This park has a fair amount of trees throughout which gives a greater sense of privacy than most state parks. As usual, the facilities were well maintained and the park was clean. The beach was great for morning walks but that draw makes it seem that this park is probably packed in the summer. Location of hiking trails from campsite isn't super clear but head south for the longest trails. If it's been raining a lot I'd be wary as many of the sites were completely underwater when we went. It's a great place to take your dog with you! (Beware if they have long hair though, the pine trees meant I had to cut sap out of my dog's hair in several places.)
Hickory Hills is a quiet but activity filled campground 30 minutes from Madison. There are many permanent campers but they are all friendly and welcoming. The lake has a nice beach. The pool is not too large but works on a hot day. Most people have golf carts as there is no place to park by the pool or the club house. The bathrooms are clean and well maintained. Every weekend there are activities planned from wine tasting to Halloween trick or treating. The sites are large and you can choose from shady or sunny sites. Great place to spend a few days or the whole summer.
Great place to take the fam, big sites not to close to other campers. Lots of trees to hang a hammock and relax, great beach, good hiking. Going back for a weekend to check out the walk ins.
Campground Review
I've been going to Long Lake for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately we haven't camped here in a couple years, but it was really nice to be back.
We visited in September this year, so the campground was much more empty that it is in the summer. It was also cool, so we didn't make it to the beach this year.
One big change was that a lot of the larger trees were knocked down in a storm earlier this year, so many of the campsites have less shade than in the past. The one we were on this time we've camped on before, but the spot we usually pitch our tent was where they put the downed trees, so the site was smaller and sunnier.
I still really love this campground. It has a good amount of non-electric sites, which we prefer. The access to many hiking options in the Kettle Moraine state forest is great, and when it is hot out the lake is nice for swimming.
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, this time I got to test the Red Ledge Free Rein rain jacket.
I've gone through many cheap ponchos, but haven't had a real raincoat since I was a kid. The one I had as a kid was rubbery, stiff, and not breathable. The Red Ledge jacket is nothing like this. It is light, comfortable, and breathes well. It even has zippered arm pits, in case you need to air them out 😊
I've only used it a couple times in the rain, but I can say it worked. If you are spending serious time in the rain I'd suggest rain pants, since this goes only a little past your waist, and your pants are likely to get wet. Red Ledge does have a "Free Rein" pant as well, but I haven't tried them.
I'm not sure whether I would pay for a coat like this, but I don't think it is overpriced. It is a well-made coat with high quality materials. Overall, I have nothing bad to say about this rain coat. It is well made, works well, and looks good too.
We visited this fall and were happy. I always forget that the sites in the 340’s are awesome. There was some flooding but it didn’t effect our trip.
Took my 2 year old fir first time tent camping, we were at site 231, which was huge and very nice. We had some friends at other sites that weren’t as nice. There is a YouTube video posted of all the sites. There is so much to do we couldn’t do everything we wanted in the one night we stayed.
Overall great place! Would definitely go again. A bit pricey to camp but you definitely get your money’s worth.
The park is clean, lots of shade, host on site and very well maintained. The almost 100 sites are all gravel with electric and water for a great price. Reservations can be made thru Real Racine but half of the sites are available for walkins. There is a shooting range close and RR to the west and Mitchell Airport to the north but they aren't bad.
The people who work there are wonderful and even most of the seasonal campers we met were very nice people. We did have a few run ins with some not so good people however and the cops visit there often. The owners do their part to make things right however and immediately made the people causing trouble to leave. We were there for about a month and overall it was a good place to stay. Our tent site was right next to the playground, pool and bathrooms which made it convenient for our children, however kids run all over at night on the weekends until 2 am so the noise at that hour can be annoying. We also went through several storms while there and were offered parts for one of our canopies that blew away and the security guy who was always nice to us tied our other canopy to a tree when it also blew away to prevent it from going farther and being more damaged. Bathrooms I would give a 2 star rating alone.
Bathrooms and outhouses were very clean! Not a lot to do but quiet and friendly atmosphere.
