Lots of Wisconsin Favorites - starting with Devils Lake
Devil's Lake is a perennial fathers day favorite. I have a son - Ryan (aka 'Ryan' on theBubbler.com) who was born on Fathers Day and often chose Devils Lake for his birthday weekend. Lots of experience there with Scouts as well. The hike is great, the lake phenomenal (no motors of any kind allowed).
Scouting experience started with Boy Scouts and Explorers. Every October thousands of Scouts from several states converge. There are a couple of dances, one for teens, one for pre/eearly-teens.
Did skin and scuba diving there with Explorers. Water clear to 30' easy.
This one is a must for your list of Wisconsin State Campgrounds.
Hello, I live for the outdoors and anything which is related to my love Geography, Geology and History. I'll be gald to list my favorites and why I love them dearly. Just you wait though I have many subjects to discuss...
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If you talk to the animals they will talk to you, If you do not talk to them you will not know them. And what you do not know you will fear. What one fears,one destroys. ~Chief Dan George. (1899 - 1981)
Upon pulling into only remaining campsite, the heavily weighed down minivan lightened as three middle school aged children leaped from the vehicle to feverishly unload gear. The objective: get up the tent, lay out the bedding, and complete the set up of camp before the last rays of sun are completely lost! The mission of one sibling is to find firewood while the others rush to set up camp, and light the stove for our main feed of the day.
A nearby camper marveled to our father, "That, sir, is some display of teamwork."
Dad replied, "I have a system -- no one goes to the bathroom until the camp is set up."
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If you talk to the animals they will talk to you, If you do not talk to them you will not know them. And what you do not know you will fear. What one fears,one destroys. ~Chief Dan George. (1899 - 1981)
Word of advice to all campers this park, you might want to bring your own Tolietries. My sister and I found this out the hard way on a weekend excursion to rock hound new locations. Its a huge area of woodland preserve so also fill up the car and stock on any nessesities. Beautiful country UP-North.
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If you talk to the animals they will talk to you, If you do not talk to them you will not know them. And what you do not know you will fear. What one fears,one destroys. ~Chief Dan George. (1899 - 1981)
Everyone that I camp with...yell at me about this. But, I love going to plain 'ol Fond du Lac County Waupun County Park. It's super small and is easier to keep track of the kids this way. I don't have to drive far either! Which is a major bonus! :lol:
Hi there. Does anyone know of good places for camping with dogs? My husband and I have two black lab mixes that love to camp. The catch is that they are used to a lot of freedom and are only tied up at home when they are being punished. It seems that most campgrounds allow dogs on leashes. Know of any that allow dogs off-leash as long as the owner has them under verbal command? They usually have their own tent or other secure place to sleep so they won't roam around or bother other campers at night. Any info is appreciated.
We "discover" a different county every year. Have spent time in Caledonia, LaCrosse, Plymouth-Elkhart Lake, Portage, Milton, Montello, and other cities that escape me right now.
Have found most everyone we've come across to be very helpful and friendly. The only place we had a problem with was Jellystone Park in Caledonia, when one of the "rangers" made it his mission to follow our son around the whole weekend to "keep an eye on him". We've heard that man is no longer with the campground.
Our favorite is probably "Pride of America", just outside of Portage. The place is huge, with a dance on Saturday nights, fully stocked bar (with ice cold air conditioning for when you just can't bare the heat anymore), and some unique planned activities for all ages that we hadn't seen before. Two Pick 'n Saves in town, and tons of restaurants just 10-15 minutes away from the campground.
Ellen, I've seen nearly a hundred campground brochures, and can't recall any of them saying dogs don't have to be leashed, and watched at all times.
I have been camping for only about 7 years. I have 2 children, ages 4 and 7. Its not easy finding a camping spot that my wife and I enjoy, as well as having things, and or atmosphere for our young children. We really enjoy camping @ siver springs in rio. This place seems to be layed out perfectly. Plenty of stuff for the kids, and always good entertainment for the adults after dark.
Im looking forward to this years camping season also! Cant wait to get up north to our camper for fishing, canoeing,paintballing, and just for the peace and quiet of the great outdoors. Thanks for those above posted info Raven.
