Fossil Rock Recreation Area

My husband keeps our camper here when he is working at Exxon Mobil. While we keep our site looking very nice the rest of the park is barely maintained. The owners keep telling everyone that they are going to fix the roads and other maintenance problem but they keep putting it off and coming up with excuses. This place has always been open year round but last fall they gave everyone 60 days notice that they would be closing for the winter so they could make repairs... Well the season has passed but still not much has been done as promised. Roads have huge pot holes, playground needs repair, and much more.

Hello. There are some negative reviews of Fossil Rock and there may be some merit to some of their complaints. I think the most valid complaint is that this is not a campground for tent campers. It is absolutely true that this campground caters to seasonal campers as this is the type of campground it is. So, if you have a travel trailer or pop-up, your experience should be much better. The campground is under new management, and they have worked very hard and made many improvements to the campground and facilities. The public bathrooms have been remodeled and look great. As a seasonal camper or someone with a travel trailer, you have your own bathroom so there is little need to use a public bathroom. As with anyplace, there will always be people that are problematic and that do not follow the rules. I have personally seen some of these people kicked out of the campground which is great for all of us law abiding seasonal campers. Believe me, those of us that yell at people driving their cars above the posted speed limit are also yelling at those that we know that are violating the campground rules. I have been a seasonal camper here for four years and it has been a wonderful experience. The people here are great. It is a community. In my opinion, this is not an ideal campground for tent campers, yet. Before upgrading from tent camping to a travel trailer, we camped at Starved Rock and I thought that that sucked. Yes, we have some people that don't know how to act but I think you will find this true anywhere you go. I think that the new management is working very hard to change the image and to get rid of the riffraff. And as far as there being nothing to do, this is partly true. This is camping folks...you spend time walking around, swimming, fishing and hanging with your friends and family around the campfire, connecting with one another. If you want activities, go to Yogi Bear or Disney World!

Hello: My name is Ron and I am the father of five daughters. A few times each summer I take the time to take usually three of my daughters camping at Fossil Rock. I have read all the reviews, both positive and negative and would like to add my feedback. Every time I have arrived at Fossil Rock the daughters and I have been happily welcomed by Wayne. Since I do not bring all my daughters at once, he has always allowed me to pitch two tents on one campsite. The property appears to be very clean and well maintained. Every time I have stayed, including last week, the washrooms and showers were also very clean. Clean floors, clean counter tops, clean toilets, clean showers, full paper towels and toilet paper Even the portable toilets around the grounds were clean and surprisingly no smell. As for comparing this area to a Yogi Bear park, people are correct don’t. If you are looking for someone, or something, to keep your kids occupied then by all means go to Yogi Bear. If you are looking forward to doing things and spending time with your kids come to Fossil Rock. When I was young and my brother and I went camping with our dad we slept in tents with no floor out in the middle of nowhere. Today my kids get a nice tent with a floor and roof vents. That is modern enough for me for camping. We arrive and the kids help to set up camp. We start a fire and cook all of our meals over a fire. If you don’t bring wood, someone like Brian will sell you wood. My kids go hiking with me through the back area trails. Sometimes we go fishing. Sometimes we take the top off the Jeep and do a little trail riding. This is not an area for 4 wheeling and tearing up the ground. Tread lightly. As for the other people, everyone has been nothing but friendly with us every time we have been here. I’m going to head out to Fossil Rock this Sunday again for a few days. If you see the white Jeep parked by two tents, come on by and say hello.

Just started tent camping here this summer and my girlfriend and I love this place. Everyone is friendly, firewood is readily available if you don't have your own, and there is a 24 hour gas station a couple miles away. I will say on weekends there are occasional parties, and no water spouts for tent campers but other than that I can't fault this place for $20 a night. Fishing, trails, and outdoors, if you want something else then goto Yogi ya ninny. Also great + is I get 4G service full bars with Sprint.

