For those who want to experience Bayfield, but still want the creature comforts of home, consider glamping for your trip. Camping has always been a favorite form of travel for many, but Bayfield, WI glamping is a new and unique way to do it. You're sure to find glamping for your Wisconsin camping adventure.
**Camping within Apostle Island National Lakeshore is strictly tent camping. There is no car or RV camping within the park. All campsites within the national lakeshore must be reached by boat or sea kayak, except for the Mainland 1, 2, and 3 campsites, which can be accessed by kayak or by hiking in only.** __ Mainland camping for car & RV camping: There are a variety of state parks and private campgrounds with facilities for car and RV camping in the Bayfield area on the mainland and on Madeline Island. Visit the park's Camping in the Apostles web page and scroll to the "Local Area Camping" section. Madeline Island is not part of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The Madeline Island Ferry is a car & passenger ferry service to transport visitors to the island.________ Camping within Apostle Islands National Lakeshore: The Apostle Islands offer a unique camping experience. There are many campsites within the park, and each have their own unique characteristics to them. There are 57 individual campsites, 9 group campsites, and 17 primitive camping zones.______ NOTE: Visitors who choose to visit the islands and sleep in their personal self-contained vessel do not need a camping reservation. Public docks are available first-come, first-serve on 12 of the islands. You'll pay the overnight docking fee upon arrival. Be sure to download the Recreation.gov mobile app on your mobile device before you visit so that you can complete payment for overnight docking using scan & pay upon arrival.__ Advance reservations for camping permits are required___for camping in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Each camping permit may cover up to 14 consecutive nights.__Permit holders can not have concurrent night stays. Permit holders can only have one reservation for the same nights of camping. Permit holders are responsible for any damages. Camping permits are non-transferable. Individual campsites: These campsites are designated for groups of 1-7 people. Most sites are equipped with a fire ring, bear locker, and a picnic table. These sites are recommended for first-time primitive campers. It will give a sense of backcountry camping with the pleasantries of the amenities. They are a good way to work up to the primitive zone camping. These sites are $15 per night. Reservations can be made starting 30 days from the start of a trip.______ Group campsites: These campsites are designated for groups of 8-21 people. Each site is equipped with a fire ring, bear locker, and a picnic table. These sites are great for large families or get-togethers with friends. These sites are $30 per night. These sites can be reserved in March every year during the Group Camping Lottery and remaining sites will open after the lottery is completed.______ Primitive zone camping: These campsites are designated for groups of 1-5 people. These sites are for the truly hardcore backpackers. Primitive zone camping is not a specific site but provides the option of choosing a backcountry area to camp. This type of camping experience has NO amenities. There are specific guidelines on where to camp for this type of experience. Consult the Primitive Zone camping maps for potential landing sites and available areas.____ The following areas are closed to primitive zone camping:__ Areas excluded from primitive camping zones and closed to camping to protect sensitive natural and cultural resources.__ Area posted as closed to protect bird nesting areas and threatened or endangered species.__ Areas in view of any designated trail.__ Areas within 1/4 mile of any building, historic structure, individual or group campsite, or another camping party.__ Areas within 100 feet of a flowing stream.__ Private land or lease holdings.__ For more information or questions about your itinerary, call park staff at (715) 779-3398 extension 2, between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily from Memorial Day through September or Monday to Friday from October through Memorial Day.____
For facility specific information, please call (715) 779-3398.
Cancellations made prior to the reservation start date will be given a 50% refund of the use fees. Changes to the reservation will be charged a $15.00 change fee.There is a $10 reservation fee for each permit made. The $10 reservation fee is non-refundable.
$30 / night
The Porcupine Mountains Presque Isle Campground offers 50 rustic campsites near the scenic Presque Isle River. There are vault toilets and hand pumps for water. In addition to drive-up sites, there are also 6 walk-in sites. The campground is split into two loops. The east loop is a generator friendly side, while the west loop is generator free. There is access trails to the nearby Presque Isle River and or to the Lake Superior shoreline. Firewood is available for purchase at the campground office. At roughly 60,000 acres, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is Michigan’s largest state park. It is home to 35,000 acre old-growth forest, roaring waterfalls, miles of rivers and streams, more than 90 miles of hiking trails, the Lake Superior shoreline and vistas unrivaled anywhere in the Midwest.
