Camp Bullfrog Lake
Chicago itself as a city is very cool and unique. It’s a great place to spend a vacation, a weekend, or a lifetime in. I had an amazing experience going a little outside of the city a month ago, when I wanted to get more nature into my life.
Six friends and myself had such an awesome adventure going to Camp Bullfrog Lake in Willow Springs, Illinois. A few of my friends live in the suburbs, so they are used to traveling outside of the city, but I have never done it. We first took the Metra, which is similar to the El but is used for the neighboring places of Chicago.
Because it is about a fifteen minute drive from the Metra station, my friend who lives in the suburbs picked us up in her car. Being from California and never having seen Midwestern Suburbs, I learned a lot about the difference in culture from Middle America versus the West Coast. We did the classic Midwestern wave to people while driving on the street. When we saw downtown Willow Springs, I was shocked to see that it was just one street.
Eventually, we made it to the campground. We got a whole cabin that could fit eight people for very cheap, especially if you split it amongst the people on the trip. Of course, it was just a cabin for sleeping, but we also got an accompanying fire pit and a table.
Although we all ended up sleeping in the cabin, there was room outside the cabin to get a tent or sleeping bags if you really wanted to soak in nature. My friends and I decided to come to Camp Bullfrog Lake to get some fresh air and outdoor experience, after being stuck in the city for the past year or so- and it did not disappoint. We cooked our own food, watched the sun set, and sat in the dark to tell stories. We even fell asleep at 10pm because we did not have fluorescent lights or anything – the sun went down and we wanted to sleep too. (We still had cell reception however – we were not totally off the grid).
If you are looking to get some of nature, I would highly recommend coming to Camp Bullfrog Lake. The campsite was really gorgeous, and the commodities were great. The actual Camp Bullfrog Lake was right at the center of the campsite, and, if we had more time, we totally would have gone in or kayaked around it! We could only be there for one night, but the lake was so gorgeous, especially when the sun was going down or when the sun was going up.
Check out Camp Bullfrog Lake if you and your friends want to get away from the city for a few days and experience something more down-to-earth.