three oaks recreation area

My husband and I went here for the first time in August 2014. We live very close but never went to see what it is all about. We sat at a table under an umbrella and watched all the families at the beach. Everywhere you look it is very clean. Of course, we had to a Culver's cone. It is in the beach area. We are retired and enjoyed the time spent there.

The other reviews will tell you about the great beach and other aspects of the Rec Area, but the most unique offering is sailboat rentals. None of the other suburbs in the area allow you to rent a sailboat. And the price is right--$8/hour. There's one catch, though. You have to prove you can sail by taking the sailing class they offer (for an outstanding $100) or a "check-out" class. So, not so great for out-of-towners, but locals should not miss this opportunity.

Can ride the bikes there on a paved trail and eat from the Culver's restaurant there. You can rent boats to go fishing or just lay in the sand. There is a clean playground for the kids, which includes an adult size handicap swing.

This opened in the last couple of years. Great beaches, swimming areas, and kids play area (water park.) There are boat rentals, good fishing from shore, and a good Culver's concession stand in the main beach area. The water is clean and clear and there is a nice sand beach. It can get crowded at times so get there early if possible.

Three Oaks has all the facilities you need for a day out at the beach with the family. The area is very well maintained with clean facilities. I love the fact that there are so many lifeguards. The sand is pretty clean but is very dusty and everything seems to get stained from it. I do think it is over priced for non residents though!

Beautiful and Clean. Great water playground for kids. The water is so clear. Walking trails around lake are nice. We had a group of six. Some of us swam, a few of us rented kayaks and some of us had Culver's treats- they are on premises. It is kind of pricey - $5 to park and $10 per person to enter beach area. You can just pay to park and walk trails, use sand volleyball courts or go to marine area. Marine has kayaks, canoes, pontoon, paddle boats. Also smaller lake area has paddle boards to rent and lessons. The rental rates are very reasonable. The money they charge non-residents to enter beach are is well spent I feel because the park is super clean and very pretty.

Went to this beach in july 2014, had a wonderful day. Beach is very neat and clean. Had a great time staff was very good and professional. And one thing they have there that not many other beaches have is a Culver's very handy when your spending the day there. Will go a lot more times in the future.

The waters of three oaks are crystal clear, the boat rentals are not too expensive and they even have a Culver's at the beach house. I don't think there is anything else like this in all the Chicago suburbs. What a great park!

A beach in the burbs, how can you go wrong? They did a nice job of creating a beach and marina area out of an old quarry. Nice to have a Culvers stand there for a quick lunch or snack. Entry price is a little much for non residents, but worth it if you spend the whole day.

Visited the park for geocachnig. Seems to be well kept. Enjoyed the bike trails, too. Pretty with all the flowers blooming this time of year.

We happened to read about Three Oaks when searching the web for a family-oriented outing in the Chicago suburbs. The write-up was positive, but we were still a bit skeptical. We were pleasantly surprised!The beach and water are beautiful. Small, but not cramped or crowded, even on this July 4th weekend. The beach is all-sand, with water going to about 5 ft. deep before rising back up toward the far shore and another, less busy sand beach. For us, playing in this lake water was a nice change from chlorinated pool water.The beach area (pay for non-residents) has very nice facilities: restrooms, showers, lockers, drinking fountains, a Culver's on-site. Plenty of seating with tables on the deck, and couple of large umbrellas on the beach, one with a picnic table. There is also a large playground with sprinklers and other water activities.Outside the beach area are walking trails, and two marinas with paddle boat, row boat, paddle board, and other rentals. The entire facility was very clean and well-run, and we enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommended for a fun pool alternative.

Not long ago the park was a quarry, now it is a wonderful recreation area for all. They have fishing, boats to rent, canoes for rental, picnic tables, gazebo's, walking, and bike paths, playground, splash area for kids and more! All in a beautiful setting. The water is so blue and clear you just have to jump in. The prices are very reasonable. Swimming is $10 for adults, $6 for kids 4-15, and 3 and under are free. There is even a Culver's restaurant! Parking is $5.00. Find them online for more detailed information on their various fees.When they first started to develop the quarry into a park in 2010 I thought great, another beautiful area and now they are going to let people come and spend the whole day and ruin it with their trash and what not. WELL, NOT SO! They keep it very clean. I was pleasantly surprised.

Three Oaks Rec Area has picnic areas, rentals for kayaking, catch and release fishing, sailing, stand up paddle board, beach access with Culvers. Great place to walk around. $5 to park if not a Crystal Lake resident, but can also walk / bike in for free!