IDNR upgrading campsite reservation system to better serve the public

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 7:50 AM

By Staff report

Reservations for campsites and shelters at Illinois state parks and historic sites will transition to an updated platform beginning May 1, offering park users a more user-friendly system for making reservations and securing permits.

Users will continue to use exploremoreil.com – the customer service platform of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources – to make campsite and shelter reservations, but they will notice an improved interface.

To accommodate the transition, electronic reservations will be unavailable April 27-30. Although the system will not be available to customers or staff during this timeframe, customers will be able to make walk-up reservations at campgrounds as availability allows.

Existing reservations for customers will automatically migrate to the new platform and will be required to use the same email to access their reservations. All customers will need to create a new account and password in the new system.

One improvement in the new system is that picnic shelters will be available on a 12-month rolling window; under the prior system, users had to wait until July 1 to make reservations for the upcoming year.

Existing customers should watch their inbox for an email from IDNR with further instructions.