$4 - $20 / night
Stay with us while you explore the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, the Meyers Beach Sea Caves, Chequamegon National Forest, or any of the other beautiful attractions our area has to offer! Your Apostle Islands Vacation is awaiting you! We offer our guests 63 wooded and spacious sites with fire-pits and picnic tables. We have a dump station free to use for guests and hookups for electric, water, and sewer. We have a camp store on location that is stocked with essentials. Looking for camping on Madeline Island? Avoid the expense and hassle of taking your RV or equipment on the ferry. Stay with us and take a day trip to Madeline Island. We're only minutes from the Madeline Island Ferry!
$25 - $35 / night
If you looking for an equestrian style base camp to explore area trails or a destination campground with plenty of room for your family, try the Horseshoe Lake Recreations Area located north of Ino, Wisconsin on the Washburn Ranger District. The terrain is gently rolling with a sandy loam surface ideal for horse riding. The trail weaves through towering pine and hardwood forests as well as through the area's open barrens. Whether you are interested in plants, scenery or wildlife, touring the trail with binoculars or camera can allow you to take advantage of fantastic viewing and photographic opportunities. The Horseshoe Lake campground features nine family camping units; one group site that allows up to 14 people. All other sites allow up to eight individuals and up to four vehicles. The sites here are not exclusive to campers with horses however, highlines are present at each campsite. Shared amenities include two vault toilets, two manure pit, and garbage service. Both back in and pull-thru sites are present. Please note there is water available onsite that is non-potable (not safe for drinking) so please plan accordingly. A parking area is available for visitors looking to ride the trails for the day. There is a $5 use fee for day use of the recreation area or you can purchase an annual pass. Whether you are looking for a pleasant afternoon ride or an extended visit, the Horseshoe Lake Saddle Trail is a perfect adventure for any horseback rider. The combined trail loop length is 12 miles. Some distances overlap between the loops. Trail Length: A Loop 9.25 miles, B Loop 3.7 miles, Outside Loop 10.25 miles. So, if you like camping and horseback riding with scenic views of the forest, then the Horseshoe Lake Recreation Area is the place for you. Forest Roads are also open to horseback riding. For a map of roads on the Motor Vehicle Use Map please click here. The nearby Moquah Barrens provides a great place to ride, view wildlife, bird watching and berry picking in the late summer. Bring your trailer with your OHVs (ATVs and UTVs) and access the Iron River Trail from open OHV use roads. OHV use in the campground is prohibited.
JULY 2024
The Wanoka Lake Campground in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest will be closed starting July 19, 2024, to conduct site improvements. mprovements will be made to site drainage and the campground access roads (FR243, 243A, and 243B), boat launch access, and overflow parking area will be repaved. Solar electrical service and a wastewater holding tank will be added to the host site. FR243 will remain open during the repaving process.
Wanoka Recreation Area is located off an ATV route that connects to local ATV trails and other open routes. Visitors may ride their ATV or smaller UTVs to and from the route. ATVs may not be used to drive around the campground for fun. ATVs need to be kept on their trailers or on the parking spur on the site. Located approximately 7 miles east of Iron River, this campground is located on a 15-acre lake that has panfish and trout. Wanoka Lake Campground has 20 sites. Each site has a defined parking spur, fire ring, picnic table, and tent pad, and can accommodate RV's up to 35 feet. Please help to not increase the size of the area and keep all equipment on the parking spur. There are two pull-through sites. Drinking water and vault toilets are available. There is a carry-in-boat access. Did you forget something? Don't sweat it! The small town of Iron River can meet your camping supply needs ranging from groceries to firewood. If you need an out-of-state fishing or ATV/UTV license, Iron River gas stations have these available for purchase. So, if you like to fish, kayak, hike, bike or enjoy being close to town, then the Wanoka Recreation Area is the place for you, conveniently located just a short drive from Iron River.
$15 - $20 / night
Located 1 mile south of Highway 2 on Ranger Road and a favorite in the summer, the Bois Brule is a 22-unit campground with 17 pull-in sites and five walk-in sites. A canoe landing is located in the picnic area, and visitors will find the Stoney Hill Nature Trail across Ranger Road from the campground. A hand pump and vault toilets are centrally located.
$16 - $32 / night
$20 - $40 / night
Legend
I 100% agree with Legend Laura about the price of this campground. If it was simply about the location, this would get five plus stars because it's so beautiful! But if you're from out of state, the prices are even more expensive than she indicated previously, so they must have updated them.
