Just north of Oregon, Illinois, in Ogle County is Lowden State Park. A towering 50-foot tall statue of an American Indian built atop the park's bluffs overlooks the area. The park, situated on the Rock River, offers 80 campsites with electricity, showers and a dumping station and half as many with showers but no electricity. Eight primitive campsites with no amenities are also available. Nearby are 4 miles of hiking trails, a picnic area complete with tables and restrooms and a boat launch roughly a mile upriver from the park. Swimming is not permitted in the river areas adjacent to the park.
Among the plains of northern Illinois' Winnebago County, just outside Rockford, is the Rock Cut State Park. The 3,000-acre park is ideal for water enthusiasts with the 162-acre Pierce Lake, 56-acre Olson Lake and the Rock River roughly 4 miles to the west. Enjoy boating, swimming and fishing in the summer and ice skating in the winter. Campers have access to electricity, restrooms and vehicle access at most sites. A primitive cabin with electricity but no plumbing or water is also available. Stay active while camping at Rock Cut with its 40 miles of hiking trails, 23 miles of mountain biking trails and 14 miles of horseback riding trails.
The forest setting of the 385-acre White Pines Parks offers picturesque camping in the Rock River Valley, just outside Mount Morris, Illinois. The park has 103 sites with parking, showers and toilets, and three sites with electricity which are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. There is also an inn and private cabins available for those looking for less rustic sleeping conditions. Enjoy the cross-country ski trails in the winter, and hiking year-round on trails winding through the park's trout lilies, blue-eyed grass and limestone bluffs.
Those who want to rough it can camp at the Castle Rock State Park, whose primitive camping areas are accessible only by canoe or boat. The 2,000-acre park lies on the Rock River, 3 miles south of Oregon, Illinois, in Ogle County, and offers stunning scenery with its rock formations, ravines and native plant species unique to the northern Illinois area. The park gets its name from the Castle Rock Bluff, one of the rare instances where the St. Peter sandstone which underlies much of Illinois' soil bursts above ground. Six miles of trails, picnic areas with restrooms, fishing and boating opportunities are available in the park.
