Established Camping
Camp Bullfrog Lake
About
County
Camp just steps from the water in the heart of the vast, hilly Palos Preserves. Camp Bullfrog Lake offers year-round camping, group activities and water-based recreation such as canoe rentals and fishing. Just around the corner from Maple Lake’s boathouse and the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, it’s also a perfect launching pad for hiking, mountain biking and birdwatching adventures on Palos’ 50-plus miles of trails.
Reservation Info
Availability: Open year-round—closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day
Reserve In Person
Visit 536 N Harlem Ave, River Forest, IL 60305, Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
The camper applying for a reservation must be 18 years or older to reserve a campsite and 21 years or older to reserve a cabin.
Reservations made less than 48 hours in advance cannot be made online. Please call the campgrounds directly.
You may book up to 6 consecutive nights.
Campground capacities are as follows:
Tent Campsite: 6 people
RV/Tent Campsite (With Electricity): 6 people
Small Cabin: 8 people
Large Cabin: 10 people
Small Bunkhouse: 16 people
Large Bunkhouse: 36 people
Maximum length of RV/Popup or Camper cannot exceed 40 feet at applicable campgrounds.
Location
Camp Bullfrog Lake is located in Illinois
Address
9600 Wolf Rd
Willow Springs, IL 60480
Coordinates
41.709525 N
87.903339 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiGood
- VerizonGood
- AT&TGood
- T-MobileGood
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Cabins
- Tent Cabin
Features
For Campers
- Market
- ADA Access
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- Showers
- Drinking Water
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Sewer Hookups
- Water Hookups
- Pull-Through Sites
- Big Rig Friendly
Beautiful campsite but...
The campsite overall is beautiful and the land is well kept. The reason for the review is due to the bathrooms being horrible. Hot water for showers did not work and floors were nasty, need to be remodeled. There is no water near any of the sites. 2 of the 3 hosts I dealt with were very rude. The one on the late night shift was very nice and knowledgeable. The other guys who helped me on arrival act as if they didn't want to be there. The site overall is amazing. Just wouldn't ever camp here again due to the high price and the bathrooms being Terrible.
Instant camping
Hidden in the woods by the lake and a very short trip from home. No complaints
Not worth the price
Good if you want to be close to the city but otherwise it’s not very worth it. The spots are small and it’s very crowded.
Nice but very little shade
We stayed in the primitive tent area near the back of the park. It is walk in.
There was a pole for a lantern, a picnic table, a fire ring and tent pad. There is one clean flush toilet and shower per each gender (the shower stall was spacious with plenty of hooks and benches). There were also vault toilets not too far away. The water spigot was pretty far away though. There were plenty of garbage cans.
There were a few small trees but very little shade. On hot days I think a pop up shade shelter would be necessary to make it bearable.
Overall it was pretty quiet.
The last night we were there a large group of people with their tents showed up. There were not enough tent pads or picnic tables for all of them. I don't know if it was the park that booked so many people or if it was the group that overbooked.
Beautiful and clean
Beautiful campgrounds with a lot to do like hiking, biking and kayaking. The restroom and showrooms are very clean as well.
Great views
We stayed here for one night, its close to our house. The lake is really pretty and you can see it from the rv/tent spots. Has a walking trail around the lake. Includes restrooms and showers that are easily accessible.
- (4) View All
Beautiful place
One of the few places close to Chicago on a lake. It was quiet and expensive. The staff was very friendly. The showers were hot.
SIMPLY AMAZING
This camping ground is simple amazing. Perfect for a weekend. We have an RV and the camping spots are close to the lake so you wake up with a beautiful view and birds singing.
Lots of hiking trails nearby (all levels), you can fish, BBQ and have fun! Simply great and very kid friendly as well.
The only thing I would say is that they do not have water at each camping individual spot. You do need to get water from the water station. However, easy and no big deal.
Rrrrrrribit
Nice place. Loved all the trails in close proximity. The black trail has a shelter where you can make a fire. Didn’t like the tent pads, as it makes it hard to state out your tent , even if it’s a freestanding. There is wood to purchase, but there was enough dead standing to provide fire wood. All in all a lovely place to car camping , and hike. There are bathrooms for showering etc. 3 out of 5 stars.
Good camping option close to the city
Excellent campground …with lake and fairly new installations. Clean ..spots are not to close. Pricy. One negative point the gate close at 10pm.
Fun
Nice
Nice weekend getaway close to home
My family loves coming here! The scenery is beautiful, you can fish, hike, or just relax. You're in the Chicago suburbs so it's easy to get to a store or restaurant if you need. It's close to home for us, so it's perfect for a quick camping trip. Only drawback is that it's a little pricey, but the facilities are updated and clean, and you get a free firewood bundle when you arrive.
