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25 acres
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1 RV/Tent
1 Tent
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Location
Ottawa, Illinois, United StatesTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking
Hosted by Katie T.Joined in October 2017
Response rate: 100%Response time: Within 3 hours
98%
192 ratings · 151 reviews
Nate M.recommends
May 28, 2023
Goose Creek Lost Acre
We loved the campsite--secluded, surrounded by trees and with a creek stirring in the background-- but close enough to civilization, too.
Seanna W.recommends
May 28, 2023
Goose Creek Lost Acre
Great tent camping!
We had a wonderful time!! Hosts were kind and super helpful and the property was well maintained. Thank you!
Kristin S.recommends
April 30, 2023
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Private spot near Starved Rock
Perfect piece of land for primitive camping close to Starved Rock - very private/we were the only campers - includes a trail to explore and a nice spot to hang out on the bank of the Illinois River at the edge of the property. Katie met us in town and showed us around - she is super nice and made everything easy, including selling and delivering wood for the fire. Ottawa was also a very cute town with some lovely old homes and businesses - highly recommend Tangled Roots Brewery for really excellent food and brews to go.
Andrew J.recommends
April 22, 2023
Goose Creek Lost Acre
Nice. Would return.
Poor fire making conditions but overal good camp. Great wildlife in the area including bobcats, coyotes, and tons of birds. Very accomodating host!
Brian S.recommends
April 15, 2023
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Nice spot to camp out! Great access to nearby towns and parks.
Niloofar B.recommends
April 12, 2023
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Great spot and great host
Katie is absolutely wonderful! Great host, greeted me and my dog and showed me around the property. Beautiful private space tucked back with a cute pond.
Would definitely stay here again next time I am driving through.
Chip D.recommends
November 13, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Great spot! Beautiful water features and a good amount of land to explore. Pretty quiet from any road noise and saw some good wildlife. Made a beaver friend.
Kalie J.recommends
October 23, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Wonderful experience
Loved our experience. What a great host. Loved the views, wildlife, and felt private and secluded !
Joe J.recommends
October 23, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Cedar Waxwings galore!
This was our second trip to Katie’s camp. Once again a wonderful experience! The campsite is clean, secluded and picturesque. Sitting on a small hill overlooking Rainbow Pond with the colors
Of the fall trees reflecting in the pond was amazing. Multitude of birds were seen from camp including bald eagles, a solitary sandpiper walking the shoreline looking for food, herons who regularly fly over and land in the water looking for fish, and this time, a flock of at least 30 Cedar waxwings greeted us each morning feeding on berries in the cedar tree right by camp. In all 21 different species of birds. Also in the sunrise light a deer was spotted on a hill overlooking the pond, very magical. Katie couldn’t be nicer, super responsive, a great host! We will definitely be going back!
Kristina K.recommends
October 9, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
The view over the pond is pretty neat! Thanks for the fun stay.
Tyler Y.recommends
October 9, 2022
Goose Creek Lost Acre
Cool, Secluded, Natural
First of all, Katie was an awesome host! She met us when we arrived at the site and gave us a tour of the property. She was very cool and easy to talk to. Then we set up, 3 people and 3 tents fit easily into the space. The dense brush makes it feel like you’re deep in the woods. The creeks are cool to explore, they are pretty low this time of year so we walked up and down them a ways. Some people mention the trains, they weren’t that bad. We heard a couple loud ones early, then nothing for a while, maybe a couple more late at night but it’s brief and it’s fine. This was a very nice camp spot and we plan to return, as well as visit Katie’s other camp spot in the future!
Joe J.recommends
September 30, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Bluejays Galore!
We had a wonderful time at Katie’s camp! The. Location we were at on tops of a small hill overlooking the pond was amazing. The view and wildlife was such a treat to enjoy! We saw over 20 species of birds, predominantly bluejays, lots of them! Along with a flock of egrets. A short walk to the Illinois river and we saw a bald eagle perched and a heron catching fish. In the early morning and late evening we also heard a Barred Owl hooting. The wood Katie provided for the fire was perfect, dry and seasoned, ready for a campfire. There was some mess in the campsite next to us that May have been left over from previous campers, but Katie mentioned she will be getting that cleaned up right away. Also for the site we were in, you definitely need a vehicle with some clearance to get to it, but once there you park right at the camp. . We will go back again, overall a great experience!
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Ring-billed Gull
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
European Starling
American Robin
Pine Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Red Breasted Nuthatch
Allie L.recommends
September 22, 2022
Goose Creek Lost Acre
Creekside Camping
Beautiful property! Cute, wooded campsite overlooking the creek. Katie was very welcoming and an awesome host!
Dave K.recommends
September 18, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Another great campout
been coming here for a few years, always a great time wonderful place to relax the Hoist is the best..
Scot W.recommends
September 5, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Recommended. Would Stay Again!
Katie was a great host, with a beautiful site on a shady hill just above a large pond that plays home to turtles and egrets. The land is very private and remote from the main road via a good drive down a dirt path. Katie brought us there and showed us around. There are good short hikes from the campsite on the property, including around the pond, or through the woods to a sandy river bank.
Despite feeling very remote, the site is not far from town, so there is the occasional town noise in the distance like boats on the river, hogs on the highway, and late evening freight trains, but mostly you'll hear birds and crickets and wind in the trees.
