Best RV Parks & Resorts near Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

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.

Typical USFS campground in the Chequamegon NF. First come first served, self pay, no host, very green and lush and private sites.

$15/night. Some sites are pull through. A few are level, but most would be difficult for us to get level enough to be comfortable. Not sure of the length limit here but we had no problems in our 26ft class c. Roads are narrow and the low hanging branches scraped along the top and sides of our rig, but no damage. 

There is a trash dumpster here, and even a recycling bin, a nice surprise. There is potable water at the campground (per note at spigot water is safe to drink but will leave rust residue). Vault toilets here as well. 

The lake is nice and peaceful and small, and bugs/mosquitos weren’t too bad. There’s a little dock at the lake but you can’t drive your boat down, you have to carry it on foot. 

Surprisingly decent Verizon and ATT service. Hardly anybody here. Beautiful and quiet and serene.

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

This campground is adjacent to the Burlington Bay Campground. It has 3 rows of 11 sites meant for full hookup and big rigs. They are terraced so sites 24-34 are on the top while 1-12 are closest to the water and on the bottom of the hill.

This is specifically meant for big rigs. No shade and no privacy unless you are inside. What they do offer is great facilities and an amazing view! There is also a community feel here where everyone most likely talks to each other and knows each other by the end of their stay. At the bottom of the hill is the waterfront. You can do a lot from here.

You can rent for $45.00 per night or $276.00 per week. Sites are packed graves so they are level and easy in and out with your rig. Wouldn’t want to tent camp here. They have a nice shower house and dump stations as would be needed for big rigs. It is newer than the additional campground and still close to Lake Superior.

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.

On the outskirts of Finland, along the Baptism River, in the Finland National Forest. Just a few miles north of Eckbeck Campground, off of MN 1 & County Rd 6. Really nice wooded sites, some can accommodate big rigs. Level sites. Vault toilets. Trash bins. Some privacy between sites. I would recommend staying here overnight if the nearby state parks are full. I do not recommend staying here for peace & quiet. Noise from ATVs, a few with modified mufflers. Since there are no electric hookups, there is some noise from generators for the big RVs. What was really annoying was the noise from a bunch of drunk middle aged folks down at the group site on the night of Oct 8, 2021. I had my own drunken moments at parties, but their behavior was pathetic. Their loud voices carried throughout the campground, including some loud f-bombs. Vault toilets were just okay; not particularly clean but usable. IMO, $17 fee is too high for this particular campground. 4 bars T-Mobile.

We camp here usually once or twice a swason for the past 10 or more years. Restrooms are always clean when we have been there. Proprietors are very friendly and helpful. I've been there when when it's just me and my 2 young kids. Owner and other campers helped me out of a situation in which my pop up slide would not slide out. Did not even ask, they all came to my rescuewhen they saw me struggle. The views over the all are to die for. If you want more privacy they have wooded spots that are just as nice. Book early for prime locations. Very quite and draws a clientele that is respectful. Family friendly, for sure.