Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

Bagley Rapids Campground is located in the Lakewood- Laona District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, which is about as far South as the Forest goes. This makes Bagley Rapids Campground the perfect spot for a quick weekend trip from surrounding larger cities. It's roughly 2.5 hours away from Madison and Milwaukee and just over an hour away from the Green Bay area. 

If outdoor recreation is your thing, this is the perfect base camp. The campground entrance is right off the ATV / Snowmobile / Horse Trails which connect to thousands of miles of trail systems all throughout the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I've stayed here 5 times in the last two years and frequent the local logging roads on my Dual Sport motorcycle. I'd say over 1/4 of the spots are actually located on Bagley Rapids, a very clear, crisp refreshing spring fed river that runs around the campground. It's great to wade into and enjoy after a hot day hiking and exploring trails. 

A couple miles from the campground is nearby Mountain, WI where you can get basic groceries, gas and a great bar burger. Within 30 minutes you can be in the smaller town of Wabeno, which is home to some of the best ATV trails around and also has a very cool old style downtown.

The sites are a mix of tent and RV with some really great spots with some elevation that back down into the river. It's always been peaceful during my stays and never gets loud and rowdy.

As there isn't a beach, small children should stay out of the river due to it's strong current, so this might not be the best choice if you're going purely for the water.

We have been coming here for a long time. It is under new management and we thought things would get better. While we were here other guests trashed the beach and had dogs running and using the bathroom throughout the campsite. The rules for dogs were to keep them on leashes and clean up after them. These rules were not being followed which caused the beach, in the past is lovely, but with the dogs using it as a bathroom the beach smelt like poop. Nobody in our week of staying cleaned up after them so we needed to go somewhere else to swim. If your place is pet friendly please make sure to keep up with your own rules. The cabins are run down but showers are hot and the utilities are still able to be used

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. 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.

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. We were in a bind & needed something last minute but we still had specific wants.....like privacy! Their online reservations were easy. Pics of the sites were clear. Electric hook up & a great rate!
This camp is well off the beaten path , narrow windy roads abound. But all paved & no traffic. In fact, we never saw a soul. The drive is lovely thru the Nicollet State forest. Although, you will lose service & it your relying on GPS directions, you’ll find yourself in a bind like us. But we got out our trusty map & winged it. Cell service kicked in just in time & we made it!

Check in was a breeze. The gal was lovely & helpful. You will need a Wisconsin park’s admission sticker. The drive is still a 2.2 mile trek beyond the check in building. Our site was perfect. It was lush, green, & private . Well sized, easy to find, part grass, part gravel. Picnic table & fire ring. If you need it , they have a few bathroom buildings peppered around the loop & a very well kept shower & bathroom building upon entering the campground. I’m telling you, this place is PRIVATE. It is out there.. but still very well maintained. We were impressed by that.

If anyone one else was camping , we didn’t know until we walked the dogs around the loop. Our site was surrounded by forest & the dogs were able to roam our site freely. There were mosquitoes, as it was slightly humid & rained a bit. But nothing mosquito spray couldn’t handle. FYI- if you have kids they will be bored. There is no playground that we saw. But if you just want some peace & quiet - this is the place for you! Most of the campers were older retirees. It looked like there were trails to explore but since it was a quick stay, we didn’t get a chance. We plan on coming back for sure & checking it out. For reference: We have a 19ft travel trailer & a ford truck. We stayed at site 19 , it is pull in & it was perfect,with plenty of room for everything. We took a walk to be nosy &also liked site 20, it was even bigger! Site 14 looked great for a pull thru site. There were also some much larger sites for bigger rigs. There also plenty of tent sites that looked great too. Dogs are welcome. As an added bonus- there were raspberry bushes everywhere! They were just coming in , but if you catch it right. You’ll be up to your eyeballs in fresh raspberries.. yum!

Musky Lake Campground is a nice campground. We camped mid-late June and had a nice little trip. Here's the good and the bad.

The good:

A surplus of dragonflies means that mosquitos were NOT a problem. As someone who gets eaten alive this is important.

