The best river, stream, or creek campgrounds near Riverwoods, Illinois

Set up camp in Riverwoods if you want a river on your doorstep. With over 420 riverfront sites here, you can pitch your tent where the water’s close and the air is sharp. Expect average nightly rates around $45, but you’ll find places for as low as $40 if you book early. Showers, toilets, and campfire rings are common, so staying clean and cooking over an open flame is easy. Hiking trails run alongside the river, swimming holes aren’t hard to find, and wildlife wanders close enough for a good look. Top picks include The Aloha Ranch (15 reviews) and A Creek Runs Through It (13 reviews), both favorites for easy river access and a quiet spot to unwind. If you like your mornings with mist on the water and your evenings by a fire, Riverwoods delivers.

98% (40)

Top-rated campgrounds near Riverwoods

Set up camp in Riverwoods if you want a river on your doorstep. With over 420 riverfront sites here, you can pitch your tent where the water’s close and the air is sharp. Expect average nightly rates around $45, but you’ll find places for as low as $40 if you book early. Showers, toilets, and campfire rings are common, so staying clean and cooking over an open flame is easy. Hiking trails run alongside the river, swimming holes aren’t hard to find, and wildlife wanders close enough for a good look. Top picks include The Aloha Ranch (15 reviews) and A Creek Runs Through It (13 reviews), both favorites for easy river access and a quiet spot to unwind. If you like your mornings with mist on the water and your evenings by a fire, Riverwoods delivers.

98% (40)

Top-rated campgrounds near Riverwoods

1. Private Lake Mary Channel Camping

100%

(6)

31mi from Riverwoods · 1 site · Tent

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!

2. A Creek Runs Through It

93%

(15)

27mi from Riverwoods · 2 sites · RVs

I love sharing this beautiful piece of land with other nature lovers. You feel like you're out in the middle of the woods yet if you drive 5 minutes to Randall road there's any restaurant or store you could ever need. I look forward to sharing this space with you!

3. The Aloha Ranch

100%

(19)

36mi from Riverwoods · 10 sites · Tents, RVs

We have 26 acres of land to have fun on and enjoy nature! Turtles, rabbits, deer, possums, and snakes are just a few of the wildlife that you may encounter. The Kishwaukee river runs along the property bringing a variety of creatures as well as a nice place to cool off on hot days. You can find wild berry trees and beautiful flowers. Enjoy campfires and gaze upon the vast sky full of stars at night. There are multiple camping sites, some surrounded by trees and others in open fields to suit your preference and camping vehicle. Learn more about this land: Welcome to our 26 acres surrounded by the Kishwaukee River. Small trails, secluded yet near food, shopping and activities. Pet friendly, bon fires, barbecuing, gorgeous sunrises and tranquil sunsets. We are a family run small farm with dogs, horses, ponies and chickens. Only 1 hour 20 minutes from downtown Chicago and 1 hour from Ohare airport.  Near Wisconsin border, Fox River, Lake Geneva, Rush Creek, Volo Museum & Antiques. Look up things to do in McHenry as well.

4. Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park

83%

(9)

224 sites · Zion, Illinois

Illinois’ only beach ridge shoreline sits within an hour of the city.

Pets

Toilets

Campfires

5. Chain O'Lakes State Park IL

100%

(2)

185 sites · Channel Lake, Illinois

Explore these connecting lakes on the water or on land!

Pets

Electrical hookup

Toilets

Public campgrounds near Riverwoods

83%

(9)

Illinois Beach Campground

19mi from Riverwoods · 224 sites · Tents, RVs · in Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park

Prairie View Campground

24mi from Riverwoods · 31 sites · Tents, RVs · in Chain O'Lakes State Park IL

Fox Den Campground

24mi from Riverwoods · 40 sites · Tents, RVs · in Chain O'Lakes State Park IL

100%

(2)

Turner Lake South Campground

24mi from Riverwoods · 28 sites · Tents, RVs · in Chain O'Lakes State Park IL

Honeysuckle Hollow Campground

24mi from Riverwoods · 86 sites · Tents, RVs · in Chain O'Lakes State Park IL

Recent reviews from the Hipcamp community

J

Jonathan

October 2025

13 ft travel trailer

Weekend Trip to A Creek Runs Through It

When we pulled up to the site, Kristen made sure we knew exactly where to park and gave us the layout of her land. It was nice to be able to park our camper there while we visited the nearby town. This site was quiet and private. We felt very safe here. Kristen communicated well and we knew everything we needed to know before even showing up. We would definitely camp here again!

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!

M

Megan

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to The Aloha Ranch

If you’re looking for a peaceful and untouched place to camp, the Aloha Ranch is it! Bobby was very communicative, and went out of her way to ensure we enjoyed our stay. She helped set us up at a local fishing venue with a beautiful castle and we spent two days enjoying the weather and solitude. Our campsite also had excellent stargazing! Highly recommended to anyone looking for a private getaway.

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.

B

Bill

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to The Aloha Ranch

Bobbie at Aloha Ranch was amazing! Great communication and such a wonderful host. Property was very fun and secluded. Thank you!

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 👍

A

Ann

July 2025

Tent

2 nights at The Aloha Ranch

Bobbie was a great host and very responsive. She checked on us when there was a thunderstorm and recommended a cool fishing spot near by. This would be a great hip camp if there was a porta-potty or outhouse. You do have to drive across a grass field to get to the sites, but this made it very secluded and far from the house which we appreciated. There are dogs but we did not see or hear them. The horses roam the front part of the property, but not by the campsites. This did mean that upon coming and going there are two gates that need to be opened and closed which took a little extra time.

T

Taylor

June 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Private Lake Mary Channel Camping

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

C

Christian

June 2025

Tent

1 night at The Aloha Ranch

Had a great time at this site. Bobbie was very helpful and responsive to questions we had leading up to our visit. There were also some weather concerns that popped up the day-off as we were prepping to drive out to the site. Bobbie was very communicative and transparent about everything ("weather isn't great, it could be muddy, you might not have a good time, want to reschedule?" type stuff along with some photos). The weather ended up clearing up and was ok and we still went out (in spite of the rain) and were glad we did! There's a lovely forest clearing with a picnic table / fire pit area that was nice and secluded (although we were the only campers on the property that night). But overall loved the place, would highly recommend and will likely come back in the future

M

Michael

May 2025

Tent

With kids

1 night at The Aloha Ranch

We're the sort of Hipcampers that like to engage with the host a bit. It not essential, as we're there to camp, and we know that hosts have a range of preferences themselves. But, if a host meaningfully engages with us, in any fashion, it adds to our enjoyment. Here, Bobbie certainly shared some quality time with us, and, in particular, with our 4 year old. She happily offered to pen the horses and dogs so that we could meet and feed them. She allowed us to have the same experience with her chickens. And, she shared her very exciting future plans for the land. We had already enjoyed her camping site and its seclusion, way back on the far end of her property. And, getting to know her and her animals a bit absolutely added to the trip. Thanks, Bobbie!

S

Skydell

May 2025

16 ft car

Weekend Trip to The Aloha Ranch

The campsite was perfect for us. Lots of trails to walk and it was great having a little river running right by the land. Bobbie was great and very welcoming. We can't wait to camp there again.

J

Jeremy

May 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to The Aloha Ranch

We had a great overnight stay, and enjoyed the site. It was very quiet, felt very remote, despite being easy to get to and the owner is super nice. We stopped on our way out to let my youngest feed a few carrots to the horses, which she loved. We'll definitely go back, and highly recommend this spot.