The campsite itself is only $16 which is a bargain! But, if you are out of state like we are, there's also a $15 charge for that. And then, that doesn't include admission to the area, so you pay $11 and change for that. It ended up being about $50 total. That said, we paid it and fully enjoyed it but not sure we would do it again unless we had a Wisconsin sticker. At least to alleviate the $11 charge to get in.
All of that out of the way, the site itself is absolutely gorgeous. This park has lots of very mature trees and lots of very mature pine trees, making it very quiet. The spaces are quite distant from one another and we didn't hear our neighbors at all. We were at one of the walk-in campsites which I chose on purpose because it was literally on top of the river, we could sit by the river and wade our toes if we wanted to. It had a fire ring, a very short walk to the bathroom, and only a short distance to the car from the site. Maybe 100 ft plus about 30 stairs to get up to the parking level.
The walk-in sites also double as canoe campsites, so the river is something you can paddle if the water is sufficient to do so. There is a beautiful little picnic area near the bathrooms that sits on the river as well. Vault toilets seemed as clean as they could be, and they are a little fancier than your single vaults. They have stalls and toilet paper!
I highly recommend if you live in Wisconsin visiting this site as it wouldn't cost much at all. Out of towners, it's a bit more pricey.
Guide
Great location, and has the basics for the camping. I was in site 44, and most of the sites in the "middle" were more of an open field with a couple of trees. There were no real clear boundary lines . If you are looking for a little more shade or tree cover, book a perimeter site. This is also the first campsite I've been to where the fire pit didn't have a grill grate on part of it. There is water on site, but it is the hand pump style, so it would help to have a large open container to capture the water.
Cell service was really spot (can be a good thing when camping), and I wasn't able to pick up a lot of radio stations either. Still nice to enjoy the quite dark skies. Short walk down stairs to Lake Superior which offered some great sunset views.
Lots of great hiking trails, and close to a lot of other fun attractions. I would plan on coming back up here another time, and possible pick a different site after being here.
LegendWe drove through this campground and liked it fine, it has a USFS campground feel to it. Very lush and green, lots of trees and nice individual spots. Sites are reservable online or by phone. No pay station at campground, no FCFS sites.
Cost for non-residents is $21 for the campsite and another $11 daily state park entrance fee. So, $32 for the same type of campground as a USFS at about $15. We just couldn’t justify paying that when we knew there were USFS campgrounds nearby. If you’re a resident and/or already have the annual Wisconsin state parks pass, then the cost here is pretty reasonable.
There’s a hand-pump water faucet here, vault toilets, and just outside of the campground is a dumpster and a mixed recycling bin. Each site has a picnic table and fire grill and a cool log bench.
Legend
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.
Ranger
What a great vibe at this campground. The side we were on had sites on a hill, but each site is pull-thru and very level. There’s enough spacing to make each site feel private. The swimming pond is a nice touch. It’s our first time here, but we’re already planning a return trip next spring.
TravelerWe liked the easy drive through sites with full hookup. The campsites were tiered into the hill. This helped sound proof the campsites. There was a large group a few sites down from us that we didn't hear until we walked past their site. Some sites also had a view overlooking the pond and Lake Superior. We could see the full moon reflecting off of Lake Superior. Our site did not have this view but we saw it on a walk in the campground. The unique looking cabins were on the pond and looked to be very convenient for families with children who want to be in the water most of the time. We loved all the amenities of Water, Sewer, Electric and WiFi. We loved the close access to Bayfield and the water excursions we took from Bayfield. One of the highlights for our group was the excellent golf course close to the campground. I gave my review a 4 star because the day we were leaving the campsites lost water pressure and had no water to get ready to leave. I believe the owners will be addressing this problem. They were working on it while we were there.
Guide
This is a perfect small sized campground with trail access to UTV /Atv trails. If you are coming here to ride I would recommend going west on the trail. North a lot of the trails were closed. The coin operated atv wash is $1 for a minute. Bathrooms were extremely clean and well kept. Sites have electric no water hookups at the site . Fill of station is across from site 1.
Legend
Location is great if you're looking to do some exploring. Was very quiet even though it was close to Labor Day weekend, and for the size of the campground. I highly recommend doing some sort of tour of the Apostle Islands by boat and taking the ferry to Madeline Island.
LegendWe would return here again and again. On the Presque Isle River, numerous hiking opportunities by the water, in the woods with mega views. Campground was quiet and in the woods, the perfect retreat for those looking to relax and get back in touch with nature. Truly extra ordinary, quieter than Union Bay, close to Lake of the Clouds. Recommended!
