Rock Cut State Park is our favorite Illinois State Park and we have been camping there since 1987. While the park rates have steadily increased, there are still bargains to be had if your are a senior and can camp Monday threw Thursday. The rates then are $17.50 per night. Camping on holiday weekends is a bit pricey at $35 per night in my opinion as the campground has only electric hook-ups. Still, during the week the park is near empty and you'll have your pick of good sites. The park fills up fast on the weekends and you'll need to get there early Friday or even better yet, on Thursday. The park will fill to capacity on Holiday weekends at least it used to. Whether it does during these economic times remains to be seen. The concession stand is open again and there is a new concession area located between the Plum Grove area and the Staghorn area. The Staghorn area (previously named Buckthorn) is the section that takes reservations. All in all, still one of Illinois' treasures. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

This is a park that we visit a few times every year. Lots of hiking and bike trails in the park. There is swimming available, but not in the park itself. We usually camp there Monday thru Thursday, as the weekend can be busy and sometimes noisy. The grandchildren like the wild turkeys that roam the park in early AM and PM hours. Also Illinois seniors receive a discount in camping Mon - Thurs. The only sites that overlook the water are used mainly by pop up type campers and tenters, due to the limited lot sizes, and no electric hook ups. Check for 50 amp service prior to setting up, as it is not offered through the park. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

Nice state park campground. Can accommodate big rigs. Level gravel sites, most have shade. There is no water or sewer on the sites. We were not made aware that we needed to have a full tank of water. After we realized that fact, we had to close up and find a water spigot, fill our tanks, return to the site, and get reset. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Wonderful! As soon as you pull in the park, you feel as if you are in a different, quiet, natural world. We were here on a weeknight, and it was maybe 1/3 full. Plenty of space. Beautiful sites with lots of green space. Private sites have green "belts" between sites. We liked it so much, we are already planning a return trip to be able to stay multiple days. Sites level, the circles or rings of sites makes it seem much smaller than it is. The lake front sites are all non-electric (tents or class b). What a great park! We camped here in a Motorhome.

Excellent State Park with friendly helpful staff. Beautiful sites, some quite large. We love hiking and biking on the many trails at this park. We camped here in a Motorhome.

This was my first time here. My husband's sister comes here 2 or 3 times a year and loves it. I have never been in a cleaner, more quiet, more relaxing campground and I've been to quite a few in my life. We got there on a Sunday and left on a Sunday. We got a really great site that was partially shaded and then scouted out other sites we would like to have the next time we come. Loved it here! Clean bathrooms, no debris flying around, and peaceful. Check it out! We camped here in a Tent Trailer.

We hadn't camped here in over 20 years, but were pleasantly surprised by the changes - the new campground loops are much better than the original one (Plum Grove) and the park has a nice natural feel with its prairie plantings. Saw several flocks of wild turkeys and a couple raccoons in our one-night visit. The reserved-site loop was nearly full, mostly because of a large group who appeared to be part of a camping club, but the other loops were only 1/2 to 2/3 full this weekend. Stormy weather may have been a factor. Appreciated the earlier post about the water quality, and brought plenty of our own to use. Bathrooms and showers were cleaned every day, but the floor tended to be wet on this rainy weekend. The newer showerhouse has better showers with private changing areas, but has very weird toilets, all porcelain with no seats!! The older showerhouse has no private changing areas for the showers, but has normal toilets. We will definitely camp here again, and not wait for 20 years this time! We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

Our breaker blew 4 times within the first 2 hours of arriving. We had to get the camp host each time to correct problem. Turns out you cannot have A/C and microwave or a lamp on at the same time! We had to put our refrigerator and water heater on propane the entire time to prevent power failure. We paid $20 a night to use up our own propane. Shaded spot but only slept there at night and left the park during the day. Very disappointing! We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

Rock Cut is our favorite local campground and we camp there 8-10 times per year. The hiking trails are fun as is fishing in Pierce Lake. A new concession stand was built about 3 years ago and hot food is available cooked to order. There is a bait and tackle shop right next door to the concession area where boat rental is available. There is one camping cabin available by reservation and it overlooks Pierce lake. It is located in the Boy Scout Camping area of the park. We have camped there since since 1987 and in 1991 the three newer camping areas of the park opened. Buckthorn, Prairie View, and White Oak are arranged in Cul De Sac fashion with wide sites and shrubbery for privacy. Buckthorn is a reservation area only and reservations can be made by mail and using your credit card. Limited camping supplies are available on the weekends but there are several large supermarkets just outside the park boundaries. There is also a swimming lake which is usually open in the summertime. Admission is $1. 00 per person. There are two dump stations available and they are located just south of the Plum Grove camping area. Wildlife is plentiful with Wild Turkeys, Deer, Raccoons, and other species frequently seen. Water is available at the entrance and in the middle of the Cul De Sac style camp areas but the water quality is marginal. It is usable for showering and washing dishes, but I would recommend that you carry bottled water for drinking, coffee, etc. This park has become very popular in the last several years. The park is usually near empty during the weekdays, but fills to capacity most weekends and especially on holiday weekends. Unreserved sites can usually be had up until late Thursday or early Friday but can be difficult to obtain after Friday afternoon. There is a playground directly across from the Plum Grove camping area. That is the old original camping area of the park and sites here are quite a bit narrower than in the newer sections. There is also a bathhouse located here and the other bathhouse is located directly across from the exit of the Buckthorn area. Rock Cut is a beautiful park with much to do. I would have given it a higher rating if water and sewer were available, but even so it is a very enjoyable park, in my opinion, one of nicest in Illinois. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

Very clean and quiet. The employees were very kind and helpful. Only 28 sites are reservable but this is a pretty easy park to get sites in on a Friday morning. There are sections that are packed pretty tight and others with large private sites. Many sites with electric are not level. One downer for some is that this park does not allow alcohol and in fact you will be fined if caught. Also they strictly enforce the speed limit unlike some places that only say they enforce it, so be careful. There's lots to do and it's a great place to spend a weekend. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

Located near Rockford, IL off IL-173 (80 miles NW of Chicago).. Access from I-90 via Riverside Blvd exit, follow signs to park or off IL Route 173... 212 Class A (electric sites) and 60 Class B (tent sites)... All class A sites have either 30/20 Amp electric or 50/30/20 Amp electric... Water available at entrance and in center of Cul De Sac style campground loops... Toilet facilities and showers at various locations in the campgrounds (2 bath houses total)...Fishing Lake, swimming beach, hiking trails, boat rental,(row boats, motor boats, paddle boats) bait, fishing licenses available... New concession stand this year with full service restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating... Many miles of hiking trails with wildlife (Deer, Wild Turkeys, etc. frequently seen)...Reservations taken via mail for Buckthorn Camping area only, otherwise sites are first come, first serve...Park water is moderate quality... Carrying of bottled advised for coffee, tea, lemonade etc... Playground for kids (Plum Grove area) and campground store (usually only open on weekends with limited supplies)... Grocery shopping (and other) available about 5 miles from park...As with all Illinois State Parks, no alcohol allowed in park, violators subject to arrest and eviction from park... Some river front sites available in Class B area only (tents only) but tents allowed on all Class A sites... Pets must be leashed at all times and you are expected to clean up after your pets... Dump stations (2) located at south end of campgrounds...I gave this park an 7 rating because it is a particularly pretty park, especially in the summertime with quite a few activities available... Although lacking many amenities that are usually found in private parks, it is one of our favorite places to camp... We camped here in a camper.