What a fun weekend we had a Governor Dodge State Park! There were a total of 19 of us in our group, spread out over 8 sites in the Twin Valley Campground (240, 255, 256, 257, 261, 265, 266, & 267) We had a mixture of electric and non electric sites and all were very nice. The first weekend in October can sometimes be a little iffy weather wise, but we lucked out with pretty warm temperatures. We got quite a bit of rain on Saturday, but none of the sites had issues with flooding like we experienced in the spring at site 269. We walked down to that site and it looked like they had fixed the drainage pipe so the flooding there was not as bad as the previous trip. Bathrooms/showers were warm and clean, and the vault toilets were not bad although there were a few spiders. The Stevens Falls and Canyon Trails were the highlight of the trip- even in the rain! First you can explore the old spring house and read the informational signs about the family that used to farm there and other early settlers in the area. Once you continue down to the falls they have another informational plaque about the falls with old pictures, but unfortunately this plaque was not as well maintained so it’s difficult to see. The falls themselves are amazing. There is a slippery uneven staircase to go down, but there is a sturdy handrail. We spent quite a bit of time walking around and looking behind the falls, then continued down the canyon trail enjoying the beauty. Unfortunately the rain and wind picked up so we decided to turn around instead of completing the 3 mile loop. We also took a hike on the bluff trail that goes past campsite 271 that everyone enjoyed- awesome moss everywhere! Some members of our group took the trail to the amphitheater, but said while it was a pretty walk there wasn’t anything too special along the way. We went through a lot of firewood- the bags at the park office were $5 and were pretty decent. We also purchased wood from the trailer next to the Don Q inn for $5 an armful, but it was rather wet. We noticed when we drove past Jumping Jupiter General Store that they also had wood (covered by a tarp) but did not stop so I’m unsure of the prices. We stopped at Kate’s Bait and got a nice variety of worms for a reasonable price, although we never got out fishing! The ranger was very helpful in suggesting places to fish though. We had planned on doing a trail ride on horseback through the park at Doby Stables, but unfortunately it was cancelled by them due to the rain. As a ranger for The Dyrt, I sometimes receive products to test. This trip I had the Midland EX210VP E+Ready Bundle that includes 2 X-Talker two way radios and an Emergency Compact Crank Radio. https://midlandusa.com/product/ex210vp-eready-bundle/ I was impressed by both products right away. They are compact, yet sturdy- we’ve had them over a month now and my 4 year old and 6 year old have played with them a lot and they still look brand new! I’ve never really used a two way radio that wasn’t a toy, and the instructions from Midland were easy to understand. I appreciated that you could either use AAA batteries or the included USB rechargeable battery, which lasted the whole weekend. Midland states the range is 26 miles (obstruction free) but we didn’t try it that far- the farthest we tried was about a mile away through the trees but we were still able to hear each other clearly. There is also a weather radio feature that would come in handy if you didn’t have a separate weather radio. The emergency compact crank radio is a solid product as well. We used this all weekend, for weather alerts, listening to music, charging phones, and as a flashlight. It has a rechargeable 2000 mAh battery that can be charged via USB, solar, or hand crank. Battery seemed to last a long time, even when charging phones or playing the radio for a long stretch. The radio will not play when you are charging something, but that wasn’t a big deal to us. The weather alert was nice to have while in the woods during a storm- really reassured the less seasoned campers that we would be ok during the rainstorm. When there is severe weather the radio will make a noise and flash the light so you can be prepared. You can press any button on the radio to turn the noise off and turn on the radio to hear the weather. Overall we were very happy with this bundle.

What a fun weekend we had a Governor Dodge State Park! There were a total of 19 of us in our group, spread out over 8 sites in the Twin Valley Campground (240, 255, 256, 257, 261, 265, 266, & 267) We had a mixture of electric and non electric sites and all were very nice. The first weekend in October can sometimes be a little iffy weather wise, but we lucked out with pretty warm temperatures. We got quite a bit of rain on Saturday, but none of the sites had issues with flooding like we experienced in the spring at site 269. We walked down to that site and it looked like they had fixed the drainage pipe so the flooding there was not as bad as the previous trip. Bathrooms/showers were warm and clean, and the vault toilets were not bad although there were a few spiders. The Stevens Falls and Canyon Trails were the highlight of the trip- even in the rain! First you can explore the old spring house and read the informational signs about the family that used to farm there and other early settlers in the area. Once you continue down to the falls they have another informational plaque about the falls with old pictures, but unfortunately this plaque was not as well maintained so it’s difficult to see. The falls themselves are amazing. There is a slippery uneven staircase to go down, but there is a sturdy handrail. We spent quite a bit of time walking around and looking behind the falls, then continued down the canyon trail enjoying the beauty. Unfortunately the rain and wind picked up so we decided to turn around instead of completing the 3 mile loop. We also took a hike on the bluff trail that goes past campsite 271 that everyone enjoyed- awesome moss everywhere! Some members of our group took the trail to the amphitheater, but said while it was a pretty walk there wasn’t anything too special along the way. We went through a lot of firewood- the bags at the park office were $5 and were pretty decent. We also purchased wood from the trailer next to the Don Q inn for $5 an armful, but it was rather wet. We noticed when we drove past Jumping Jupiter General Store that they also had wood (covered by a tarp) but did not stop so I’m unsure of the prices. We stopped at Kate’s Bait and got a nice variety of worms for a reasonable price, although we never got out fishing! The ranger was very helpful in suggesting places to fish though. We had planned on doing a trail ride on horseback through the park at Doby Stables, but unfortunately it was cancelled by them due to the rain. As a ranger for The Dyrt, I sometimes receive products to test. This trip I had the Midland EX210VP E+Ready Bundle that includes 2 X-Talker two way radios and an Emergency Compact Crank Radio. https://midlandusa.com/product/ex210vp-eready-bundle/ I was impressed by both products right away. They are compact, yet sturdy- we’ve had them over a month now and my 4 year old and 6 year old have played with them a lot and they still look brand new! I’ve never really used a two way radio that wasn’t a toy, and the instructions from Midland were easy to understand. I appreciated that you could either use AAA batteries or the included USB rechargeable battery, which lasted the whole weekend. Midland states the range is 26 miles (obstruction free) but we didn’t try it that far- the farthest we tried was about a mile away through the trees but we were still able to hear each other clearly. There is also a weather radio feature that would come in handy if you didn’t have a separate weather radio. The emergency compact crank radio is a solid product as well. We used this all weekend, for weather alerts, listening to music, charging phones, and as a flashlight. It has a rechargeable 2000 mAh battery that can be charged via USB, solar, or hand crank. Battery seemed to last a long time, even when charging phones or playing the radio for a long stretch. The radio will not play when you are charging something, but that wasn’t a big deal to us. The weather alert was nice to have while in the woods during a storm- really reassured the less seasoned campers that we would be ok during the rainstorm. When there is severe weather the radio will make a noise and flash the light so you can be prepared. You can press any button on the radio to turn the noise off and turn on the radio to hear the weather. Overall we were very happy with this bundle.

