Prairie View - Chain O Lakes State Park

The site was so cozy because it was at the very back of the circle.

I haven’t camped since childhood, and this was a great stepping stone to getting back into outdoor living! Accessible, affordable, and with all the necessary amenities. The only downside was a couple troublesome neighbors - loud and accusatory. You win some, you lose some. Otherwise, the park and the rangers were a lot of fun!

A note that the park gates close early as well - we returned one evening at 10:30pm and couldn’t get back in with a vehicle. Had to go back in on foot. Good to plan ahead!

We stayed at the Prairie View section on site P27. It was me, my wife, our 8 month old daughter, and our dog. One thing I always look up before booking a campsite is how secluded we are since our dog gets very anxious and will bark at almost anyone that gets “too close” in her eyes. This site seemed promising so I booked it with fingers crossed. Luckily it was fantastic. You could barely see the neighbors because of how overgrown the edges of the site were. We felt like we were in our own little bubble. The gravel drive into the site was also pretty tight so we were able to park our car in it and block off the view to the road even more. There was plenty of room for our tent and to have a fire. Two tents might have been too much though. Although we do have a pretty large tent. The fire area was great, it had a grill you could put over it to cook on. It was also very well upkept. We saw someone going around and cleaning out all of the fire pits before check-in even to make sure they were ready for the next group. There were pit toilets within the camping area but there was also a bath house with flush toilets right outside on the main road (5 minute walk). 

Checking in was also extremely easy and the people at the gatehouse were very friendly. The concessions (or camp store) was large and well stocked. Plenty of firewood and was inside a garage so it was all dry and ready to use. We didn’t use any of the water sport rentals because of our baby, but we’re very happy to see there was a ton to do and will likely be back to take advantage. 

We also did a 5 mile hike through the park. It was absolutely beautiful. Lots of hills, forested areas, open prairies, and multiple water locations including next to the Fox River where our dog was able to cool off. The paths were all paved or crushed gravel and were very well upkept. 

We had an amazing time and will definitely be back!

We took our 2 Newfoundlands camping on a long weekend. Just needed to take a break from our everyday life. Couldn't be happier from gate welcoming person to everyone else we met during our long stay. Pups were happy with cooler weather we were having. 

We will definitely be back!!!

Great front desk service

Prairie View campground is in the Chain O Lakes State Park series. This is the no services campground. We could walk to fill up with water but no electric on site. Checking in was interesting. No online reservations were allowed and their phone systems were down but we only found a few sites that were available. We were only able to camp for the night. I would recommend looking into this a bit more before driving out. 

Our campsite was encased in foliage which gave us some privacy. I could see through the brush to neighbors but it was enough to give my dog a sense of peace without disturbances. The sites are near enough together - we heard many children playing from all around us - but still gave us a sense of being out in the woods. Even with the amount of people we still only encountered a few as people walked past our site. 

A pit toilet was a short walk one way and flushing toilets were at the entrance. Water was dispersed at select locations but we brought our own for the weekend. Garbage and recycling bins are also available.

We drove back out into the state park and parked to hit the hiking trails. The ones we found are wide - maybe 8 feet - and covered in crushed gravel. Portions were paved. There are a series of connecting trails giving a wide variety of options. There are even horse rentals and a trail designated as horse friendly. We took a look at the boating docks and found paddleboats and row boats for rent. Most people were putting their own boats into the lakes. If we hadn't gone to the docks, the water was seen only in passing. 

This was an enjoyable stay along the Wisconsin/Illinois border and is well worth checking out.

fun place, small hikes and beautiful prairie views

This is a local state park with options for hiking, canoe/kayak rentals, boating, horse back riding trails or rentals, and camping. The hosts do a good job keeping the bathrooms stocked and clean. Little shop with fishing/camping basics. Cabin rentals are also offered. I prefer the non electric sites as they are larger.