Three Oaks Recreation Area hopes to build on growing successes

CRYSTAL LAKE – With the return of warm weather to McHenry County – some say finally – may also come the urge to take the family to the beach, marina and other attractions at Three Oaks Recreation Area.

You won’t be alone. The numbers have been increasing – substantially last year – and the city is loving it.

The 78,000 visitors to the beach represented a 26 percent increase from the previous year, and the 9,400 boat rentals on the marina represented a 19 percent increase from 2015. A new 135-space parking lot is a testament to the growing success – and the 31 percent increase in parking revenues that have resulted.

The biggest change to welcome visitors, especially to The Quarry Cable Park wakeboarding site, in its second year of business, is Duke's on the Water, the cable park's rebranded restaurant now under the management of downtown restaurant Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen.

To Deputy City Manager Eric Helm, the park at 5517 Route 14 is a not-so-well-kept secret that he anticipates will become even more popular.

“I think, in many respects, Three Oaks Recreational Area is a hidden jewel. A lot of people know about it, but there are many in the area, and all of Chicagoland, who are not aware of the great amenity that it is,” Helm said.

Construction began in 2009 to turn the former Vulcan Lakes quarry lake between Route 14 and Rakow Road into a recreation area at a cost of $14.37 million. Parts of it opened in late 2010, and the beach and other warm-weather amenities opened the following year.

The beach – which includes volleyball pits, a splash pad and a Culver’s – is only a small part of the recreation area’s four-season offerings. Many are water related, given that two lakes dominate the 500-acre property.

Visitors can rent canoes, kayaks, paddleboats and other boats from a nearby marina, go scuba diving or try their hand at wakeboarding at The Quarry, a privately owned business on the nearby, smaller North Lake. Motorized boats are not allowed in Three Oaks to keep the water pristine. Anglers can fish from the shore or from boats on the water, but all fishing is catch and release.

The recreation area also includes a picnic grove, a rentable pavilion, a sled hill for the winter and a network of hiking and biking trails that offer views of the entire area.

Staff plan to work with the City Council this summer to discuss other improvements to amenities. But Site Director Brad Mitchell said visitors also are happy with the way things are.

“We get a lot of positive responses from our guests. They like the approach the city has taken, as well as the offerings,” Mitchell said.

The site’s latest customer satisfaction survey backs up Mitchell’s statement. Ninety-seven percent of the 300 or so customers who were surveyed at random last summer indicated they would likely or very likely return – none said they would be unlikely to do so.

The steady increase in visitors also means a steady increase in revenues. While the facility operates at a deficit, it has met the city’s goal of being able to pay for the salaries of its 100 part-time workers.

Three Oaks last season netted $616,151, which covered the $395,897 in salaries and about 56 percent of other expenses. Last year’s budget also showed increasing success – parking gate revenues were up 31 percent, beach revenues were up 29 percent, and marina revenues were up 22 percent.

But one other statistic regarding the parking fees grabs Helm’s attention – namely a 31 percent increase last year in the number of nonresident visitors.

“I think the opportunities for growth come from greater publicity and awareness of Three Oaks throughout Chicagoland. We’re getting more and more people coming from out of town to visit the park. It’s constantly evolving, and constantly moving forward, and we hope that this will translate to growing revenues,” Helm said.