Deer are rampant in the area. The loons on the lake are the epitome of the north woods! I camp to enjoy wildlife, so this is a plus.

Nice hiking trails nearby. Numerous bike paths as well.

Large bathroom facility with flush toilets and showers.

The bad:

Sites are close together. I prefer a bit more privacy than they allow.

Lake access from the site is...existent at best. I was able to launch my inflatable kayak very carefully between the sticks and weeds, though I'm not sure anything bigger or heavier would be worth launching from the site.

No beach swimming areas for dogs. There's a dog friendly picnic area, but it is certainly no place to let your dog swim.This was disappointing. Many of the trails are also off limits for dogs which is beyond me, though this is unrelated to the actual campground I'm sure.

All in all Musky Lake is worth checking out. There is a nice human friendly beach at nearby (you can walk there) Crystal Lake. The location is good, not too far from civilization for those who like a grocery store nearby.The sites were level and had plenty of room for our 2 tents. This area has to be on your list if you are a bike rider! I felt out of place because everyone up there had their bikes, and I could see why.

A nice little beach, quiet well spaced sites, and nearby snowmobile/hiking trails. The lake it small with a few lake cabins across the lake. The camp host was great, keeping things clean and maintained a small camp library. No dogs allowed on the beach or even in the beach area. Some beautiful lakeside sites available. Lots of frogs and basically no bugs!

This year we brought our dog. He tends to bark a lot but the campsites were spread out enough that he rarely barked.

It was busier this year compared to last year. Very few campsites were empty. A lot of kids on their bikes. Since the campground is a small loop, it's good for bike riding but also is close to the bike trail.

Same camp hosts this year. They are seriously so clean and organized.

We got a different site this year. This time we are right on the creek. We heard running water all day and night. Kinda nice. We brought our pop-up this year. No electricity but honestly didn't feel we needed it.

This campground is out there. With sites right next to the lake, you’re sure to enjoy some of Wisconsin’s beautiful north woods.

Campground has some pretty great facilities.. flushing toilets and running water throughout the campground (although not potable when we visited this June). Also has a pretty great beach in the campground as well as one just a few minutes outside of the campground. Both beaches are sandy & great for swimming especially considering most of the lake is pretty rocky, especially in the campground area. Lake has quite a few crayfish in it, but the fishing is pretty good, too - catch-and-release only for the smallmouth bass to help keep the crayfish population in check, but it can be fun to catch the bigger smallies the lake produces. Very clear water in the lake, I was able to see down 20+ feet to see the bottom and scope for fish, etc. Sites and campground overall is clean and well-kept; we ended up switching sites this year due to other campers with loud dogs & generators running all night (against campground rules, but wasn’t enforced by the host), but it’s still a family favorite to go to. Decent cell reception as well, for those who need to stay connected. also, only about a 10-15 minute drive from town of Iron River which has a few nice stores & an ice cream shop :)

Jake from the Dyrt here! Tipler Trails is a great Wisconsin spot to camp, especially if you like riding ATV's or fishing!  Check them out and leave a review about your stay on the Dyrt!

Great community in the park for summer/early fall living. Numerous lakes nearby for fishing; a boat ramp into the Wisconsin River for canoes/kayaks is just across 45

I’ve been here April through October

Wisconsin had the most confusing online reservation system we have ever used. The only state that requires a state sticker with their camping fees. The parks lack amenities for the price they charge.

This campground is right on Jack Lake and Game Lake. There are a bunch of trails right in and around the campground, as well as opportunities for canoeing on Game Lake (there is a canoe you can just use for free). The Ice Age trail, the 1000 mile trail that goes throughout Wisconsin, also passes right by the campground.

I formally lived in northern Wisconsin and we would camp here quite often. Huge lake. Most sites are lake front with steps leading right down to your own private beach! This campground is very popular and busy but it is mostly local people and my experience has been they're all respectful. If youre looking for a less busy experience fall might be a better time or a weekday in summer. Don't forget the bug spray! Those northwoods bugs are lethal🤣