Did you know that there are many privately owned and operated campgrounds nearby that can be used as base camps for day trips into state and national parks?
Privately owned campground amenities include water, electrical, sewer service hookups, WI-Fi service, and even swimming pools. Additionally, some have hot tubs, restaurants, organized family activities, and other attractions that make them wonderful camping spots.
Here are four states across the Midwest and their fun-filled parks, complete with campgrounds nearby that are ready to welcome summer RV travelers.
Illinois
Hennepin Canal State Park is a destination for hiking, mountain biking and canoeing enthusiasts. The landscape ranges from tall timber to grasslands to marsh. The canal itself is a historic landmark, having some designs that were later incorporated into the Panama Canal.
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Mattheissen State Park is popular for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding.
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Springfield attractions include Abraham Lincoln's Home, which is managed by the National Park Service, as well as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
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Starved Rock State Park is a popular location for hiking, boating, kayaking, and fishing.
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Michigan
Duck Lake State Park is a popular day-use park located on the shores of Lake Michigan and Duck Lake, with a shallow channel connecting the two. The park features a boat launch, kayak rentals, a picnic area and shelter, and opportunities for paddling, fishing, hiking, hunting and cross-county skiing on the park’s 7 miles of natural surface trails. The park features towering dunes on the lakeshore with a mixture of mature forests, pine plantations and pockets of open meadows inland. The forest community in the park provides critical stopover and nesting habitat for migratory birds, including the Cerulean and hooded warblers.
Hoffmaster State Park: Located in Muskegon, the park is situated on three miles of stunning Lake Michigan shoreline and features towering dunes, 10 miles of scenic trails, and the Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center.
Muskegon State Park is home to 3 miles of breathtaking shoreline, including two miles along Lake Michigan and one mile along Muskegon Lake and Snug Harbor. The park also features forested sand dunes and multiple trails.
- Muskegon area campgrounds include:
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: Bordering Lake Superior, this park features sandstone cliffs, beaches, waterfalls, sand dunes, inland lakes, deep forest, and wild shoreline. Hiking, canoeing and kayaking opportunities abound.
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Silver Lake State Park: This park encompasses 3,000 acres along the Lake Michigan shoreline. It’s home to nearly 2,000 acres of sand dunes, a day-use area on inland Silver Lake and a popular 500-acre ORV scramble area.
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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: This park features miles of sand beach, bluffs that tower 450 feet above Lake Michigan, lush forests, clear inland lakes, as well as unique flora and fauna. The highest dunes provide spectacular views across the lake.
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Tahquamenon Falls State Park: Focal points of this park include Upper and Lower Tahquamenon Falls, the first of which is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River.
- Campgrounds about an hour away from this park include:
Ohio
Hocking Hills State Park: Stunning in every season, Hocking Hills features beautiful towering cliffs, thrilling waterfalls, and deep, hemlock-shaded gorges. With beautiful ice formations in winter, wildflowers adorning the forest floor in springtime and vivid foliage in the fall, hikers and nature lovers have plenty to enjoy in this awe-inspiring park.
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Wisconsin
Grand River Marsh Wildlife Area: This 7,000-acre park consists of an open marsh/emergent cattail wetland, an upland prairie/oak savannah and a shrub carr/wet meadow. Small game, waterfowl, deer, and pheasant are among the most popular game that hunters pursue. This wildlife area is also popular for hiking, wildlife viewing, canoeing, and kayaking. Nearby campgrounds include:
- Grand Valley Campground in Dalton
- Happy Acres Campground in Bristol
- Indian Trails Campground in Pardeeville
- Lake Arrowhead Campground in Montello
- Skillet Creek Campground in Baraboo
Wildcat Mountain State Park: Located on a ridge rising steeply above the Kickapoo River, this park offers 21 miles of scenic hiking, nature and equestrian trails that meander through the park. An observation point and picnic areas overlook the Kickapoo Valley. The Kickapoo River is popular for paddling and rentals are available in the village of Ontario.
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