Best Tent Camping near Colfax, WI

Tent Camping Reviews near Colfax, WI

331 Reviews of 11 Colfax Campgrounds

• 

  Kelly S.

  Traveler

  May. 2, 2018

  Frontenac State Park Campground

  Early Season Experience

  We spent a single night here at site 37. The site was great, the privacy was okay, and the campground itself was slightly above average.

  Our site was huge. It could have easily accommodated an RV and a tent. There was a campfire ring and picnic table there like each site, but ours also had a tent pad and a very long parking spot. We were tent camping. This was the first tent pad I have ever been able to stake down without bending or breaking stakes and needing a mallet. The site was also close to a few of the trailheads. See pictures. Would recommend site 37 any day.

  The privacy was nonexistent because there were no leaves on the trees yet. In the summer, that might change. There are trees between sites.

  The campground itself was okay. The ranger and lady in the office when we stopped in were a little strange, but helpful. They were out of wood, but there is a DNR certified seller not a mile down the road- you can get more wood for cheaper there anyway. In MN, you need to get your firewood from the state park you are at or a certified seller in the same county to prevent the spread of tree pests and disease. The ranger can and will stop at your site and ask to see your seller card from the wood. The rest of the campground was nice. Many water spigots were still frozen, but there isn't much to be done about that. Overall, I would definitely recommend this campground!

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• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Jan. 12, 2025

  Highland Ridge

  Beautiful but buggy!

  General: Smallish (38 sites plus four walk-in sites) Army Corps of Engineers campground. Some (see below) have electric hookups but no water or sewer hookups, however, there is a dump station. 

  Site Quality: All sites are gravel/dirt (except for the ADA-accessible site), and most are very generous in size. Our site (7) sloped down but leveled out with plenty of room for our campervan at the bottom. All sites are wooded with trees providing separation/privacy between sites. Completing the site are a metal picnic table, fire ring, and lantern hook. 

  Bath/Shower House: Sites 28-38 only have vault toilets (but you could trek to the other campground loop). Sites 1—27 have flush toilets and showers. They were very clean, and I especially appreciated the fact that they were cleaned daily before 6 am, a shout out to the camp host! The shower was great– warm water and great flow, although our friends (who arrived two days before we did) had cold showers when the campground was full.

  Activities: Several short hiking trails. I give this campground 4 stars instead of 5 because Eau Galle Reservoir (Lake George) is about a 10-minute drive from the campground. Most Corps of Engineers campgrounds are located right on the water. There are no amenities (rentals, etc.) offered at the lake but it is small and beautiful, and we enjoyed a peaceful paddle. We saw a couple of people fishing on the lake and there is a small swimming area. At the campground, there was an interpretive center, but it was locked when we were there. There is also a nice, modern playground. 

  Aside from the plentiful bugs (in August), we enjoyed our two-night stay at this campground!

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• 

  Mary S.

  Legend

  Aug. 16, 2018

  Frontenac State Park Campground

  Shady, quiet campground in the woods with short hiking opportunities

  Campground Design

  I like that it's split into 4 small loops (1-11, 12-28, 29-38 and 39-59). There shouldn't be much traffic in any one loop. It's a very shady campground - lots of trees so it's quite dark at night with no stargazing from your site.

  Our site #42 was right next to #40 and there's not much privacy between the 2 sites. There's a lot more distance and privacy between #42 and #44. In general, sites are fairly close together but there are some trees in between.

  I thought we might be closer to the Mississippi River, but the campground is located above the river (called Pepin Lake at this wide point). You can hike down to the river; the steep descent makes the short hike more interesting. There are Lower and Upper Bluff trails as well as other short, connected trails throughout the park. (See photo of trail map.)

  Tent Campers

  There are 6 'cart in' sites, but they are about 1/2 mile away from the main campground and on the other side of the road. Park, put your gear in a cart, and walk about 1/4 mile to your site (C1 through C6). 

  Special rule for these sites: You have to pay $2 to use the showers at the main campground! Your camping rate is $15 instead of $23 for a non-electric site. If a cart in site doesn't appeal to you, the regular sites are good for tents; many have tent pads. There are also a couple backpacker sites.

