Kankakee River State Park — Attraction in Bourbonnais

Notice to Campers with RT/RV Units.

A clear and concise information stated by Tammy's husband, the male caretaker has stated, also emphasized the following guidelines: "Hoses must not be connected directly to the water supply faucet provided by the state park—even if you have a faucet adapter splitter. Direct connections from the water faucet to your RT/RV are not permitted under park regulations. ". RT/RV campers can connect ONLY TO FILL UP BUT MUST DISCONNECT AFTERWARD.

I never heard of this nor experienced this from other Illinois state parks or U.S. state park. I observed and noticed that the majority of Illinois state parks provided water to attach to your RT/RV. Some parks are provided or have an adapter splitter to connect your hose directly to RT/RV.

• Illinois Guidelines Illinois state parks generally allow RV campers to connect hoses to water spigots if the site is equipped for it. Many parks provide potable water access and even faucet adapter splitters to make hookups easier. However, each park may set its own rules based on infrastructure, conservation needs, or local ordinances. That means what’s allowed at one park might be restricted at another.

🚫 Park-Specific Restrictions Some parks may prohibit direct hose connections—even with a splitter—due to concerns about: Backflow contamination Water pressure regulation Infrastructure limitations -Conservation policies

These rules are often enforced by caretakers or site managers and may not be widely published online. So if Tammy’s husband, the caretaker, issued that instruction, it’s likely a site-specific policy rather than a statewide mandate.

📍 What Other Parks Do You've observed that other Illinois and U.S. state parks typically allow direct hose hookups. That’s consistent with broader practices, especially in parks with full-service RV sites. Some even provide splitters or dedicated spigots for RV use.

📌 Best Practice Always check with the campground host or park office before hooking up. If the rule seems unusual, it’s okay to respectfully ask for clarification or request...

As an outdoorsman and overall lover of nature, it goes without saying that being in an environment like the kankakee river state park, is always a special and unforgettable experience. It's a place where memories are built, whether on your own or with your family or friends. For the most part, everything is well-kept. That being said, I feel as though the trail signs could be better kept as well as, more of them throughout the numerous trails in the park. Several of the signs are small, worn pieces of metal nailed into a tree with all of the color weathered away. My friend and I got lost for a little over 2 hours due to consistently taking the wrong trail; And, with no signs to guide us, it quickly became a hopeless endeavor. Luckily, a couple that was very familiar was able to guide us in the right direction. Before you say, "Didn't you have a cell phone? GPS, dummy!" The simple answer is, no service-not even a little bit. Overall though, we have a fantastic time smallmouth bass and trout fishing. There's also plenty of catfish, rock bass and walleye. BTW tube vending machines at several locations weren't working or were empty but, I won't hold that...

The Potawatomi campground here is great! Bathrooms seemed to get cleaned daily which is appreciated. Only complaint was the non compliant toilet paper! I understand you don’t want people clogging toilets but one should be able to pull more than one single sheet without it tearing off..ended up just buying our own! Things could of gotten messy at my 5am bathroom calls without it. I also wish the stalls were slightly bigger for us larger folk 😂.

I appreciated the awesome hosts. Super friendly and they were smiling! We felt very welcomed. A lot of dogs are around but did not bother us as we brought one too. Majority of people stay in campers. People were very friendly when I’d pass them on the way to the bathroom.

Our campsite in Hawthorn was spacious and the only thing that was slightly annoying was the big, loud things that would fall from the trees and hit our tent! It was a funny thing though. Plenty of trails and nature. Felt safe walking around the campground. I would recommend this campground and...