, this book may help you.

I have had my eye on this book for quite some time and finally decided to purchase it. I am so glad I did! The detailed descriptions of the camping sites combined with maps and information on other nearby attractions make this resource the perfect guide for the amateur or experienced camper. With over 40 sites described, this resource will provide plenty of camping adventures for years to come.

I wish this were an online catalogue that could be constantly updated.That said, the book has great information. I have been to some of the parks listed and mostly agree with the author's assessments. I have also taken the opportunity to visit some his recommended parks and found his description accurate. I look forward to picking more parks from this book and having good trips as a result.

The Best in Tent Camping: Illinois: A Guide for Car Campers Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos I have previously stayed at many of the campgrounds that John wrote about. I think his opinions are spot on and the information that he shares is fair and accurate. I think this will be a great time saver that beats checking out campgrounds that you have no experience with and wasting a weekend.

Lent my original to a friend, (never got it back, some friend), so this is my second copy of this great book. If you like tent camping, and you don't want to be tent peg to tent peg with the next guy, this is the book for you.

This book does a great job describing each camp ground in detail. It even goes into detail to suggest specific sites at each camp ground depending on what kind of camper you area.The camp grounds listing are not as far off the beaten path as I expected, but it is still a great guide to the camp grounds of Illinois.