Rock Cut State Park Review – Loves Park, Illinois

Rock Cut’s 3,092 acres include two lakes: Pierce Lake, with 162 acres, and Olson Lake with 50 acres offer a retreat for people wanting to fish, ice fish, or ice-skate. The park’s hiking trails, horseback riding trails and cross-country skiing and wildlife watching, as well as seasonal hunting programs, make it a year-round recreation destination.

There are 210 Class A Premium sites and 60 Class B/S Premium sites at Rock Cut State Park. There is also a primitive cabin (it has electricity, but does not have water or plumbing facilities).

Rock Cut is an alcohol-free park and campground, and this rule is strictly enforced.

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Location

I-90 West to Rockford. Take the Highway 173 Exit. Go West for one-half mile to the Park Entrance. For more information about the Rockford Area, please visit the Rockford Visitors Bureau.

Address:
7318 Harlem Road
Loves Park, IL 61111

Prices

Tent (Class B/S Premium) sites start at $12/night. Partial Hook-up (Class A Premium) sites are $25/night. There is a free dump station within the park.

Reservations

For Reservations go to: Illinois Campground Reservations. Reservations can be made 180 days out.

Our Review

We were here for a week. Beautiful park. The RV section sites are supposed to be gravel, but many of them had so little of it there was no real support for the vehicles, so mud ruts were abundant. Our site 324 was not too bad.

This would be a Five Star review except their restrooms were never cleaned while we were there. They were neglected and very dirty. Since there are no water hookups to RVs, and we were spending a week (July 1-8, 2019), no choice except to use the restrooms and showers. Lots of hair in the drains. Hair on the walls along with other stuff. Trash was never changed while we were there. Some dead bugs on sinks every day plus new ones. The place smelled horrible. Luckily we can go a week with our black tank so we never used the restrooms. Too dirty.

If you’re coming to enjoy the lake, picnic, kayaking, hiking, etc. this place is a gem. If camping it is reasonably priced and has nice sites.

We just wouldn’t recommend staying more than a few self-sufficient days. Numerous places to enter the lake. Kayak rentals. There are a couple of stores that sell snacks and beach items.

Lots of hiking trails to enjoy. Plenty of picnic areas for individuals or groups. We saw several very nice playground areas for the kiddos. Fishing at either of the two lakes. This place is nice and has it all. I just don’t recommend camping here unless you have a self-contained unit or are OK with dirty restrooms.

We took a trip to Chicago and spent some time sightseeing around Rockford.

Amenities

Boat Ramp

Camp Store

Canoeing

Concessions

Dump Stations

Fishing

Hiking/Walking

Off Leash Area

Office/Ranger Station

Shower Building

Toilets

Things to see/do nearby

Rockford Race Track

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor

Anderson Japanese Gardens

Drive to Chicago as we did.

For more things to see and do around Chicago click here.

Conclusion

Excluding the restrooms/showers Rock Cut State Park is a really nice and relaxing place to spend a few days. With the lakes, trails, and forest it makes a great getaway! Have a fun time there.

Have you been to Rock Cut State Park? What was your experience like? What do you like to see and do in the area? Let us know if you have any comments or questions below. Thanks for reading! Happy Camping!

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3 thoughts on “Rock Cut State Park Review – Loves Park, Illinois”

  1. As far as the shower facility I would say they were filthy. As of July 2021, guess they don’t care even in today’s epidemic.

    Reply
    • I’m shocked to read this about my favorite park from my childhood days. I used to ride my bike there and have many happy memories about Rock Cut State Park. I hope the negative comments found here will positively motivate them to hire a permanent cleaning staff for the bathroom and shower facilities.

      Reply
      • Thanks for your comments, Thomas. It’s been a couple of years since we visited Rock Cut State Park. Hopefully, they have cleaned up a bit around there.

        Reply

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