Best Tent 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.

Great little campground. It's small, clean and quiet. You self register for check-in, there's a bathroom building with 3 stalls and two showers(women) and hot water. We purchased an RV site($20) even though we were camping in a tent so our truck and trailer would fit and it comes with water and electricity at the camp site. Each campsite comes with a picnic table and fire ring. The ORV Route is right outside the campground entrance and you can ride to the trail. You can also get ice and gas at the gas station in town by taking the alley. We stayed again in 2020 in Our RV. They have 4 pull through sites with full hook-ups;$25 a night. 50/20 amps, high water pressure.

Tent camped here on may 30th. Very quiet with some sites right on the lake. About a 7 mile gravel road to get here from the main road.

Nice campground with all the basics of a National Forest Campground. The sites offer each site a fair amount of privacy. They are all suitable for trailers and tent camping as they provide a level tent pad in each site.

I'm only giving 4 stars because the campground is about a mile from the lake. However, the distance from the water does help with the mosquitoes.

Fire rings have grills, and there are wooden picnic tables.

Lac Vieux Desert is a big and beautiful lake with excellent fishing! Although we didn't do great, others did. This is the headwaters of the Wisconsin River.

The camp ground was under expansion when we went, which is good cause there weren't many open sites when we booked. The bathrooms were clean and the site was a good wooded tent site.

Just off the White River, rafting just down the road. Boulder lake is clear and cold. There’s beach area, tent sites, tv sites with a few electric sites. Miles and miles of trails. We go in October, less bugs, very quiet.

Host was very accommodating when we needed to plug in our boat. The moss-covered old growth forest provided an excellent tent site & entertained our 2 boys under 8 until they tired. The swimming area Was under kept but we still enjoyed all day. Overall our Saturday- Monday visit was very pleasing.

Great tent site on water, near excellent shower bath facilities, swimming and fishing right from site.   This is only park that is w host in national forest, many others are available that do not offer discounts for senior and disabled w america beautiful federal pass this one does allow.  With all amenities.  W in forest there are many parks and dispersed camping as well.

I have been coming here for 5 years. Every Year there is improvements made to increase the wonderful experience of camping and just when you think it cannot get any better they add a event or service to make it all more relaxing experience. 

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.

The fishing is great both from your kayak, boat or the shore line. 

There are very clean porta johns,  a large grassy area for play and volleyball court.

A large Children's play area .

The owners and fellow campers are always available to lend a hand and the area has much history especially across the border in and around Iron Mountain Michigan.

Swimming and the sound of children playing fills the air.

For those who want a more rustic experience there are tent sites that provide that.

I Highly recommend coming and enjoying the Tranquil Vista Experience and if your like me and my family and friends it will become your summer destination.

Nestled on Lake Tomahawk, this small campground is comprised of drive-in and walk-in sites. Walk-in sites being tent camp only, which is the option we took. There is a small beach on site, and a number of lake front sites to choose from. Oh, can't forget.. The sun sets over the lake! Paved roads made it easy for my children to navigate the grounds on their scooters. There are electric and non electric sites, a water pump, but no showers. Your park pass will give you access to Clear Lake campground (couple miles down the road), which does has showers, another beach, and also firewood sales. We meant to take the boat on multiple lakes, but the fishing on Lake Tomahawk was spectacular! Hiking the trails near our site, you really get a sense of being in the northwoods. We could hear the birds, frogs, found salamanders, seen an otter, musk rat, loons, and more.

The nearest town is Lake Tomahawk, where you can fuel up, get bait, or grab a bite to eat(maybe an ice cream cone for the kids).

As I said in the description, the grounds are simple. However, we booked three nights but felt the need at the end of our trip to book another. We'll be coming back. Safe travels.

This campground in Felch is a rustic campground, with two outhouses and a water pump for potable water that sits on Gene's Pond. It’s a gorgeous campground, with a boat ramp and fishing dock on the lake. We’ve camped here twice now, and love the remote location — it’s pretty far back in the woods and ideal for anyone who really wants that northern Michigan/remote experience. At night, you can sometimes hear wolves in the distance. We had the campground to ourselves the first time, and th second time there was only one other camper. We tent camped, and while the outhouses were clean, the one nearest our campsite was out of toilet paper. Luckily we had our own. There are only a handful of campsites. Maybe 12 or 15 total? And all of them are well shaded with good privacy, a picnic table, and a fire pit. The only downside to this campground is the horrid water. It comes from a cistern (I imagine) and has a hand pump. The water is awful. Cloudy and foul tasting, stale and full of minerals. The second time we camped there we made sure to bring our own water. The fishing was great in Gene's Pond. My hubby caught some bluegill in the lake that we cooked up for dinner. It’s really a beautiful spot, not far from Felch or Sagola for supplies, and near some great brook trout fishing on the Ford River. We'll definitely go back.

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!

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

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!