Wonderful and clean beaches and accessible areas for dogs. The sites are nicely sized and the firewood sales are decent and dry! The paved roads in the campground are nice for bike and rollerblading. We loved exploring the the paths to the lake from our site. We will definitely be back soon!
I have always loved this campground since I was a teen. We went this past labor day weekend and loved the nice big sites, the paved roads for bikes and rollerblading and the beaches were really clean. We loved just walking around the paths to and from the lake to our site. People were very respectful the firewood was kept in a dry spot (always a pet peeve of mine, some campgrounds dont have the best storage system). Overall great place and we will be back very soon.
Nice park pretty laid back. Had some cool amenities like the off road park and multiple fishing spots. Has a winery and cool dive bars all within 10 min. Only downside is all the noise from the road and the drag strip near by.
The sites are large and nice. There are some sites that aren't very level so you do need to check that out if you're in a larger rv. We had the beach mostly to ourselves. We camped from Monday to Thursday after school had started back. We will be returning to this campground. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. The only down side we found was the limited shower and toilet facilities for such a large campground. We didn't have any trouble because of the time we were camping but it would be a problem if the campground was pretty full.
My dad took me here when I was in junior high. And now I’ve been taking my daughter here for years. Two beaches and a fishing pier make our top list of daytime activities. The Ice Age trail comes through the forest and makes for some nice hiking. Flush toilets and showers are also a great perk!
We were in town for the annual geocachers Cache Bash. We chose this property because it had some of the best reviews and was closest to the location of the event that we were attending. The rules are terribly strict and evidently don't apply to everyone. Several people had 2 cars to a site when we were told that we could not park our 2nd vehicle onsite. We were even told how to park the one vehicle that could remain on our site. When I called to reserve we were told we wouldn't have to pay for all 4 children to stay, but when I reserved the site, I had to pay.$68/night is ridiculous for something that hasn't been updated since 1970. The pay shower was horrible: the water smelled like rotten eggs. We will be in town again, but will never stay at this campground. The only thing it has going for it was the location and it was maintained fairly well. Update the facilities if you're going to charge a premium to camp at your facility and don't be so crazy about the rules. You have to sign a piece of paper saying you understand and have read the rules. The owners seem to be control-freaks. After getting home and taking two of the children to the doctor for an illness that was caught while in the campground, we found that the smell from the hot water in the showers was actually from bacteria in the water.
Went on our maiden voyage with a new trailer and loved this place. Flat sites, some shade in the center sections. Outer sites backed to woods for most sites. The campground takes reservations 7 days out or drive up. We saw a lot of bigger rigs but so much space between sites it didn't feel like we were crowded. Even the Saturday night it was full still felt quiet and peaceful. Bathrooms were clean. About a mile hike to Lake Michigan but easy flat route-goes along community park thru a small neighborhood. Amazing view! Racine is only a 15 min drive away. No camp store or office. Camp Hosts helpful. Stores nearby. Great place to go for space, flat sites and trees.
We had a pretty cool site up on a hill which was awesome. But the noise from the congested RV campgrounds below made it feel less peaceful. I can deal with mosquitos, but the mosquitos here were unbelievable. It seems like a fun way to get out on a lake, but in terms of hiking or rest and relaxation it wasn’t really our thing.
I enjoy Illinois beach state park for a quick getaway. It’s a great spot to cook out and have a beer. However it is generally loud, with no vegetation between you and your neighbor. It’s not an ideal spot to connect with nature. The beach is pretty but it’s more interesting to look at the derelict old buildings and nearby out of use nuclear power plant.
We had a wooded site in the Sunset campground, mid-week.
The sites are rustic but nicely groomed with a tree line between most campsites, although almost none of the spots had occupants. The camp hosts were very nice and very communicative about all the happenings. Picnic table and fire pit included. Long enough drive in for RVs. But enough grass for tenting. Not many trees available for clothes lines.