Joey A.recommends
September 5, 2022
Goose Creek Lost Acre
Percfect spot! Even better host!!
Susie C.recommends
August 28, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
We loved this location!! Great spot for fishing. We went swimming in the river. Very remote and had the place to ourselves. Super close to several state parks. Host was very responsive and friendly.
Diana A.recommends
August 23, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
LOVE the place. Friendly host. I am looking forward to returning soon!
Tom W.recommends
August 22, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Another excellent time at Katie's property! This was our 2nd time there (see my previous review for more tips!) and, despite a lot of rain, we really enjoyed it again. Since we arrived later on Friday, Katie had the firewood we purchased and a couple jugs of water waiting for us at the campsite - very kind of her!
The rain does make the campsite(s) pretty muddy, so bring boots if there is rain in the forecast and put anything you don't want to get dirty in your car before the rain starts. (We had heavy rain and, even with a canopy, almost everything that was underneath it got splattered by the rain hitting the mud around it.)
If you want to fish in the pond on the property (you can do it right from the campsite!), your best bet will be to target carp - there's a lot of them and they're hungry for whatever you throw at them (bread, corn, fruit, etc..). Just make sure you have a net with a long enough handle or you'll be stepping in the water to get them out!
Be on the lookout for poison ivy! There's some around the one possible campsite (the raised peninsula that juts out into the pond).
The bar/restaurant Dockside down the road is a great spot if it rains or just in general if you want to have a meal/drink by the river. The food is good (try the mac 'n cheese bites) and the staff is very nice. Both times we've camped here, they let us fill up our water jug from their hose.
Overall, love this place and we will keep coming back!
Daniel M.recommends
August 19, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
💖Perfect & near an adorable town🏡
Katie & Jim were great hosts, super accommodating and friendly. They had multiple options once we arrived, and we decided to stay in the back pasture by the woods & river. It was very peaceful. There was an occasional train but we thought that added to the charm. Exploring Ottawa was really fun, and it’s only a few minutes from the campsite. Would love to come back and stay again to explore the grounds and the town a bit more! Thank you!! - @flowerdenretreats
Kevin C.recommends
August 14, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Private, rustic camping
We did a multi-day trip this year at Katie’s property and it was great. The property and sites are clean and it’s quiet for my 8 and 6 year old boys. They love exploring the wild the convenience of town nearby is a great backup for easy lunches and activities.
Katie is a great host. I forgot an essential item (corkscrew) and she delivered two to me within minutes.
This is 15 mins from starved rock which made it easy to get there early on a weekend.
We’ll be heading back again next year / this place is a gem.
Zack F.recommends
August 11, 2022
Goose Creek Lost Acre
Nice secluded site with easy in/out. No complaints, would stay there again.
Beth M.recommends
August 11, 2022
Goose Creek Lost Acre
Great stay! Great spot. Really private, tucked back at the edge of a huge meadow. Would come back :)
Scott J.recommends
August 9, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Katie was a very welcoming host and the camping spot was beautiful! You feel very isolated while camping and it’s super quiet minus the occasional train in the distance. Would definitely recommend!
Erik M.recommends
July 18, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Had a great time camping here with 4 kids. Katie showed us around when we got there and explained the different areas we could set up camp. Nice views and we were even able to swim in the river.
Sydney M.recommends
July 3, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
We loved staying on Katie’s land! There were quite a few spots to set up our tent and it was an east walk to the Illinois River to do some paddle boarding. The morning was peaceful and we even saw the beaver working on its newest project. :)
Victoria B.recommends
June 28, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Great spot!
Perfect escape after a day of boating
Sally W.doesn't recommend
June 27, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Not for RV/Fifth-wheel or trailers
When we arrived, we were told that our fifth wheel wouldn’t make it to the place we reserved without scratching the trailer. It was advertised as a RV site, so weren’t happy. She had a place on the lawn to park, or she thinks we might be able to go to where she used to keep her horses. So for $40+ we paid to park on a lawn in a residential area. We were thinking we were going to relax by the river, instead listened to loud music and unable to relax. Not happy at all.
Tom W.recommends
June 26, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Amazing place
This was by far the coolest place we’ve ever camped at. We managed to fit our tent and a fairly large canopy up on the raised peninsula that juts out into the pond. It was just two of us but we felt like there was plenty of room up there - with more people it could potentially feel a little crowded. But the clearing closer to the entry road has plenty of room for several tents. The view of the pond and woods adjacent to it is so pretty, especially in the morning. The pond is shallow but there are fish, lots of turtles, frogs, a beaver, and some awesome birds. I was able to fish the pond basically right from the campsite - I caught a couple baby catfish and a massive carp!
There is a decent amount of poison ivy, even right along the campsite, so be sure to familiarize yourself with what it looks like before you go to avoid it. If there’s rain in the forecast, prepare for mud! If it’s going to be hot, make sure you bring a canopy because there’s not much shade in the campsites.
Overall, we loved this place. Katie is very friendly and helpful. We cannot wait to come back!!
Saronita M.recommends
June 1, 2022
Ottawa IL East Woods / Rainbow Pond
Very quiet and secluded property.
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