As the weather starts to warm up, you are probably getting the itch to get out of the house and go camping. To save you money, we have found four FREE Illinois campsites that will cost you nothing!

Unlike other states, Illinois, the land of high taxes and fees, offers very few places where you can take your RV out and camp for free. State parks quite often charge a hefty rate for campers. On average, you will pay anywhere from $10-$30 a night to park your RV at a campsite, but there are a handful of Illinois locations where you can camp for free. You don't even have to travel too far to get to most of these locations.

1. FREEPORT: Jane Adams Trailhead. This RV campsite near U.S. Rt 20 has 1-5 campsites available. The location offers biking, hiking, winter sports and more. The road in and out is paved. (Not recommended for tenting).

2. BELVIDERE: The gravel parking lot at 10470-10828 Fruit Farm Rd. No amenities or facilities, as this parking lot is the lot for the Swell Conservation Area. Keep in mind US 20 is very close by and you can hear the sound of the traffic quite well.

3. HOFFMAN ESTATES: Cabella's. Yes, did you know you can camp overnight at Cabella's, if you ask permission? Granted, the overnight RV parking in the store's parking lot is not exactly 'roughing it" . Cabella's offers 14 marked RV spaces on the southeast side of the building. There are no facilities, except for a dump station. This location also has horse pens and dog kennels.

4. OAKLAND, IL: Watertower. is located three and half hours south of Rockford. The site is the Oakland city park, with camping. Keep in mind, this small area has just one campsite. The good news is that it does have electric. The site also has a fire ring and internet access. Guests can access water across the street from the campsite.

If you want to check out a listing of campgrounds around the country and their approximate prices and ratings from individuals who visited in the past, check out this website.

Catch Mark Charvat on Q98.5 from 3 p.m to 7 p.m.. Follow him on Twitter, and Facebook.

 

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