The best waterside campgrounds near DeKalb, Illinois

DeKalb’s waterside camping scene packs over 1,200 options for pitching a tent near creeks, lakes, and the Illinois River. Average rates hover around $39 a night, with some sites dipping as low as $20. You’ll find campsites where dogs are welcome, campfires crackle after dusk, and basic toilets cover the essentials. Local favorites include East Woods on the IL River (227 reviews), Escape to Nature (181 reviews), and Welcome to our Magical Woods (159 reviews). Expect easy access to swimming holes, winter snow sports, and a solid chance of spotting deer or herons at dawn. If you want riverside solitude or a spot for the whole crew, DeKalb’s got a waterside site that fits the bill.

97% (1.2K)

Top-rated campgrounds

Campsite is getting better and better by the week as I improve it!

1. Private Lake Mary Channel Camping

100%

(6)

48mi from DeKalb · 1 site · Tent · Twin Lakes, WI

Tent Camping Site on Lake Mary’s Channel. Private place to pitch a couple tents, hammocks, enjoy a campfire, and most importantly enjoy access to Lake Mary & Lake Elizabeth via a short channel which is only steps from the door of your tent! The channel is shallow, while you cannot swim from the campsite to the lake you can easily launch kayaks and after 850ft of paddling you are out on Lake Mary! 15minute safe sidewalk or quiet neighborhood road walk to Lance Park from camping site. The park also has ample parking. Drive time from camping site to the park is only 2minutes! Lance Park has a wonderful pubic beach swimming area. The water quality of Lake Mary is amazing with great clarity and no algae or seaweed growth. It also has a public boat launch. The park also hosts the “AquaNut” Water Show every Wednesday and Saturday nights in the summer! Lance Park also has a clean and very large handicap accessible porta potty that can be used 24/7. Twin Lakes has a cute Main Street with lots of fun to be had. There are also several restaurant/bars on Lake Mary or Lake Elizabeth. Lake Elizabeth can be accessed by a small waterway that connects the lakes. Kayaks, paddle boards, and canoes can easily float under a lower foot and car bridge. Larger and taller motorized boats cannot move between lakes. This camping site offers such a fun and inexpensive way to get outdoors this summer!

DeKalb’s waterside camping scene packs over 1,200 options for pitching a tent near creeks, lakes, and the Illinois River. Average rates hover around $39 a night, with some sites dipping as low as $20. You’ll find campsites where dogs are welcome, campfires crackle after dusk, and basic toilets cover the essentials. Local favorites include East Woods on the IL River (227 reviews), Escape to Nature (181 reviews), and Welcome to our Magical Woods (159 reviews). Expect easy access to swimming holes, winter snow sports, and a solid chance of spotting deer or herons at dawn. If you want riverside solitude or a spot for the whole crew, DeKalb’s got a waterside site that fits the bill.

97% (1.2K)

Top-rated campgrounds

1. Private Lake Mary Channel Camping

100%

(6)

48mi from DeKalb · 1 site · Tent · Twin Lakes, WI

Tent Camping Site on Lake Mary’s Channel. Private place to pitch a couple tents, hammocks, enjoy a campfire, and most importantly enjoy access to Lake Mary & Lake Elizabeth via a short channel which is only steps from the door of your tent! The channel is shallow, while you cannot swim from the campsite to the lake you can easily launch kayaks and after 850ft of paddling you are out on Lake Mary! 15minute safe sidewalk or quiet neighborhood road walk to Lance Park from camping site. The park also has ample parking. Drive time from camping site to the park is only 2minutes! Lance Park has a wonderful pubic beach swimming area. The water quality of Lake Mary is amazing with great clarity and no algae or seaweed growth. It also has a public boat launch. The park also hosts the “AquaNut” Water Show every Wednesday and Saturday nights in the summer! Lance Park also has a clean and very large handicap accessible porta potty that can be used 24/7. Twin Lakes has a cute Main Street with lots of fun to be had. There are also several restaurant/bars on Lake Mary or Lake Elizabeth. Lake Elizabeth can be accessed by a small waterway that connects the lakes. Kayaks, paddle boards, and canoes can easily float under a lower foot and car bridge. Larger and taller motorized boats cannot move between lakes. This camping site offers such a fun and inexpensive way to get outdoors this summer!

Stories from the community

M

Megan

October 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Private Lake Mary Channel Camping

My family and I had an awesome time camping at Steve’s thoughtfully laid out campground. The ground was soft and level so the tents were super comfy. Lots of seating on stumps surrounding a clean fire pit. Watching the moon reflect on the water was magical!

M

Malaika

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Private Lake Mary Channel Camping

Steve’s campsite was a lovely quiet spot that was private enough that we felt comfortable sleeping in the tent without the cover up. It was really peaceful and the trees covering the spot made it very secluded despite being in a neighborhood! Steve was very responsive and attentive as a host. 11/10 would stay there again!

Y

Yasmine

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Private Lake Mary Channel Camping

This spot is perfect for a one tent camp. You could tell the owner put a lot of work into this spot. The two dogs we brought did really well off leash and loved diving off the docks at Lake Mary. Check out Cup of Joe in town for good coffee. Make sure to bring your kayaks ( we did not ) as the little creek does take you straight to the lake. Lastly this spot is hidden within a neighborhood just as an fyi, but I definitely think it’s worth trying out.

K

Kate

July 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Private Lake Mary Channel Camping

Such a great spot! Beautiful and easy to get to !

j

jordan

July 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to Private Lake Mary Channel Camping

The site is exactly as advertised. Due to storms i wasnt able to check out lake mary sadly but im sure having a direct channel into the lake would have been nice. The camp site is small and very close to 2 back yards from neighbors so unfortunately you have to be pretty quiet. You also may have trouble pitching a very large tent due to the small size of the site. Overall a good place to camp thanks for the experience 👍

T

Taylor

June 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Private Lake Mary Channel Camping

Great spot to camp. Firewood provided!! Would definitely recommend it.