,why did I downgrade it from 4 stars to one?

1) They have 4 campground Hosts spots, but only one does actual check-in. If that person is not available, the other 2 or 3 campers won't help you...they are just camping for free. Well, this past weekend I was camping with my granddaughters, and we were down at the turtle pond, where many campers go. One of these "Hosts" followed us down there in her black Polaris 4-wheeler, and sat there staring at us for 5 min. Then she asked my granddaughters what they were catching and they replied "frogs". She went off on them that that was illegal, it was a State Park, and they had to stop. I told her (truthfully) that we hadn't caught anything. She finally went away in a huff. Now mind you, she was not in a uniform, name-tag, or a marked State vehicle. She was outside of the campground that she purports to be a Host at.

2) Last year, the park had 11" of rain and it destroyed parks of the playground. A bridge over the creek sat broken in half for a year. Now, they had removed it, but left the metal mesh wires (that hold in the rocks for erosion control) exposed, and sticking out. This is right in the playground area, and could do serious damage to a kid, of even adult. Hopefully you will be able to see this in the attached picture.

There are other, safer, friendlier choices to take my granddaughters to!

I have been going here for 47 years and have seen several changes. Replacing the quaint rental, bait shop and snack bar with a full restaurant in a new brick building seemed good, but it is totally closed now. However, a major Illinois State Parks restoration grant transformed this into one of Illinois' best. One activity that there are few pictures of is the moderate hiking afforded through the canyons in this park.

The only downside with the campgrounds are the swarms of local gawkers that troll through the sites, rubber-necking at you. The park really needs to require a camping permit for entry to the campground.

So, if you don't need concessions, bait, or rentals, be sure to visit. It is a beautiful Park!