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Kosirs Rapid Rafts and Campground welcomes pets at all accommodation types including tent sites, RV spots, and cabin rentals. Pet-friendly campgrounds near Athelstane maintain consistent pet policies requiring leashes no longer than 6 feet, with many visitors noting the spacious wooded sites provide plenty of room for dogs to explore while remaining contained. Governor Thompson State Park Campground and Old Veterans Lake both offer pet-friendly camping with clean, maintained sites where dogs are allowed on trails when leashed. Several campgrounds provide direct water access where dogs can swim, with Twin Bridge County Park featuring a beach area popular with four-legged visitors. Most locations limit pets to 2-3 per site with no breed restrictions reported.
Trails throughout the Peshtigo River State Forest accommodate leashed dogs, with multiple hiking paths connecting campgrounds to shorelines and swimming areas. Campers report ticks are prevalent in May and early June, requiring regular pet checks after walks through wooded areas. The boat-in sites at Old Veterans Lake Campground offer a unique dog-friendly camping option, providing privacy while maintaining access to pet waste disposal facilities. Site 10 at Old Veterans Lake County Park proves especially popular for dog owners, with one visitor noting their dog could "roam at will" within their spacious, wooded site. The abundance of wildlife including deer, turtles, and birds creates engaging experiences for pets and owners alike, though campers should be prepared for occasional bear activity and coyote howling near campsites, particularly at Governor Thompson State Park.
"Park is located in the Peshtigo River state forest. Pet friendly!! Your pets are aloud on trails and with you at your campsite. They must be on a 6 ft leash. The park is beautiful."
"We stopped here for a quick overnight pit stop on our way from Minneapolis to our final destination camp site in Rowleys bay , Door county, Wisconsin."
from $19 - $36 / night
Check Availability"This is a little campground a short drive down some narrow, twisty backroads from Governor Thompson State Park. We stayed at site 11 which had an awesome little trail to the lake."
"But, the lake is beautiful and a few of the sites have lake access. Its the perfect lake for kayaking. There is a beach which i hung out at all afternoon with my dog and read a book."
from $17 / night
Check Availability"From there it was a short 1 mile paddle to our campsite on the northside of the lake. This site was wooded, with many tall trees which gave great shade, and also spots for hammocks."
"Wild blackberries along the trails and camp sight. Good fire ring, clean vault toilets, big camp sites."
from $19 / night
Check Availability"The back tent areas are great, great walking trails, right on the water, the staff is so friendly and do daily checks to check if you need fire wood or anything."
"There are miles of ATV and Side x side trails down the road, We spend the whole day riding and never see it all and they are well groomed."
from $25 - $30 / night
Check Availability"No cell service — downloaded maps around the highway turnoff to be able to navigate in the dark. Campground is small and sites are close; made friends with the neighbors."
"That’s normally not an issue for us because we will forage and cut our own but the rain has been falling so all the surrounding fallen trees were wet."
"I grew up about 10 minutes away from this campground and it is still an awesome place to go when we are looking for a “staycation”!"
"The fire pit was away from the level area the RV is to be parked. The electric and water were a little farther away than typical but not too bad."
from $25 - $39 / night
Check Availability"The sites are big and wooded and there’s some nice hiking trails. It’s also affordable!"
"We visit our family up at shakey lakes campground every summer! They have a permanent site along with several other family members. It is RV and tent friendly."
"There is a big playground picnic area within walking distance. There are paths to the waterfalls by the playground area. The downsides are no wood to buy, no showers and a lot of deer flys."
from $30 / night
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TravelerYou could drive by and miss this little gem. Beautifully kept up county park with clean shower house. Pet friendly, they even have a hitching post for your pet while visiting the bathrooms. On site hosts.
All sites are within a short walking distance of the beach and some are right on the beach. Site L1 had a good mix of beach and woods. Near the beach is a small playground for the kids.
TravelerWe enjoyed our stay very much. Pretty campground, extremely friendly and helpful staff, nice neighbors all around. The shower area could use some updating, but was fairly clean. It is a dog friendly place and for the most part they were well behaved pets. We planned on staying four nights and are staying six instead. Taking advantage of the last nice days of the season. I would highly recommend trying this park.
ScoutLeave the loud pets and noisey illegal moterbikeos ah home no nature here
GuidePark is located in the Peshtigo River state forest. Pet friendly!! Your pets are aloud on trails and with you at your campsite. They must be on a 6 ft leash. The park is beautiful. What surprised me the most was the pit toliets that looked like tiny houses. Pictures are attached. There is a small lake which is great for kayak and swimming. This park also has a boat launch onto the Cauldron Falls Reservoir. I've attached photos of the map. Almost all the campsites are private and hidden away in their own little spots. There are a few hiking trails which i enjoyed spending time on. If you go down the street a bit you will find Old Veterans state park which has a secluded quiet lake and beach. I spent an afternoon at the beach and never saw a soul. There is not a camp store. The only thing you can buy at the park is firewood.
TravelerStayed for the first time at this campground in July and loved it. We stayed on a tent site, it was huge and had electric. I love that the campground is right on the lake and there’s quite a few amenities for people who boat. It is pet friendly and the bathrooms are quite a walk but clean and hot water is available.
ScoutThis place was so much fun! The back tent areas are great, great walking trails, right on the water, the staff is so friendly and do daily checks to check if you need fire wood or anything. They also have fun seasonal events that the host for the campers. Definitely check this place out! So many memories there. They also have a playground for the kids, pet friendly, and allow atv/utv.
