Best RV Parks & Resorts near Ironwood, MI

8/26-9/1/22- Free camping! There are vault toilets and hand-pump well drinking water in several places, and picnic tables and fire pits at each camp site. The sites are well maintained, clean, and reasonably flat. I tried self registering, but there was nowhere to sign-in. About 11Am the next morning, someone came by to register us. 2-bars Verizon 5G, and 2-bars AT&T 4G. 

We rolled in about 10pm and drove through the western loop sites 1-22, pulled into the first pull-through site(W5) that we could easily get our 34’ fifth wheel into and went to sleep. In the morning, I walked the loop and found several others that we could fit(now that it was light out), and we moved over one site to W6. Site W21 has a lake view and a large loop in front of this back-in site that would be super easy to navigate for a big rig. Sites 11 and 12 were really close together but had a good views of the lake as well. Later, we drove over to the east camp site that all seemed to have lake views, and sites E12 and E13 are surrounded on 3 sides by water, a turn-around loop, and more sunlight for solar powered rigs. I didn’t think to check cell signal while there. 

The towns of Watersmeet and Conover had the cheapest diesel fuel. The Wild Turkey Bar& Grill in Conover, WI had fabulous smoked meats, and there is a great little hardware store in Conover as well.

Big Bay State Park Campground, WI: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Ferry Ride: $110 round trip with a 17’ trailer Overall Rating: 3.5 Price 2023: About $20 to $30 Usage during visit: Very full Site Privacy: Loop 1 - 29 Great site privacy. Loop 30 -60 some good sites. The overall privacy not as good. Site Spacing: Loop 1 - 30: Great. Loop 31- 60: Good Site surface: Gravel Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: People noise while here. Road Noise: None Through Traffic in campground: No Electric Hookup: Some sites Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Check out the campground map . The dump is on the way to the airport.
Potable Water Available: Yes, at the bathrooms Generators: Not specified. We used a low noise generator. Bathroom: Clean pit toilets and flush toilets in the showroom.
Showers: One centrally located.
Pull Throughs: Mostly, if not all are back in. Cell Service (AT&T): Sporadic Setting: In a pine forest Weather: Highs are 70’s Bugs: Some mosquitoes. I think they are decreasing. Have bug spray if you hike. Solar: No Host: They are short a host Rig size: Rigs I’ve seen are under 35’ Sites: The sites in Loop 1 - 30 is the best loop, are most all very private. Loop30 - 60: Not as private. Site 42 has no under brush between site and parking for tent walk in sites. Other than that, pretty good. Sites 48, ad 50 are the absolute least private sites. Trailer sites in Loop 30 - 60 are generally not as deep and thus less site privacy than Loop 1 - 30. (35 - 41 are walk in tent sites,)

Oh thank goodness, we camped out at Dalrymple Park and Campground in Bayfield, WI as supposed to our original reservation at a boring campground in Cornucopia, WI. Dalrymple was just minutes away from Bayfield, and boat rides away from the Apostle Islands and Madeline Island. There are 28 sites surrounded by canopies of trees and there are wooded fences along the sides next to Lake Superior. It was a perfect spot to settle in for camping. Some sites were drive-in and others were back-ins perfect for RVs under 30 feet. Camping is $25 a night for 2 vehicles or 1 RV for each site. There is a fire ring, picnic table, electric hook-up, and a stump to cut some firewood at each site. Bathrooms are vault toilets and are walking distance. There were plenty of FREE firewood piles near the entrance. Cell-signal was strong for Verizon. A few of the back-in sites were steep but spacious and the drive-in sites were a bit small. It is a family-friendly campground. Pets are welcome but must be on a leash. The mosquitoes were pretty active so bring your repellant or citronella to ward them off. The view was great, but the noise level at night was a damper. We had a rowdy camper who had no consideration or camping etiquette when it's past 10:00 pm. The campground itself was overall wonderful.

Namekagon: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4. Great water access campground . No trails right at the campground, but for a cross coin ski trail just past the cg entrance. We were here to visit Croix NWW - a bit of a drive from the cg.
Price 2023: non-electric sites are $11 per night w Lifetime Senior Pass. Usage during visit: Full on weekends Site Spacing/Privacy: Some sites are very close. I listed the best sites for privacy and spaciousness. Site surface: Gravel Reservations: Yes. Looks like up to two days out is first come, first serve. Campground Noise: Not bad. Lake noice is minimal as well. Road Noise: Even the sites close to the Missionary Point Dr. do not seem to experience too much traffic noise.
Through Traffic in campground: Just down the middle to the lake boat ramp. And that’s not too bad.
Electric Hookup: Some, not all sites. Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: No Potable Water Available: Yes.
Generators: Allowed during the day.
Bathroom: Pit toilets are kept extremely clean Showers: None. Pull Throughs: Some Cell Service (AT&T): One bar in some areas of cg. Setting: Under a deciduous tree forest. Weather: 70 and 90 degree days . Hot days were particularly humid.
Bugs: Mosquitoes galore. Solar: Most sites are very shady.
Host: Yes Rig size: All rigs I see are under 30’ Sites: Lakeside Sites: 13, 14, 17, 19

BEST non-water side sites: rated for spaciousness and a bit more private :11, 9, 8, 7, 3, 34, 30, 32, 31, 33, 29,28, 27,26, 25, 10. Not in any particular order

Big Bay Town Park We enjoyed our stay on Madeline Island towards the end of June. We stayed in in a travel trailer with our dog on the“modern” side which has electric service and is on the other side of the road from the office. The campsites on the lake side are rustic only. The modern sites are secluded with a good buffer of woods between them. Nice privacy. 

There is no WiFi or cell service, however there is good WiFi at the office. 

There are 30/50 amp hookups, a picnic table and a pad for a tent. There are 2 bathroom facilities with water spigots. The bathrooms are new and well maintained. There is a pretty trail that connects the 2 bathroom buildings. Unfortunately, the shower house is across the road in the office building.$1.75/3 Minutes. 

The staff was very friendly and made sure we had all the information to enjoy our time on the island. Since the weather was pretty rainy, there weren’t a lot of people on the island, so it was very quiet. There were only 4 other campers in modern side, and a few tents on the other side. 

The only thing that was kind of a bummer is that we brought our own kayak, but there really wasn’t a good way to carry the kayak down the many steps to the beach. The park has kayaks for rent on the honor system at the beach. The park parking lot is on a bluff above the beach with steps leading down to the water. The beach was nice to walk on. Our dog loved it. We only ate in town once, but the food was fantastic.

Nestled within Wisconsin forest you find Sailor Lake. This national forest campground has water access as well as sites away from the lake. We stayed at site 12 - a pull through site away from the water.

Many, although not all, of the waterside sites are for tents. You park and carry your gear down a few steps for a close to the water feel. There is an open area for everyone to enjoy the lake - it’s filled with purple flowers today. With plenty of woods around, all sites offer privacy but they have different vibes. Plenty of choice here so look around or reserve one. Plenty of sites available for walk-ins too. A couple of vault toilets, garage receptacle and water source round out a nice camp.

ATV trails as well as non-motorized trails are plentiful. We hiked on them and it was nice. Minimal cell signal encourages disconnecting for your stay.