If you’re looking for a summer road trip to watch the Monsters of the Midway sweat, you aren't headed to a remote college campus anymore. Honestly, for decades, the answer to where is the Bears training camp was always Bourbonnais. You’d pack up the car, drive down to Olivet Nazarene University, and bake in the sun while players walked across a long brick path to the practice fields. It was a tradition. It felt like a small-town carnival. But things changed in 2020, and they changed for good.
The Chicago Bears now hold their entire training camp at PNC Center at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois.
It’s a massive shift in philosophy. Instead of the "get away from it all" mentality that many NFL teams used to swear by, the Bears decided that their $100 million expansion of Halas Hall was just too good not to use year-round. They have everything there. Hydrotherapy pools. A massive weight room. Meeting rooms that look like high-end movie theaters. Why leave?
The Move from Bourbonnais to Lake Forest
Let's talk about why they left. Bourbonnais was iconic, sure, but it was also a logistical nightmare for a modern NFL front office. Moving an entire football operation—hundreds of players, coaches, trainers, video guys, and literal tons of equipment—down I-57 is a massive undertaking.
When the Bears expanded Halas Hall by 162,000 square feet a few years back, the writing was on the wall. The facility is tucked away in a quiet, wooded area of Lake Forest, about 30 miles north of Chicago. It’s private. It’s state-of-the-art.
But there’s a catch.
Because Halas Hall is a private corporate headquarters and not a sprawling university campus, space is tight. When camp was at Olivet Nazarene, you could basically just show up. Now? You need a ticket. And those tickets are harder to get than a decent Italian beef on a Sunday night. The team uses a lottery system because the bleacher capacity at Halas Hall is significantly smaller than what fans were used to in the "old days."
What to Expect at Halas Hall
If you manage to snag a ticket, the experience is intense. You're close. Like, "can hear the pads popping and the coaches screaming" close. The fan experience area is usually set up on the far side of the practice fields. They’ve got the standard stuff: jerseys for sale, some drills for the kids, and plenty of overpriced water.
The layout is pretty straightforward. You have the Walter Payton Center (the indoor facility) looming in the background, but the action happens on the pristine grass fields outside. Players usually cycle through individual drills before moving into 7-on-7s and full team periods.
It's fast.
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NFL practices aren't the three-hour marathons they used to be under old-school coaches. They are scripted down to the second. You’ll see a horn go off, and the entire roster sprints to a different part of the field. It’s organized chaos, basically.
Getting There and Parking
Don't just plug "Halas Hall" into your GPS and expect to park in the front lot. You can't. Security will turn you around before you even see a jersey.
The Bears typically utilize a shuttle system. For most public practices, fans are required to park at Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills. You hop on a bus, they drive you the few miles to the facility, and you get dropped off right at the gate. It's actually pretty efficient, though waiting for the bus back after a hot practice in August can be a bit of a test of patience.
Keep an eye on the official Bears website for the specific lot locations each year, as they sometimes shift depending on local construction or mall agreements.
Why the Location Matters for the Roster
There’s a hidden benefit to having camp at home. Players get to sleep in their own beds. Well, most of them. The rookies and guys on the bubble often stay at a nearby hotel to keep that "camp atmosphere" and focus, but for the veterans, being at Halas Hall means less burnout.
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Think about it. If you’re a veteran linebacker with a family, would you rather be in a dorm room for three weeks or go home to your kids after a 12-hour day? The team believes this leads to better recovery and fewer "mental errors" late in the preseason.
Also, the proximity to Chicago means the media coverage is relentless. Since the answer to where is the Bears training camp is now "just up the road" for every major news outlet in the city, there are more eyes on every single rep. You can't hide a bad practice in Lake Forest.
The Future: Arlington Heights?
We can't talk about the Bears' location without mentioning the elephant in the room: Arlington Heights. The team bought the old Arlington Park racecourse property. There has been endless speculation about whether a new stadium there would also mean a new training facility.
For now, the answer is no.
The Bears have sunk too much money into Halas Hall. It is one of the premier facilities in all of professional sports. Even if they build a multi-billion dollar domed stadium in the suburbs, Halas Hall is likely staying put as the nerve center for the team's daily operations.
Tips for Attending
- The Lottery is King: Check the Bears' official app in late June or early July. That’s usually when the ticket lottery opens. If you miss that window, you’re basically out of luck unless you know someone.
- Sunscreen is Non-Negotiable: There is almost zero shade for fans. You are sitting on metal bleachers facing the sun. You will bake.
- Autographs: They usually have a "Kids Only" zone for autographs to keep things from getting too rowdy. If you’re an adult looking for a signature, your best bet is to be near the fence when players are walking back to the locker room, but don't count on it.
- Training Camp Schedule: It usually starts in late July. Practices are often in the morning—around 10:00 AM—to beat the worst of the afternoon heat.
The Vibe Check
Is it better than Bourbonnais? It depends on what you want. If you want a festival atmosphere where you can spend the whole day lounging and watching football from a distance, you might miss the old way. But if you want to see how a professional, high-tech NFL team actually operates in 2026, Halas Hall is the place. It feels like a laboratory. It’s clean, it’s efficient, and it’s very, very serious.
The team has leaned into the "North Shore" vibe. It’s a bit more "exclusive" than it used to be, which is a bummer for some long-time fans, but the quality of the practice you're watching is undeniably higher.
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Practical Steps for Fans
If you're planning to figure out exactly where is the Bears training camp for the upcoming season, start your prep early.
First, download the Chicago Bears Official App and enable notifications. They announce the "training camp dates" and the ticket lottery window through the app before it hits the general news cycle. If you wait for the evening news, the lottery might already be halfway over.
Second, verify your transportation. The shuttle from Hawthorn Mall is the standard, but they sometimes offer alternative transit options from the city.
Finally, check the weather and the "Transaction Wire." There’s nothing worse than showing up to see your favorite player only to find out he was placed on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list the night before. Training camp rosters change daily.
Pack light—bag policies are just as strict at training camp as they are at Soldier Field. One clear bag, some shades, and a lot of patience for the shuttle line is all you really need to enjoy a day at Halas Hall.
Stay updated on the team's official schedule releases which typically drop in mid-June. This gives you roughly a month to coordinate your travel and parking plans before the first whistle blows in late July. Be ready to act fast on the ticket lottery, as demand has skyrocketed in recent years. Once you've secured your spot, double-check the "Fan Conduct" and "Prohibited Items" list on the Bears' website, as they frequently update security protocols for the Lake Forest facility. All that's left is to show up early and grab a spot on the bleachers.