RangerWe were in Site# 14. We had electric/water with a paved pull-through. We travel towing a 14 foot trailer and were able to fit both in our pull through site along with my jeep.
The site was easy to level but the wheels of our motor home were off of the ground.
Check-in is at the hotel. The RV park is not visible from the hotel (it’s back in the woods). There is a phone at the shower house that can be used to request a free shuttle to the casino.
Our site was not shaded with limited trees. This was a smaller lot with our neighbors fairly close.
The lot comes with a picnic table and fire ring.
There was not any WiFi (we used our Starlink). They do not offer Cable TV.
There is not a community outdoor kitchen or community fire pit.
They do not provide garbage service at your site so you must walk to garbage dumpster.
They do have an indoor Swimming pool at the hotel with a sauna and steam shower.
There is not a Playground. There are not any additional play areas like Bocce ball, shuffleboard, basketball sport court, horseshoe, or volleyball courts.
They have a general store in the parking lot of the casino where you can also get gas.
There are restaurants on site in the hotel as well as a spa. The closest big town with stores is Escanaba (about 20 minutes away).
This is solely an RV park. They do not have any cabins to rent or any tent areas.
They have one shower house. The shower house has individual showers (toilets & sinks are on opposite side of shower house).
The laundry facility is located at the BP gas station (located in the parking lot of the casino/hotel). It is a cash only facility, but they have a change machine. It is approximately $2 to wash and $2 to dry a load.
They do not have a fenced in dog park. There are areas to walk dogs.
Bugs did not seem to be an issue.
Some fun things to do outside of the campground are to visit the Sandy Point Lighthouse or Ludington Park in Escanaba.
The casino is smoke-free. It states that the tables are open from 10am to 2am. Not all tables are available though (for instance, roulette wasn’t always available and if they did open up the one roulette table, it wasn’t until 6 or 7pm). The slot machine options are abundant.
LegendNorth and South Nicolet Bay campgrounds is where the action is. It felt like spring break out at the beach and boat ramp (no pets allowed on beach).
North Nicolet has no power sites, all are no hookups. There is a dump station and water fill near Tennison Bay campground.
Campground is very close to the beach, and you definitely hear the shrieking children from the beach, especially if you get a site close to the beach like we did, so heads up.
There’s a host on site, flush toilets, and showers. Recycling and garbage here as well as a playground.
ScoutThis is our go to place every spring, summer or fall! We like to travel all over the place and try different place but this is always a must to go to as well as last minute let's go camping spot. The owners are so friendly as well as everyone that camps there. They have a nice pond for swimming and a playground right by it for the kids. Pets are allowed which is great!
Campsites near Athelstane, Wisconsin cluster around the Peshtigo River watershed, with most locations situated between 930-1,100 feet elevation in the mixed northern hardwood-conifer forests. Winter temperatures regularly drop below 0°F, while summer camping season averages 75-80°F daytime highs. The region contains multiple small lakes connected by the Peshtigo River system, creating a network of water-based recreation opportunities accessible from various campgrounds.
Paddling opportunities: Old Veterans Lake County Park offers a small, motor-restricted lake perfect for calm paddling. "It was perfect for kayaking. There is a beach which I hung out at all afternoon with my dog and read a book. We never saw anyone," notes visitor Tammie R.
Hiking trail access: Peshtigo River State Forest trails connect to multiple water features. A camper at Old Veterans Lake Campground — Governor Earl Peshtigo River State Forest observed, "We came across plenty of wildlife including herons as well as deer, turtles, wild turkey, and loons while hiking and paddling around the reservoir."
River tubing excursions: Peshtigo River Campground offers organized tube rentals and transportation. "They rent tubes for $14/person. Cooler floats are $8. This includes the bus service to the drop off anytime between 10 and 3pm. I would dedicate 3-4 hours to the tube trip," explains Mike W.
Waterfall viewing: Twelve Foot Falls County Park features accessible waterfall viewing. "The trail to the falls is short but you can also explore the area. The falls are wondrous. We saw people cooling off in the water too," reports Art S.
Secluded sites: Governor Thompson State Park offers privacy despite being an established campground. "We walked the loops looking at other campsites and most are very private," notes Jeff F., who adds, "The wood grab was very generous...you fill up a wheelbarrow via honor system with large split dry logs."
Wildlife encounters: Peshtigo River Campground visitors enjoy abundant wildlife viewing opportunities. "Friends and I love to canoe camp here. We make it a yearly 'beginning of summer' tradition. Very secluded sites up and down the river. Fishing has always been good," shares Kyle B.
Quiet atmosphere: Twin Bridge County Park provides peaceful sites with natural buffers. "Our site is huge and wooded on three sides. Quiet. Clean toilets. Friendly staff... and a whole wheelbarrow of firewood for 10 bucks," reports Stacey N.
Swimming options: Several campgrounds offer swimming beaches. At Tranquil~Vista Campground, "The fishing is great both from your kayak, boat or the shore line... Swimming and the sound of children playing fills the air," according to camper Shane.
Bear activity: Governor Thompson State Park has documented bear presence. A camper reported, "Did hear some bear walking the first night and some coyotes/or wolves howling literally right behind our tent the second night."
Tick precautions: May and early June bring heavy tick activity. At Twelve Foot Falls County Park, one visitor advised, "Camped here for a night in early October... No cell service — downloaded maps around the highway turnoff to be able to navigate in the dark."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Athelstane, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Athelstane, WI is Governor Thompson State Park Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 14 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Athelstane, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 118 dog-friendly camping locations near Athelstane, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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