Our group stayed at sites 268, 269, and 270 in the Twin Valley campground. Sites 268 and 270 were large, but our site on 269 was the smallest and half of it was unusable due to the river that flowed through it in the rain! Had to set our tent up right next to the fire ring, as that was the only spot that wasn’t muddy, so we couldn’t have a decent fire. During the rain the water was ankle deep under the picnic table. It appears that a water runoff pipe goes under the path that leads to 271 and flows into this site. 268 was electric, 269 and 270 were not and were walk to sites. Gravel trails leading from parking to the sites were well maintained. 270 also has a private trail leading out to a beautiful bluff area. We walked down and checked out 271, which is where we will stay next year! The park itself is huge. We walked to Steven’s Falls which is beautiful. There are a lot of slippery stone stairs up and down, but if you take your time it’s well worth the effort. We also took the Lakeview trail which was pretty. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate so we weren’t able to go out canoeing, but the lakes looked nice from the shore. Firewood is sold at the park for $5 a bundle, but there are also private sellers along the road who have better prices- we were very happy with the wood sold off the trailer next to the Don Q Inn.

Stayed here last year with a group of friends! Had 2 different group sites and both were awesome! A lot of space and not close to other group sites so it was nice to not have to worry about surrounding people! We have a loud group and had no complaints since they are nice and spaced apart. The hiking trails are awesome and some beautiful sights! Would definitely recommend.

Spent a few nights a couple yrs ago. We reserved online and arrived late so we were setting up in the dark. We backed up easily into the site and was surrounded in quiet and darkness. There are a ton of hiking trails, a couple lakes/ponds to enjoy, and saw horses on the trails. We were close enough to water faucets, flush toilets and showers, pit toilets, and playgrounds. There was a worry of wild parsnips, so my daughter dressed like it was October and didn't enjoy the hikes as much as i was hoping.

There were a lot of people and everyone was friendly, but it wasn't as quiet and remote as I thought it might be. Lots of people hiking to the waterfall and other trails.

I stayed in a group site, which was good sized. It was right next to another group site with a very large group, but we couldn’t really see or hear them unless walking by the entrance to their site (ours was past their site). Pit toilets were well cared for and clean. Regular restroom and showers were a little bit of a walk, but totally doable for fit adults. We had biked there, so were glad they weren’t much farther. Showers were also maintained and clean. Mosquitoes have been bad in WI this year, but they really weren’t bad there! There was a really nice lake and concession stand on the way in, we just didn’t make use of them once we biked out to the group sites. I didn’t check out the main campground, but I certainly would look into that another time!

We stayed at a hike in site in May and had great hanging options for our hammocks, excellent privacy in the hike-in sites, and beautiful options for hiking, fishing, and photography. Plus- so close to home (Madison area).

We stumbled on Gov. Dodge a few years ago on a impromptu camp weekend. Needless to say we loved it! So many great hiking trails with cliffs, bluffs, caves, waterfalls, old architecture that displays the great history of the area. There are 2 camp grounds, Cox Hollow and Twin Valley, named for the lakes they are by. Camp grounds are both great, but we tend to stay in Twin Valley more for some reason. Facilities are great, however the wood they sell for fires is not very good. We recommend a little shop right down the road that will have a giant pile sitting out front and the owner plucking away at his guitar on the front porch. Rentals are available for both lakes, which are beautiful but small since they are man made. There is decent fishing and swim areas aren't bad. One of our goto nature escapes! Happy Trails!

We were stopped by inclement weather it other than that it was great. Cool spring house and great waterfall and creeks. Wish we could have finashed the cave hike. The lake was beautiful too. Maps were a little confusing.

I love coming here. It's very convenient to get to and it has some great campsites. I recommend going in the Fall to see some great Fall colors!