Best Campgrounds near Altoona, WI

General: There is a main campground and a bonus sites section; we stayed in the Main campground and this review is based on that. There are approximately 90 sites laid out in typical RV park fashion with the sites close together and no physical privacy between sites. 

Site Quality: Sites tend to be very long and could accommodate even large-size Class A rigs. The “driveways” are a mix of grass and gravel and were not very well defined. Each site has a picnic table on a concrete pad. Our site had water and electric hookups. Our challenge was that we arrived after dark, and the site numbers were posted at the back end of the sites, necessitating a sleuthing operation with my flashlight to find our site. Only a few sites had fire rings that I could see. 

Bathhouse: The women’s area had three “all-in-ones” with a toilet, sink, and shower. They were very clean with hooks, soap, and paper towels. The entire bathhouse appeared to be in a state of remodeling, and it wasn’t clear what was going to happen with the remainder of the space (plumbed but not completed when we were there). Did not use the shower so cannot comment on that. 

We arrived after dark and left the next morning but our stay on a Friday in August was quiet except for the loud trains running along the Mississippi. We heard two around 10 pm and either there were no more until the next morning, or we mercifully slept through them! This RV Park is located in the small town of Nelson and accessed through a residential neighborhood. Although not our preferred camp stay, we chose it since we knew we wanted to eat at Stone Barn Pizza (a must if you are in the area!) which is why we arrived after dark!

This is a diamond in the rough - exactly what we wanted on our journey.  Our criteria - less than $100, pet friendly and rustic. 

This is a sawmill that has it all - they run the mill when needed, but also have primitive cabins (where we stayed), full cabins with in house bath, electric RV/tent camping and more. Even wood fired pizzas with homemade crust most nights of the week and sometimes live music!

We were in cabin #3 - rustic.  Yes - it did have heat!  A little ceramic heater had it so toasty when it was 30 degrees outside we actually turned it off - so it's sure to please on chilly nights.  The interior was amazing - lumber that I'm sure came from the mill and ceiling planks that were gorgeous - left over planks from many years ago, stored in a shed and re-purposed for the cabin. The bed was very comfortable with clean sheets and squishy (in a good way) pillows. A small covered front porch and we just parked in front.

Bathroom - if you are in a cabin without a bath, it's very nearby. One of the largest, cleanest bathrooms I've seen.  He built it himself. Women's had 2 sinks with a large vanity area, about 3 stalls (very large - you don't have to squish into them) and two very large shower stalls with full doors - not shower curtains. Heated as well.

Pets - easy pet policy. Just let the owner know and it's no problem as long as you are responsible, pick up after them and leash them when necessary.  Just a small charge for them and they were very welcomed here.

He even has event space indoors (heated) and outdoors for weddings and such.  And hiking trails (6 miles) if you choose to take on the outdoors.

The owner plans on adding saunas and a hot tub in the near future - so this would be the place to drop for a while if you want something out of the norm, peaceful, rustic and relaxing. It's off the main road, behind a field in Amish Country.  Lovely place to stay for the night. Very quiet.

I just stayed here one night because I was passing through the area. It worked out really well. I entered the campground late in the day. It was almost dark. They had a QR code that I used to make a reservation on the spot. I had a great night there. There's a hiking trail that completely goes around the campground. So I was able to walk my dog on that. I'm not sure how it would have been to stay as a vacation Target spot. Probably pretty fine. But it certainly was great on the shoulder season for a stopover.

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Very no frills camp site. Sites are decently sized, has some good views. It's missing a sculley.

Enjoyed this island campground. There is a RV focused and a tent focused camping loops. This is a nice location for fisherman and kayaks/canoes. There are a few hiking trails that are loaded with mosquitoes (given the location and amount of water). There is a small beach to play in the water, playground and ball field. The bathrooms are nicely kept but dated. Great location to go with kids.

Great camp site, the ground was a little rocky so it was a little difficult to get the stakes in but we were able to get them in. Hiking trail right next to the campsite. Bathrooms and showers are nearby as well. Great place to stay!

Best trails and lots of wildlife.The park staff is great also. Love the price to camp along with the camping areas.

We hadn't picked a place to camp in advance, because we wanted to see how far we could get on the drive. We were able to reserve a spot online at 8:30pm same-day on a Wednesday in July. Nice hot showers available for free.

Stayed here on a east/west camping trip. Beautiful state park. Sites are shaded and large. Big enough that we were able to tie out 2 large dogs each on 30 ft leads. The park has a bicycle path that walkers can also use that’s along the river. Our site backed up to the bicycle path with the river behind us. Great place to walk. Staff and hosts very friendly and helpful. Don’t be alarmed when you drive by a school and housing area to get to it! The park also has an off leash dog park. I wasn’t able to check that out though but have wished state parks would consider adding. Bathrooms extremely clean with the best state park showers Ive ever used (and I mostly camp at state parks across the US). If I get back to this area I would definitely camp here again.