Illinois state park camping fees run from $6 a night for a primitive walk-in tent site to $35 a night for a premium electric site on a holiday weekend, plus a $5 non-refundable reservation fee charged per site at booking. Every site sits in a lettered class that fixes its price and amenities, and electrified sites carry a flat $10 utility fee on top of the base camping charge. Illinois residents who are 62 or older, have a qualifying disability, or served in the military may pay substantially less, sometimes nothing.
What Each Site Class Costs
The nightly price at a standard (non-premium) park breaks down like this:
- Class AA — $25 per night ($15 camping + $10 utility). Electric hookups, vehicular access, showers nearby.
- Class A — $20 per night ($10 camping + $10 utility). Electric hookups, showers, vehicular access. The most common developed-campground class.
- Class B/E — $18 per night ($8 camping + $10 utility). Electric hookups with fewer surrounding amenities.
- Class C — $10 per night. Tent-only, no electric, vault or pit toilets.
- Class D — $6 per night. Primitive walk-in, no electric, no vehicular access, basic or no restrooms.
Most sites include a gravel or dirt pad, a fire ring with a grill grate, a picnic table, and water hydrants somewhere in the campground. Flush toilets and shower buildings are standard at Class A and AA sites; Class C and D sites make do with portable or vault toilets.
Premium Parks and Holiday Surcharges
Six parks carry a Premium designation that lifts the base camping fee: Chain O’Lakes, Illinois Beach, Kankakee River, Rock Cut, Starved Rock, and Shabbona Lake. A Class A site at one of these runs $25 a night rather than $20. A Class B/E Premium site runs $20.
Holiday weekends add another layer. On the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights of Memorial Day weekend, Independence Day weekend, and Labor Day weekend, Class AA and Class A Premium sites climb to $35, and regular Class A sites climb to $30. Midweek nights and non-holiday weekends stay at the standard rates.
Cabins and Group Sites
Rent-a-Camp Cabins are basic two-bedroom structures with bunk beds, a full-size bed, ceiling fans, electric heaters, a table and chairs, a charcoal grill, a picnic table, and a trash barrel. The cabin itself is $25 a night, but the site’s camping and utility fees stack on top. At a Class A park that works out to $45 a night ($25 + $10 + $10); at a Premium park it’s $50.
Youth group camping is $2 per person per night with a $20 daily minimum. Organized adult group camping is $4 per person per night with a $40 daily minimum. Both require reservations and the same $5 non-refundable booking fee as individual sites.
Discounts and Who Qualifies
Illinois offers several reductions, but each one has restrictions that catch people out.
Seniors
Illinois residents 62 and older pay half the base camping fee on Monday through Thursday nights at Class AA, Class A, Class A Premium, Class B/E, and Class B/E Premium sites. The $10 utility fee is not discounted. A standard Class A night drops from $20 to $15. Friday through Sunday, seniors pay full price. At Class C sites, seniors pay $8 instead of $10. Class D sites carry no senior discount.
Residents With a Class 2 or 2A Disability
Illinois residents with a Class 2 or 2A disability get the same Monday-through-Thursday half-price rate at electric sites as seniors. At Class C and D sites, they pay nothing.
Disabled Veterans and Former Prisoners of War
Disabled veterans and former POWs pay no camping fee any day of the week. The $10 utility fee still applies at electrified sites. You’ll need to show a Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Certification Card to the park staff member issuing your camping permit.
Armed Forces Special Pass
Illinois residents who served abroad, including guard and reserve members called to active duty, can apply for an Armed Forces Special Pass. It waives camping fees for one year per year of overseas service. Utility fees and cabin rental charges are not waived. You have to apply in person at IDNR headquarters in Springfield within two years of returning from service or being released from mobilization, and bring verification of your service dates plus a photo ID.
Booking Fees, Windows, and Cancellations
All reservations go through the ExploreMoreIL platform. The system adds a $5 non-refundable reservation fee per site, charged at booking along with the full camping and utility fees. The booking window opens six months before your arrival date. Reservations are capped at 14 nights within any 30-day period, and most parks require you to book at least three to five days ahead; Starved Rock requires four.
Handicap-accessible sites and, at some parks, youth group reservations aren’t in the online system — you call the park office directly for those.
Cancellations go through ExploreMoreIL or by phone at 866-716-6550, not through the individual park office. The $5 reservation fee is never refunded and never transferred to another booking. Whether you get back the camping and utility portions depends on the park’s specific cancellation terms, which are listed on your confirmation.