How does a place take a deposit back in October for seasonal campers the following season, then take the remainder of the payment for the season in April and throw everyone out in May refusing to give them their money back for up to a year. The campers were told today that they must be out by tonight 5/17/2016 or they will be arrested? There isn't anywhere in the area to go and most of the campers seasonal have given their last dime to stay for the season. Supposedly they have a water issue and the water has been shut off, the health department has closed them down but Fossil Rock management refuses to show the campers any type of letter from the health department. Police say that they do not have a copy of the letter but it should be posted tomorrow. Most of the people have very little income and no where to go. They've also been told they must remove there property within 5 days or it will be leveled. This was posted on Fossil Rock's Facebook page an hour ago; "Fossil Rock is currently closed. Hopefully, it will open again after some issues are dealt with or after it is sold in June. I wish all the campers more good times!"

There is camping, roughing it, and then there is just Rough Camping... This place is rough camping. My family went tent camping there for Independence weekend. We have been to many campgrounds all over, but this was one of the worst. They clearly cater to season campers which some look like they live there year-round. Some of the seasonals look like old FEMA trailers bought at auction. The campground has three showers for each sex to cover over 300 campsites, and every one is disgusting and not built to any building code. They did not have a single water spigot to get simple cooking, cleaning, or drinking water if you weren't on a site with full hook up. There were beer cans in the woods, no real sign of any wildlife not even a squirrel, loud obnoxious campers, and only a chlorinated swimming lake really going for it. The campground is populated with a gang of golf cart driving hypocrites that yell at you for going 10 mph vs the 5 mph speed limit, and then fly through the campground on their golf carts at 10-15 mph. This place is a dump with little to do and very few of the basics you would expect when staying at a campground.

WHY CAN'T I SELECT Zero stars, Lies and money grubbing.... My experience was terrible, maybe yours will be better. It started like this: Two weeks in advance of my arrival I called them and made reservations. Had to pay deposit and first months rent over the phone with a credit card. 1 week later I get a phone call that says they are full and I will not be able to come there, I ask about having already made a reservation and paid in full, in advance and when where my money was. A few minutes of bumbling around and they told me nevermind we found your receipt and your clear to come. Arrival day, I show up and am told they had no openings. Again I remind them that I paid 2 weeks ago in full and that they had already withdrawn it from my bank account, more fumbling...... Ok, they said we'll put you over here. my camper looked more like a pontoon in that flood plane than a camper but considering It's raining and has been for a few days I can deal with the lack of maint. to control a little run off. I try to get hooked up I paid for a full hookup site no hookups..... They move me over. I try to hook up again..... NO WATER, I approached the nice lady working there and she said they had a problem and it would be corrected tomorrow. Tomorrow turned into the next day then the next day etc to today. Dry campground no water. Told them I'd require a refund due to the issues and was told to fill out a form and it will take up to 14 days. The form says it will take THIRTY 14 days for a refund that's not a typo on my part that's really what it says Camper beware or at least informed now. as a side note the folks working there are very nice and trying to do what they can, this place is just VERY POORLY managed I've been traveling all over the country for work living in my camper for a few years now and this is absolutely the WORST excuse of a campground I've been to. These folks need to understand that honesty will get you a lot farther than false promises you can't deliver. -end rant

I just came here to tent camp, and didn't come to enjoy the wild life or even stare into the stars. came with a few buddies, drank some beers, did karaoke, got to know the people who are there, which they were very nice and caring and definitely like to have a good time. DONT COME HERE AND EXPECT STAR STARING, WILD LIFE AND ALL OF THE ABOVE. We paid 20$ to have have great time and this was something to never forget. go out get to know the people there and go home knowing you enjoyed the place.

Everyone there were extremely nice to me and my family , This was our first time there. They also had a swimming section and playground . A Con Was The main showers ,They didnt have a temperure change for the water for the shower and omgg the water was tooooo hot on all of them

We are stuck in a mud hole. There has been no running water for 7 days. Our septic tank is running on the ground. We are trying to get out tomorrow. No openings in the area. This is ugly.