Big Rock Campground

After the success of Paul Wolff CG in Elgin (at Burnidge FP), the Kane County Forest Preserve District decided to build a second RV campground at Big Rock Forest Preserve just off I-88 and 10 minutes west of Aurora.

The area is very rural and quiet. In fact, the campground is surrounded on 2 sides by corn and soybean farm fields. But the Forest Preserve District is trying to restore some of the fields to native prairie and there are some trails through wooded sections as well.

Sites are mostly water/electric, flat, and open, but there are a half dozen walk-in tent sites that are carved into the woods and prairie for privacy. There is also a ring of campsites for horse campers.

There are clean flush toilets & vault toilets, but no showers. There is a 2-lane dump station upon exit.

Chicago & the western suburbs are easily accessible via I-88, or by catching a METRA train to downtown from Elburn or La Fox (about 10 miles away).

Like Paul Wolff CG, Big Rock is first come, first serve only and limits stays to 14 days with a 7 day wait before you can return again. Fortunately, you can stay at the other campground during those 7 days making it possible to spend a month or more alternating between these 2 wonderful Kane County campgrounds!

I paid $35.00 a night because I'm from out of town. Not a busy park, even when it picks up on the weekend, there's still plenty of sites available. Because a newer campground, the trees they planted are still too young to offer any shade or any kind of forest-feel, unlike its brethren Paul Wolff Campground to the north.

Strangely, I found at my campsite the water spigot about 30 feet away from my trailer's hookup, and my hose was too short. Parking blocks at each site prevented me from backing the trailer any further. So, I was hosed, I guess. But, I already had a half-full water tank on board, so I managed fine. However, before I checked out of the campground, I moved my trailer to another site that had a closer water spigot, and filled my tank. However, days later, and hundreds of miles down the road, I notice a light "sulfur" odor in the water. Just keep that in mind.

Otherwise, a peaceful campground. It has a hiking trail that meanders far. There is a pond here, I swear I thought I saw someone with fishing poles. There are no sewer hookups, but it has a dump station. The dump station does not have potable water. Verizon 4G came in at 2/5 bars, and with WeBoost I saw it fluctuate between 3-4/5 bars. There is residential just across the street, and hence it subtracted from that "campground" feel. If I came back to this area, I'd try Paul Wolff Campground, to see if I could get better shade.

Also too many toll roads getting to this campground. I know that's a Chicago thing, but man!

We stayed toward the end of their season and there was a lot of sites to choose from. Very open and friendly. Will visit again on our way through.

This was the very first place I brought my brand new airstream and was thrilled at the wide open layout and ease of backing in the sites. A lot of thought was put in to the design of the campground. Not much shade since it is new, but staff is very friendly and the bathrooms are exceptionally clean. No showers which is surprising given the price! Also, water is quite far from site - make sure you have 50-75 feet of hose. I am staying in 12-14 day increments as I wrap up work and head out to full time RV life. Cell service is slow (1 bar of AT&T). Short hiking trail from campground to lake. You can bike the trail also. Water park is nearby - look for Groupon discounts (I found 2 for 1 deal). Sites are gravel and level with a picnic table and fire pit.

As someone who normally camps in state parks with only electricity hookups, this site was a welcome treat.

Rig: 2020 Micro Minnie 1700BH + Ford F-250

Campers: 2 parents, 3 boys ranging from 7 years old to 2 years old

Campsite Pros: Water + 50amp hookups. Wide, open spaces for kids to ride bikes and explore wildflowers. Duck viewing. Quiet. Almost 100 improved sites. Full bars on Verizon. Amazing sunsets. Sites seem to be mostly level.

Cons: Walkup only - no reservations taken. $35 a night is a bit steep. AT&T signal is spotty at times. Water hookup is far behind camping pad - bring extensions!

Good points...
- Spotless bathrooms
- Level gravel parking pads
- Surrounded by corn/soy bean field, a forest and a tall grass prairie protecting a small pond
- Very wide footpath/horse trail alongside/behind the pond and thru the prairie grasses.
- Zero bugs in the bathrooms
- Nice, new aluminum picnic tables, though I prefer the plastic ones recycled from tires at other parks.
- Recycling encouraged
- Handicapped spaces near bathrooms and pavilion are level concrete with raised fire pits.
- Nice, clean pavilion
- The hosts/gatekeepers were nice
- Equestrian camping

Bad points...
- This morning, they came by and mowed down a very large swath (roughly 700 ft long x 35 ft wide)of 6 foot tall prairie plants and grasses, granting access to the pond and opening it up to westerly winds that will blow trash into it, destroying animal habitat and probably animals (frogs) and leaving all the trash that had blown into the grasses previously. The only charm of this place was the tall prairie plants and grasses protecting the pond on all sides. Not anymore.
- No showers
- No trash cans in bathrooms. I threw my floss on the floor.
- Water spigots shared between and far from parking pads
- While the normal park grasses are mowed nice and short, they failed to mow the parking and picnic table pads, most with many unsightly tall weeds growing out of them.
- A LONG list of rules, things you can't do here. Filled an 8x11 piece of paper. Never saw so many before.
- If you want to extend your stay, you can't do it until the morning you are supposed to leave, after 8am and before 11am. I tried doing it two days earlier and the gatekeeper told me the county won't let us do it till the morning we were to leave.
- No shade and only one tree per site. Park is only 8 yrs old, so trees haven't grown enough yet. Give them another 8 years and they might be big enough.
- Saving the worst for last...$20 for county residents, $35 for non-county...almost double what county residents pay...and for no showers, no shade and distant water spigots. Do $20/30 or $25/30 or $20/25...$35 is too much for retirees on fixed incomes or families with large expenses. Also. No senior discount. I am 62, retired, living on a small fixed income. $35 a night is a lot of money for me.

What turned me off the most and will keep me from returning is the cost and destruction of the prairie plants and grasses right behind my RV, opening up the pond to man made and wind blown trash pollution.

Update
I asked the gatekeeper about the mowing of the prairie grasses and plants and he said the county wants to put in a fishing pier so people don't walk in the mud to fish. That's certainly an incentive for more people to camp here but it's a small pond and was better left protected by the grasses. That small, pristine pond will now fill with trash blown in by the wind and discarded deliberately and accidentally by camping fishermen.

Great place to camp if driving around Chicago.
Very nice wide trail to walk.

Great place to camp if driving around Chicago.
Very nice wide trail to walk.

We stayed here 4 days and we really like it. Not a lot to do, but we’re always in the are to see family in Batavia.

We are always nervous about FCFS parks. Called ahead to ask whether they were full and they said they weren’t and often aren’t. Super nice folks.

Enjoyable location, stopped and refilled water. Had good bathrooms that were clean, quiet even with the other campers that were there. Didn’t even hear a late night guest arrive that was 2 spots down.