So close and so fun
We really like this place and was about a 30 minute rude from our place in the western burbs. Some of the areas best mountain bike single track is right here. There is fishing kayaking and hiking trails too. Friendly staff and clean bathrooms. It did get a little noisy at night but that sometimes happens.
Clean, open, beautiful
This is a wonderful campground with everything accessible for a few days respite. Clean showers, space to walk, gorgeous lake - quiet just outside of the city!
The staff were delightful! - except when I phoned. I was told the campground was fully booked. Many hours and a phone glitch later, we found ourselves booked and pleased!
Great spot not far from the city
Easy reservations and check-in. We used the primitive spots and were a short walk from the bathrooms. Lots of hiking and mountain biking trails in the area.
Very little shade, but great mountain bike trails
We stayed here for two nights recently. This is our second time staying at this campground...we also stayed here in 2019. Our camp site was #2. For the most part, all of the 30/50 amp sites are very similar. Can't really say one appears to be better than the rest. Sites # 4 and 5 probably have the longest length parking pad. I believe this is a relatively newer campground. There is NO shade during the day. None at all due to the trees within the campground being small. There are two bath/shower houses. I would rate them at a 4/5...not the best we've seen, but by far not the worst. Our son was playing in a youth hockey tournament nearby so the location was perfect for us. We aren't huge into bike trails, but we did bring our bikes after I read about the trail systems. The mountain bike trails were awesome. If you're a trail rider, you must stay here. The lack of shade won't matter because you'll be riding all day. There are miles and miles of trails. We saw several vehicles carrying top of the line bikes in and out all day. We had a blast riding our bikes.
I'm giving Camp Bullfrog Lake 4 out of 5 stars. The lack of shade trees and the high cost per night took away the fifth star. We paid $122.00 for two nights.
Awesome campground
Had a great time in a large cabin with my wife, son, great buddy, his wife, and son. Perfect for family camping. And I'm handicapped and the bathroom was wonderful. I used to be in a wheelchair and that bathroom was the best handicapped broom I was ever in. A lot of room astound the John and a great open shower. No tub. You can shower in a wheelchair! Great fishing and the fire pit at night just topped it off. After the covid scare has passed, I'm heading there. And there's fishing boats at maple lake.
Amazing views, great quick getaway from Chicago
This campground was easy peasy and had an incredible view of the lake. We were right there on the lake. We went in September so I'm not sure how it would be in the summer since there is little to no cover.
There was nice hiking and we were able to get out into the woods for a while. My friend and I were surprised that such a nice place is so close to Chicago. There is a dock and the campground had good access to water, sink, and a nice bathroom. Lots of families were there when we went. Overall would recommend.
Fantastic car camping close to Chicago
Great site, not far from Chicago, but feels well away from city life.
Tent sites around rim of a lake. RV sites and cabins as well.
Beautiful forest surrounds the lake, lots of hiking in the surrounding enormous forest preserve. Lake has fishing and boats as well.
- (5) View All
Great Camping and Trail Access
We’ve camped here a few times and it is always a great experience. Each site comes with a free bundle of oak firewood which is nice to use on the fire pits.
What’s great about this location is the access to the miles and mile of MTB and hiking trails just out the front step of your campsite.
We live 15 minutes away so like to take midweek camping trips to break up the work week.
Clean
Awesome place to stay when you live in the city and wanna get away
camping in your own backyard
kudos goes to CCFPD for making an incredible campground on what was once just a weed-ridden pond. the campground offers up Cabin, RV and tent sites. Power to some sites esp hook ups for RVs. we stood at the tent pad sight and I was impressed by how spacious and clean it was. We were lucky enough to camp with a full moon which lit up the park and heard coyotes howling across the woods. This was a great experience for my twin brothers who are 16 years old and first time camping. defiantly will be back here because it’s so close too home and was a great experience
Clean and cute
This is a good place for people starting to camp. Good size lakeside sites and large, clean cabins on the inner road. Clean bathroom house. Firewood came with the site, which is awesome, and they rent gear, from tents to sleeping bags. Well stocked store and decent trails nearby. But keep your stuff locked and secured. We did and that's why the guy trying to open our car didn't make of with any of our stuff. Sigh... Cook County...
Lovely cabins, facilities and hiking!
I visited Palos early this week (mid-April) for a very very chilly three days. The tent sites are right next to the water which is beautiful but can get very windy. There is no privacy between the sites (no trees, etc). There are small and medium cabins, some heated with their own bathrooms, that feature bunk beds and are great for getting out of the cold. The central bathrooms are clean, heated and offer showers. The water is not yet potable so bring your own or check with the park team to ensure it's drinkable when you go. The hiking here is AWESOME with a bajillion different routes right from the campground. We hiked 10 miles and saw tons of animals and birds including a snake, loads of herons and songbirds, deer, a raccoon and a Cooper's Hawk. I will definitely be back!
- (4) View All