Our favorite campground is Indian Trails, actually we have two, the other being Silver Spring near Rio. Indian Trails is located by Pardeeville, WI, this is beautiful Amish Country. We also much prefer camping on the southwestern side of the state, the hills and valleys are gorgeous and the scenery and culture is spectacular and interesting! I recommend Wyalusing and Yellowstone State Park. With gas prices the way they are its nice to know we have as many gorgeous camping areas in the southern part of the state as they do up north!
Hey everyone. I am looking for a particular type of camp site. Some guys and I are going to go some time this summer. What I want is the following:
On or very near a lake
Fairly secluded (not one where we're all right on top of another)
Not a family campground (with pool, mini-golf, stores, etc)
Wouldn't mind a short hike to get there, but would need to rent and portage canoes.
Cabins would be OK.
Anyone have any suggestions? The first three criteria are most important.
Make a Homemade Firestarter
These work good for starting a fire in your fireplace or camping and are easy to make.
Here are the materials you'll need.....
* Wax. This can be leftover candle drippings, candle stubs, etc.
* Sawdust. Keep a can in your shop and save all that sawdust.
* An egg carton.
Here are the instructions;
* Melt the wax
* Fill each section in the egg carton halfway with sawdust.
* Fill each section the rest of the way with the melted wax
* When cool, using scissors cut the individual egg carton sections apart (don't remove the wax, just leave it in there).
To use one, just light with a match, the edge of the egg carton section that was left on it when cut.
We make our firestarters just a bit differently.
I use small paper "dixie-type" cups because the egg cartons are very small, and it's not easy to find cardboard ones.
Instead of sawdust (not everyone has that), I use DRYER LINT (everyone has that! ) .
To melt the candles, you can fashion a "double boiler" by boiling water in a large kettle and placing a coffee can inside the larger kettle. Put the candles or wax in the coffee can to melt. That way, you don't ruin a good kettle by melting the wax.
Another tip -- buy cheap candles at rummage sales. You can remove the wick with a fork or skewer when the wax has melted.
Using Dixie Cups will give you a firestarter that lasts about 10-15 minutes.
We have been camping longer than we have been married.We love Wisconsin State Campgrounds and try to visit as many as possible every year.
The good part is that these parks exist and can be used The bad part is they are not managed very well and most have fallen to the point that can be irritataing. You would love to shake the DNR up but do not know who you could contact that would listen or care. The main reason for their name "Department of NO Reason"
Does anyone know any legislatures that are on the State Parks committee? Or anyone running for Office that will listen and perhaps DO something?
Then there is that part of me that says if they listen and makes the parks better more people will use them and it will be more difficult for me to use.
If you have camped in Wisconsin and have camped in Michigan how do you think they compare?
Aaaaaahhhhhh....another summer camping season has come and gone...this year we hit 2 Wisconsin areas for camping....we had 2 week vacation out in the Black Hills over the 4th of July and went to Wells State Park in the U.P. for our final weekend this year. The first Wisconsin CG we hit this summer was Westward Ho right on the Shebogan/Fond du Lac county line. Nice place to camp. They have 2 swimming pools and a hot tub. Plenty to do...outdoor movies when it warms up, sports things to do. They've done a lot of remodeling in the past year. We will return. Do a google, they have a website. The other place we hit this year was Lake Yellowstone S.P., SW of Madison. Very nice CG also, as most, if not all, of our state parks are. Plenty of fishing, swimming, and other outdoor activities to do. We also went geocaching while there....we found what we were looking for...
While occasionally we have hit a dud or two while camping at private CG's, most of our visits have been good ones. We try to camp near the historical attractions so we can take our children where our parents had taken us years an years ago....wow, I'm feeling a bit old...Next year we want to hit up around Superior and the SW corner of the state...possibly even go down into Illinois and up into the far reaches of the U.P....
Here's where we've been, and where we'll go again....
Devil's River CG near Maribel...
Westward Ho near Greenbush
Lake Yellowstone S.P.
High Cliff S.P.
