97% (115) • 9 campsites
Top-rated campgrounds near Near South Side
Gun Smoke Ranch
1. Gun Smoke Ranch
98%
(163)
40mi from Near South Side · 4 sites · Tents, RVs
Beautiful camping spots with fire pit and picnic table.
Seasoned Firewood is available for purchase.
Four beautiful sites with campfire pits and area for tents/RVs.
Sites 1 and 2 overlook a manicured range, creek, and are covered by pines. Site 3 and 4 are open sky, with easy pull-up parking for the big campers or RVs. Waivers must be signed to use range, HipCamp is not liable for range use.
Car, suv, truck, trailer and smaller RV parking.
15 minute drive to Cedar Lake, and Badlandz Paintball Field. Sollitt Tap is a few miles west. It has the best burgers!
No electrical hookup, no plumbing. (Yet)
Porta potty provided, hose available at the house.
Pets
Toilets
Campfires
from
$50
/ night
Daisy’s Farms On Notalotta Acers
2. Daisy’s Farms On Notalotta Acers
99%
(41)
48mi from Near South Side · 10 sites
Local Farm. Close enough to socialize. Far enough away to matter. Next door to “‘More Polish Pottery” in Big Rock IL. Near Dekalb, Sandwich, Plano, Hinkley, Big Rock, Aurora, and Sugar Grove. Many sites, bars, shops, and places to eat. Touching Big Rock forest preserve. Features egg stand. Private setting. Fire pit. Multiple spots to choose from. Great views. Pet friendly. Local showers and pool at local Plano YMCA. May see farm animals up close and personal. Please leave them at site. 11 min or less to Raging Waves Water Park. It’s right down the road! An hour commute or less to Chicago. Open early this year Feb 19th through Sept 30th (extended due to nice weather so if you can book it. You can stay.) The end of the season this year will be September 30th. And then we will be closed for the winter until May first. Unless otherwise specified. Usually closed for the winter months. Sugar Grove Family Fun Center up the road. Goat Yoga and Wholly Bean close by. Local forest preserve has toilets or bring your own porti-john. Bring your horses. Set up a temp spot. We have the space. And there is riding at the forest preserve right around the corner. Camp with your HORSES! We have a swing set and small child play sets. A trampoline. A tire swing. Y’all are more than welcome to use it. Just be respectful and make sure your children do not harm our land, animals, or gardens. 💕🙏
Pets
Campfires
Potable water
from
$26
/ night
97% (115) • 9 campsites
Top-rated campgrounds near Near South Side
Gun Smoke Ranch
1. Gun Smoke Ranch
98%
(163)
40mi from Near South Side · 4 sites · Tents, RVs
Beautiful camping spots with fire pit and picnic table.
Seasoned Firewood is available for purchase.
Four beautiful sites with campfire pits and area for tents/RVs.
Sites 1 and 2 overlook a manicured range, creek, and are covered by pines. Site 3 and 4 are open sky, with easy pull-up parking for the big campers or RVs. Waivers must be signed to use range, HipCamp is not liable for range use.
Car, suv, truck, trailer and smaller RV parking.
15 minute drive to Cedar Lake, and Badlandz Paintball Field. Sollitt Tap is a few miles west. It has the best burgers!
No electrical hookup, no plumbing. (Yet)
Porta potty provided, hose available at the house.
Pets
Toilets
Campfires
from
$50
/ night
Daisy’s Farms On Notalotta Acers
2. Daisy’s Farms On Notalotta Acers
99%
(41)
48mi from Near South Side · 10 sites
Local Farm. Close enough to socialize. Far enough away to matter. Next door to “‘More Polish Pottery” in Big Rock IL. Near Dekalb, Sandwich, Plano, Hinkley, Big Rock, Aurora, and Sugar Grove. Many sites, bars, shops, and places to eat. Touching Big Rock forest preserve. Features egg stand. Private setting. Fire pit. Multiple spots to choose from. Great views. Pet friendly. Local showers and pool at local Plano YMCA. May see farm animals up close and personal. Please leave them at site. 11 min or less to Raging Waves Water Park. It’s right down the road! An hour commute or less to Chicago. Open early this year Feb 19th through Sept 30th (extended due to nice weather so if you can book it. You can stay.) The end of the season this year will be September 30th. And then we will be closed for the winter until May first. Unless otherwise specified. Usually closed for the winter months. Sugar Grove Family Fun Center up the road. Goat Yoga and Wholly Bean close by. Local forest preserve has toilets or bring your own porti-john. Bring your horses. Set up a temp spot. We have the space. And there is riding at the forest preserve right around the corner. Camp with your HORSES! We have a swing set and small child play sets. A trampoline. A tire swing. Y’all are more than welcome to use it. Just be respectful and make sure your children do not harm our land, animals, or gardens. 💕🙏
Pets
Campfires
Potable water
from
$26
/ night
Recent reviews from the Hipcamp community
E
Eric and Aline
November 2025
36 ft Class A
With pets
Lovely spot. Follow instructions carefully and you’ll be fine. Worked great as we were reconnecting w/family.