Unfortunately, we might have had bad timing. The beach was closed due to high levels of bacteria. The pit toilets closest to us were also closed due to a bee hive being found so we ended up driving to the flush toilets if there was any urgency but could walk if you wanted. We also picked a spot by the water fountain. The water was yellow from iron. It had just stormed so the bugs were bad and everything was wet. So mostly a series of unfortunate events but we still enjoyed our time.
Because this is a prairie, there is so much to look at! The hiking trails are great through prairie and woods. The sunrise over the prairie and the sunset colors of the sky were great.
This campground is a great family oriented campground. There were many seasonal sites that were located in the main portion of the campground. There is a playground and a beach area. You are also able to rent paddle boats to use on the lake. You are also able to check out horse shoes to play and a bar for the adults to enjoy themselves at.
There are three sections to this campground. The main section houses the seasonal sites and cabins that you can rent. There are also some open sites that you can rent by the night. We noticed that this section was much louder than the other two. With the number of people that come up each weekend and the bar there was a decent amount of partying that was happening. We walked back to the back section of the campground, which is past a marshy area, and found this to be quieter. There were also not as many people staying here the weekend we were there. We stayed in the front section of the campground, which has smaller camping spaces for rent. This was the quietest area of the campground, especially not many others were camping the weekend that we went. After walking around the rest of the campground, we decided to stay near our site since it was so quiet there.
The main section of this campground is very open with few trees. There were trees along the walk to the back section, but again it was open once you arrived there. The front section had the most trees, but was still fairly open. Water was located next to the bathroom and the bathrooms were clean.
I would try this campground again if we had children, because there would be things for them to do. However, if we would be going by ourselves and we were planning on staying somewhere for hiking and for peace and quiet, I would choose another place to stay.
We went here for a friend's birthday. It felt like we were packed in like sardines. Barely enough space to use the fire pit. Not much for shade and the only separating you from your neighbors are driveways/roads. The best parts was the full hookups, the pool, and the live music.
I do not think we will return to this campground.
We had a great time camping over the summer! Plenty for the kids and adults.
This was our first time camping in Wisconsin and we got to say we absolutely love this park. Most of the sites are pretty secluded so if you enjoy your privacy I will love this place. Everything was clean and updated including the bathrooms. The campsites are about a mile or two from Lake Michigan but it is an easy drive or hike as there are many trails that go through the park. When we went to the lake level was up so high due to flooding that we weren’t really able to enjoy the beach but normally there is plenty of coastline for enjoying some beach time.
we went 8/10,weather was nice,beach campground 924 spot was close to showers and restrooms.Good and close plase for gateway,its onlu 2,30 hours from Chicago
The campground is well kept with several bathrooms and showers. We have a 30ft travel trailer, and it was easy to maneuver around the campground. We did have to wait in line to fill the water tank, but the water pressure was good and it didn’t take too long. We stayed at site 327e, which was very easy to back in to and was mostly level. Easy access to electrical and plenty of space for slide outs. A nice big fire pit with large flat grate for cooking, one of the best set ups I’ve seen. Would be perfect, but there’s a loud highway WI-67 traffic about 20 ft from the campsite. Tons of loud motorcycles and trucks with constant traffic. If you want solitude I would avoid sites 305e-328e, all of the odd number sites back up to the road. Evens, except for 328e, are inside and are better. Video shows traffic and noise. I would come back, but pick a site inside the campground and away from highway.
Our spot was a nicely wooded site in the back portion of the campground. The hiking trails are beautiful, with great views. Its a great place for some fall camping.
There are a ton of activities here to include two bouncy pillows, three play grounds, a pool, water slides, a kids water activity area, beach, water obstacle course, inflatable slide, RC car track, laser tag, mini golf, giant chess, and I'm sure I'm missing something. Great place for families. Don't allow Saturday checkout.
Family friendly campground. Plenty for the kids to do. Theres a fishing pond (catch and release) arcade, jumping pillow etc. Owners are friendly and helpful. Have events almost every weekend. Check it out. You wont be disappointed.