Kilby Lake near Montello
Evergreen C.G. near Wild Rose
These are only a few off of the top of my head...like I said, there's been a few duds and I'm not so sure I should post them here...a good place to find reviews is www.glpuc.org . Not all of the campgrounds in Wisconsin are listed there, but there's quite a few. If I can think of the others we've been to, I'll add them here...
If you love camping and some of the best trout fishing in the state then you have to go to Avalanche,WI. Go into the grocery store there and they will direct you where to go.
I also love camping on the Oconto Barrier Free area around boulder lake and the Oconto River.
I usually camp in the middle of nowhere in the woods. If anybody knows of any great out of the way areas (middle of nowhere) please drop me message and let me know.
If you love camping and some of the best trout fishing in the state then you have to go to Avalanche,WI. Go into the grocery store there and they will direct you where to go.
I also love camping on the Oconto Barrier Free area around boulder lake and the Oconto River.
I usually camp in the middle of nowhere in the woods. If anybody knows of any great out of the way areas (middle of nowhere) please drop me message and let me know.
We camped in the National forest on Bolder lake this summer and loved it, be but we need electricty so we are limited . That are is beautiful, I say that with reservations because if people find out how nice it is there we will never get a spot again.
I edited this to add from a posting I placed on another message board
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Boulder Lake Campground
We enjoyed camping here over labor day and plan to return next year. Check it out as it has some of the best campsites we have seen anywhere along with new shower/bathrooms. This park also has small and large group camp areas with their own shower/bathroom facility.
Boulder lake is a fishing and swimming lake. They have designated wake times for those who wish to ski or use personal watercrafts.
There are hiking trails and many places around the area that offer Wolf river rafting trips. Yes the Wolf river is within a few miles of this camground. Opportunities are many in this area for all types of activities.
I call this campground a MUST for any avid camper.
Getting There
Boulder Lake campground is located 19 miles south of Townsend, Wisconsin Follow Hwy T from
Townshed for about 17 miles to the intersection with county Hwy W. Turn right on W and travel about 1.5 miles to Forest Road 2116. Turn right (north) on Forest Road 2116 and follow to the campground.
Small group sites are now located on the same road as the large group sites. Boulder Lake Campground has gone through an extensive renovation project during the past three years.
All of the campsites have been renovated. Three hot water shower and flush toilet buildings are located in the campground. All buildings have accessible shower / restroom facilities. New vault toilets and hand pumps still exist for those who prefer the rustic experience. All vault toilets are accessible. The swim and beach area at the campground have also been renovated. There is an accessible concrete ramp to the water and an accessible water fountain. An Amphitheater is located next to the beach for interpretative programs. The boat landing parking area has been expanded. There is also an RV dump station available for registered campers. Boulder Lake has 89 family campsites. Family sites can accommodate a max of 8 people per site. Sites 9-16 and 40-54 have electricity.
Each of these 23 sites has a vertical electric box. Each with 20, 30 and 50 amp service available. There are 6 sites available for small groups up to 16 people and 4 sites for large groups up to 30 people. Reservations can be made on campsites 40-54 (with electricity) and site 66, 68, 81-89 (non electric). All the group sites can be reserved.
I spent many hours to get this topic going and merged many of the subjects about camping into one topic. Adding another about the same subject would just silly.
RedRaven
I am sorry if my posting upset you in any way. I can asure that was not my intention. I posted my request in a new topic to keep the focus stirctly on fact finding and not opinions, sorta a name rank and serial number of campgrounds. I will do this project on my own, it will just take a whole lot longer, with many google/yahoo searches.
I would have removed my posting in the other area but it is locked.
In fact any posting that I have made that does not seem to be in the correct place you can remove. I will be very cautious when posting anything in the future. I really do not wish to make any "silly postings"
I would like to suggest that the "New Topic" button be removed as to eliminate possible future "silly" postings.
Thank You
...Them's got ears, let them hear
Them's got eyes, let them see
Turn your eyes to the lord of the skies
Take this airline plane
It'll take you home again
Just have to say when I was bringing back some of the older camping/outdoor topics I was hoping you would add your thoughts since I know you have a true love for camping.
__________________ If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.
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