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C
Cristian
October 2025
Tent
Easy check in and check out simple signs and location. Nice set up.
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B
Brian
October 2025
Tent
With pets
The host, John, is a super nice guy and very accommodating. We showed up on the wrong date (by accident - my mistake) and he was very flexible about it and we ended up staying the night. Very nice campsites and we will definitely plan on coming back to visit.
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J
Jennifer
October 2025
19 ft campervan
As advertised. I was welcomed and happened to have the place to myself. Just what I needed & kindly available on very late notice.
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N
Nahyun
October 2025
Tent
The site had such great vibes and we enjoyed camping under the stars very much. We arrived late in the dark and Kimberly was so kind to leave out some fire starters and delicious eggs. It was very easy to communicate with her and find our campsite in the dark. I would 100% come back here in a heartbeat if i were to drive cross country again. Thank you Kimberly!!!
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Nicole
September 2025
Tent
The site we were at was absolutely beautiful woke up to a beautiful sunrise. Highly recommend site A!!
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H
Hamza
September 2025
Tent
I had a wonderful experience camping here! The location is peaceful, clean, and beautifully maintained. The facilities were well taken care of, and everything was easy to access. What stood out the most was the kindness and hospitality of the owner—always welcoming, helpful, and making sure I felt comfortable during my stay. It truly felt like a home away from home in nature. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a relaxing and enjoyable camping trip.
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Daniel
September 2025
Tent
With kids
Love coming back to this site! Owners are kind and responsive, and the sites are clean and accessible! My kids are a huge fan of the swing set and the trampoline on the premises.
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Dan
September 2025
Tent
Group trip
What a great location. Every stay my family creates new memories. John is a great host. See ya whenever the 4th stay will be.
See moreP
Patrick
September 2025
Tent
We arrived on Saturday morning. Another group left shortly after so we had the place to ourselves. Lots of property to roam around on. Played football all in the grassy hill and had the most fun using the shooting range. Great firewood available and some nice spots to set up camp. Will definitely be back and bring more people! Thanks again, John!
See moreB
Bram
September 2025
30 ft campervan
We stayed at John’s ranch for two nights and wished we could’ve stayed longer. John is an excellent host that helps you with whatever you need. I would recommend this place to anyone
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Matthew
September 2025
Tent
With pets
Kimberly's place was fantastic for our purposes, and Kimberly was a delight. She helped out with our dog (via Rover) and also helped us with a few things before we got on the road. And she was a pleasure to talk to.
Again, the spot itself fit us perfectly. And Kimberly had prepared some things before we arrived, like kindling for the brick firepit as well as a bucket of water, which we used for dishes and such. And there were farm fresh eggs available (at a small station not far from our site) for us in the morning, which was absolutely fantastic.
I highly recommend stopping here if you're on the road, especially if you've got a pup with you. Our dog had a fun time checking out the goats and playing with Kimberly's dogs while we were out doing a family thing. But we never got to meet Kevin, the farm peacock, which was a bummer! Lol.
Thanks, Kimberly!
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N
Natalia
September 2025
14 ft campervan
With pets
Great host.
Super responsive and helpful.
Easy to communicate.
We had great times! And our few dogs too.
Thank you so much!
Highly recommended!
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D
Darrin
September 2025
Tent
Nice clean campground, enjoyed the natural privacy and the farm feel.
See moreJ
Janetsa
August 2025
Weekend Trip to Daisy’s Farms On Notalotta Acers
Great campsite for beginners and family! This was my family’s first camping trip and we had a great time. The campsite is well kept and just the right size. I appreciated being close to the entrance but still far enough away to not be bothered by noise.
See moreN
Nik
August 2025
Tent
Great place! Very quiet and peaceful. Hosts were very attentive.
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Sarah
August 2025
Tent
We really enjoyed camping here! Spot B is relatively secluded. There was shade around the edges and open sky in the middle. It has a nice fire ring and a comfortable amount of space. Kimberly provided a bucket of water and a bundle of fire wood, which we really appreciated. We were able to find plenty of smaller pieces on the ground, as well. We’re looking forward to cooking up the fresh eggs we got. Would definitely camp here again!
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Daniel
August 2025
Tent
With kids
Had a great time. Campsite was spacious and had all the amenities we needed. Hosts also went above and beyond to help and assist us throughout the course of our stay.
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Ozzy
August 2025
Tent
Nice camping spot, only one hour away from Chicago yet gorgeous countryside. Kimberley is very responsive and she tries her best to accomodate her guests. She provided a fire starter pack and a dozen of fresh eggs. Those eggs are better than anything you can get from store. Camp site is very clean. Overall I really enjoyed my stay there.
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R
Robert
August 2025
Tent
With kids
We had camp site 1 and was great. Pine needles all over the ground really made a decent underlayment. Fire put was good grounds were good. Watched the meteor shower from here. We did experience what a few people said about the neighbor to the west working on a diesel truck really late but not through the night. Nothing was problematic from the host. Everything was great and we will be back again.
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