Sweet merciful McGillicuddy!

“Although I'd rather be backpacking every weekend, sometimes car camping is the only option in Illinois. For instance, Starved Rock State Park (near LaSalle, IL) has only "Class A" sites - full electric service for RVs, 5th Wheels and the like. Since the trails do make for a nice day hike, I met a Chicagoland friend there for a weekend of muddy, humid hiking.

The park ranger comes by Thursday night to register my tent and collect the fees. I'm used to paying $11 a night for a Class A site. Boy, now I see that those were the good ol' days of car camping. Now its $20 PER NIGHT! Yikes. I can't justify $20 per night for the, uh, pleasure of sitting among crowds and noise... I know the IL DNR has struggled for money, but I don't think this increase is the right solution.

Fortunately, the primitive sites (in parks that have them) are still only $7.”