“picturesque beauty along Rock River”
One of the most picturesque sites along the Rock River is just north of Oregon in Ogle County. Legend has it that Chief Black Hawk, as he left the area after the Black Hawk War, talked of the beauty of the area and admonished his captors to care for the land as he and his people had. Lowden State Park was established to care for the land and allow visitors to share in the beauty as well. The park serves as a memorial to Gov. Frank O. Lowden, who served Illinois during World War I.Just north of Oregon, the bluffs are graced with a majestic image of an American Indian gazing over the Rock River Valley. This is no ordinary statue. It is a 50 foot, concrete-reinforced wonder that is awe-inspiring. A tribute to all Native Americans, but more commonly associated with Chief Black Hawk, the statue was designed by sculptor Lorado Taft. You can enjoy many wonderful views of the Rock River from the park, but the best view of the statue is from IL Rt. 2. While the setting sun seems to bring the statue to life, it is a spectacular view any time of the day and during all seasons. IN 1898 Chicago attorney Wallace Heckman, who also was assistant manager of the University of Chicago, purchased the land that was to become Lowden State Park. He and his wife had developed a great love of the outdoors while college students. In Chicago society, the Heckmans also became patrons of the arts. They combined these two interests as an artists' colony established on their Rock River property. The colony was called "Eagles' Nest," referring to a tall, dead cedar tree that clung to the high river bank. The bare, outstretched limbs of the tree inspired Margaret Fuller, a poet of the Concord Group, to write the poem,"Ganymede to His Eagle." For nearly 50 years, Eagles' Nest was a popular home for creative people. The original group included artists Ralph Clarkson, Charles Francis Browne and Oliver Dennet Grove; writers Hamlin Garland, Henry B. Fuller and Horace Spencer Fiske; architects Irving D. and Allen B. Pond; sculptors Lorado Taft and Nellie Walker; organist Clarence Dickinson; and University of Chicago Secretary James Spencer Dickerson. Although Taft was the moving spirit behind the colony, it continued to flourish until 1942, six years after his death.About a year after the last of the artists and their families left the colony, Gov. Lowden died, and the legislature appropriated $25,000 toward the cost of a memorial to him. The citizens of Oregon and the vicinity, with help from the now Department of Natural Resources, matched that amount so that the former Eagles' Nest land could be purchased as a memorial park. In 1945, the 63rd General Assembly designated the 273-acre site as Lowden State Park.Six years later, the 66 acres that composed the actual Eagles Nest Colony were transferred to Northern Illinois University at DeKalb for use as a outdoor teacher education program. The site, called the Lorado Taft Field Campus, was renovated by NIU's Industrial Arts classes and is used year-round for conducting natural science classes in an outdoor setting.
Reviews of Lowden Memorial State Park
9 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G
Confirmed by 5 users | Last reported on August 26, 2020T-Mobile 4G/5G
Confirmed by 2 users | Last reported on December 02, 2022Visited this state park on my way from Wisconsin to Ohio. I remember site #4 would be a good site. It is actually a prettier park than I expected. There are some hiking trails at White Pine State Park that Q-dog would rate as not bad for the Midwest. Didn't kayak here, but could kayak on the Rock Cut River.
Nightly Rate: $18.00
Days Stayed: 5
Site Number: 3
Nice location for local midwesterners to get away. My only gripe is there is no privacy between campsites. There are 20 and 30 amp hookups on some sites. Gorgeous trees surround the area!
Nightly Rate: $18.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 65
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Nice drive through the country to Lowden Memorial State Park. Friendly staff, very clean park with nice clean bathrooms and showers. We loved all the beautiful, mature trees. We had to do some jockeying to get our 38' Monaco Knight into our site between the trees, but it was worth it. We caravanned with friends, we were in site 50 they in 52, both 30 amp sites (as were most). The primary things to do are easy hikes on beautiful trails, seeing the Blackhawk statue, taking the stairs down to the Rock River and water sports. There's not much privacy between sites, but we always set out extra chairs to meet people anyway. It's a beautiful, inexpensive place to stay and we'll be back .
Nightly Rate: $18.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 50 and 52
Weekends seem busy with lots of families. Week days nearly empty. Very helpful camp hosts. Nice walking trails and well kept grounds. Not much space between sites but most seem shady. Lots of trees.
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 66
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
Reserved site 54, sight unseen (you often have no information when reserving thru Reserve America, unless you had previous experience with the campground).
Was the most awful site to try to get into.
Husband tried to back in, however, there was a sign post directly across site, that almost hit the truck. Could not get in. (host said that was the most difficult site they had, duh)
Was given the option of two other sites that were uneven and muddy as h**l. (sites 66 and 68)
Would probably not ever camp there in an RV. The sites were extremely close together as compared to other Illinois state parks.
Had it been any day other than a Friday, probably would have had other sites as options...
Forfeited fees paid. Since were were on our last leg of trip, headed home.
Host couldn't ( or wouldn't) refer us to other campgrounds in the area.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 0
Site Number: 54
Exceptionally nice state park. Very clean. Close, but just far away enough town. A lot of shade, don’t plan on your satellite dish working. The western section of the park has smaller, uneven sites that can be difficult to get into depending on length. The online map doesn’t show any of this. The eastern side of the park (closed during the winter) has sites that are easier to back into that are level. Fantastic area to walk and for kids. Park staff put considerable time into maintaining its beauty. The downside, there is a lot of vehicle traffic that goes to the overlook/statue as well as to Taft Campus. As much as I dislike speed bumps, this park needs them. We stayed in March, I’m sure the traffic gets worse as the weather gets better Would definitely stay again. 40’ Class A
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 8
Site Number: 73
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
The park is a nice little retreat away from every day life. The sites are a little tight so scope out the trailer placement well before backing it in. I pulled in close to dusk and was unfortunately setting up at night. I backed in a little closer to the fire pit than I had wanted to, Measuring it off my steps, I was about 8ft away from the fire pit. We kept the fire to one side and one, two logs at the most. The little food stand in the park had reasonable prices, and good root beer floats. The trails in the park from the ones we traveled were well marked and easily navigated. However we did see some trails that were marked a little tougher of a trek but having a double stroller we did not go down those trails. The fellow campers around us were very kind and respectful. It was great to meet other fellow campers and have some coffee with new friends, at a 6 foot distance, but it was a normalcy that has been missing for a few months during this pandemic. I look forward to returning
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 38
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
It is the middle of the week. There are very few other campers here, but on the weekend all the reservable spots are reserved. Cost is $20 with electric hook up. Water and dump are available but not to hook up to. Some walking trails. The trail to the river is .3 miles and has a pretty steep hill for this area. The river has a muddy bank with some frogs to catch and release. There is also a small dock out into the water. We dangled our feet into the water to cool them off.
Verizon voice was fine, but data was spotty. I teach online. I was barely able to teach my classes. I will plan our next visit when I do not have classes.
There is not much space between sites and no privacy, but there are many trees and shade. We did not use the restrooms to know about them.
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 3
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Almost no one here, but we really liked it. Only part of the park is open for winter. Alan, the person at the park office, is super great.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 5
Site Number: 58
Cell Coverage Rating
T-Mobile 5G
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Lowden Memorial State Park
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Back In RV Sites Count
- 15
- Last Nightly Rate
- 20.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 40.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 18.0
- Max Stay
- 14
- Sites Count
- 118
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Paved Sites
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Fifty Amp
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Full Hookup
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Back In RV Sites
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Potable Water
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Sites
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Standard Tent Sites
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Vehicle Wash Permitted
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Water Hookup
Campground, Restrooms
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