TravelerVery clean, good for all sort of rigs and hookup needs. Very friendly and caring hosts. Close to town. Very reasonable. Quiet . Well be back. This is a great area to go to so much to see and do.
Guidenice primitive campground with large sites near great hiking. showers are available at the electric campground down the road.
ScoutTo start, I’m not a fan of this type of campground. It’s all too chiseled out of a hillside with a fake pond. Looks nice but not my thing. Sites and tables slope.
GuideGreat area near all there is to do in Bayfield
Guide
Nice sites for a couple nights with full hookups. Best part is that there is a lot of room to walk your dog as it backs up to a forest. Also, the gas station is also a bar and its a great place to have a cold one after driving all day!
TravelerWiFi wasn't perfect, but worked well most of the time. I wasn't expecting Verizon coverage, but I got 1-3 bars, and was able to use my hotspot most of the time. The campground was kept up. the grass was mowed. It is less than a mile to Lake Michigan. We would stay there again if we were in the area.
RangerThe camp ground at our location was new. They are expanding. The facilities are Brand new. There are two side to this CG. We were in the newer area of the CG. Our site is located on the side of the hill and very level. The only thing at that one site is the spacing to accommodate having your camp fire. It was a little close to your neighbor. Not enough space to have full camp chairs around. That one site (79) I would say best for just passing through. The other site are pretty good. Other than that, the owners are awesome!!! Easy to talk with and chat. Great people! I will say great place my kids loved it… and I will go back again.
LegendCampground is close to Bayfield easy bike ride. Nice camp store with ice cream. Smaller camp sites. Full hookups. Play area. Apostle islands and shore line is awesome. Reason for 3 stars is campground was loud with people/kids and vehicles.
GuideWe had a walk in site here. There was another walk site somewhat near us but they were very quiet. It was a nice wooded spot and a nice base camp for our nearby exploring. Nearby access to the river was also nice on hot days.
Guide
We had a lovely spot looking at beautiful trees and the river. But the sounds of big semi trucks going down and up the big hill got old pretty quick. Lady in the office was super cute. Wanted to put her in my pocket. We hiked Wolf Mountain and the Porcupine Mountains. We’ve done the ski jump thing too. All are great!
ScoutTrees could be trimmed around some of the sites. Restrooms and showers were clean.
Ranger
Super sweet kind owners. Facilities are nice. If there was laundry available, it would be five stars.
TravelerLarge playground, biking,hiking
GuideLoved this location. 1.5 miles out of Bayfield, yet great outdoorsy feel with decent privacy. Can bike to the brewery or wineries and bike to town. Common area great for corn hole and a meager playground for the kids. Also super close to the gourmet garage bakery. Yum.
Guide
The first four days were five stars. The campground was mostly full of tents, pop ups, small trailers, and a few 5ers and Class As. The site was clean and groomed. Spacing is nice and provides some privacy. The location is secluded with an easy walk to a quiet stretch of Lake Superior shoreline. The waterfalls in the area are a don't miss attraction. For a longer day trip the State Park to the east was magnificent as was Copper Peak.
The last three nights were 1 star. A large open frame generator ran 24/7 the entire time. The "camper" said quiet hours were only for TVs and radios. The generator ran even while they left the campsite. The owner ignored all requests to honor the quiet hours and insulted anyone that asked. We were three campsites away and it interfered with our sleep.
There are no camp hosts, no cellar coverage, and the Rangers do not answer knocks on the door at their offices about 20 miles away. You are on your own.
LegendThis is a private campground that fills up quick. It is 1 mile from Bayfield town center. It is close to the ferry dock, restaurants, parks and beaches. All sites are electric and water and some are full hook up. There are cabins and tent sites as well. The office/store is very clean and stocked with things you may need. 8 flavor ice creams on site! There is a dump station and picnic tables and fire rings at each site. There is free wi-fi and a shower house, bathrooms and laundry.
ScoutVery run down bathroom and shower facilities. When we were here the site next to us housed some rather undesirable folks. No noise policy here either. Lots of mosquitos. Would not stay here again.
TravelerAwesome campground located right on a central boardwalk trail to 4 falls. no service anywhere near, and big rvs beware of the trip up the mountain as the roads haven't been paved in forever. if you can take the risk definitely stay at this gem in the mountains
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Bayfield, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Bayfield, WI is Apostle Islands Area RV park and Camping with a 4.4-star rating from 22 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Bayfield, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 glamping camping locations near Bayfield, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