  Amenities

  • Picnic table and fire ring on each site. Some sites have a tent pad. The 'rule of 3' says you can have 3 'units' on a site - 2 tents + vehicle, RV + rent +vehicle,... - One restroom with flush toilets, sinks and showers (old but no temperature control) located near the road in front of the loop with sites 12-28. We were in the last loop on site 42, and there was a pit toilet that smelled okay but had lots of flies.

  • Some electric sites ($31) in the first 2 loops; the map (see photo) has an 'e' next to the site number and so does the post at the site.

  • Dump station that includes a potable water filling station. There are water spigots in the camping areas.

  • Trash dumpsters and recycle bins.

  Extra fees

  • There's a $7 reservation fee for online or phone reservations, and the site posts indicate you need to 'reserve' the site before you set up camp.  You avoid that fee by showing up without a reservation when the office is open, but I wouldn't do that on a Friday or Saturday in the summer. You can always get a sense of whether showing up without a reservation is feasible by checking availability online. It also looks like you avoid the fee if you reserve online on the day you stay.

  • $7 entry fee per day is standard in MN parks. A $35 pass is good for 12 months.

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• 

  Debra M.

  Legend

  Jul. 18, 2021

  Lake Wissota State Park Campground

  Smaller scale park but lots to do

   This park is on a smaller scale and less crowded than Devil’s Lake. There is a small beach that is in the process of renovation. The sites are large surrounded by trees and very private. The sites on the lake side are not electric and some of them are huge buddy sites, great for extended families. There are two shower houses in the campground located next to sites 29 or 72. If you are on the legs furthest from the lake it is a long walk to them, but all those sites have electric. There are two vault toilet locations and a total of 116 campsites all with a picnic table and fire ring. There is a very large playing field and a playground in the Family Campground and another playground past the beach near the fishing dock. This State Park has a large number of picnic shelters and picnic grounds with picnic tables. There are about 10 hiking trails. There is a boat launch and you can rent kayaks or canoes at the visitor center. Everything was kept clean and in good repair. Cell service for both AT&T and Verizon was strong enough to stream video. If you want to take a trip to town, there are about 5 no longer than a 10 mile distance. There was a large grocery store in Chippewa Falls. Only ice and firewood are available at the park.

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• 

  Jaime N.

  Ranger

  Nov. 9, 2020

  Willow River State Park Campground

  A nice getaway off season

  Three campgrounds, first come first serve. $10/day entry $40/daily for electric hook up (non-resident); no full hook-ups, no water, only 1 vault toilet open per campground. Year round availability, however- tough to find! Very hard to get a cellular connection (T-mobile). Beautiful views of the river, right along the edge if you tent camp. Multiple playgrounds, hiking trails and loads of nature, large beach and waterfalls.

• 

  debe K.

  Guide

  Oct. 10, 2021

  Harstad Park

  Great Place to Simply Camp

  Harstad is get away camping. Right on the Eau Claire River with canoe kayak access. A great shallow creek for kids to explore. 29 sites mostly separated by trees and brush. A large reservable shelter and field for playing sports on. Only has pit toilets, no electricity and no showers. The bathrooms are are cleaned daily by rangers from another county park. No ranger on site, so you have to request firewood for purchase the day before. Has reduced rate for weekly stays.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Jan. 14, 2025

  Nelson's Landing RV Park

  Convenient location for our stay

  General: There is a main campground and a bonus sites section; we stayed in the Main campground and this review is based on that. There are approximately 90 sites laid out in typical RV park fashion with the sites close together and no physical privacy between sites. 

  Site Quality: Sites tend to be very long and could accommodate even large-size Class A rigs. The “driveways” are a mix of grass and gravel and were not very well defined. Each site has a picnic table on a concrete pad. Our site had water and electric hookups. Our challenge was that we arrived after dark, and the site numbers were posted at the back end of the sites, necessitating a sleuthing operation with my flashlight to find our site. Only a few sites had fire rings that I could see. 

  Bathhouse: The women’s area had three “all-in-ones” with a toilet, sink, and shower. They were very clean with hooks, soap, and paper towels. The entire bathhouse appeared to be in a state of remodeling, and it wasn’t clear what was going to happen with the remainder of the space (plumbed but not completed when we were there). Did not use the shower so cannot comment on that. 

  We arrived after dark and left the next morning but our stay on a Friday in August was quiet except for the loud trains running along the Mississippi. We heard two around 10 pm and either there were no more until the next morning, or we mercifully slept through them! This RV Park is located in the small town of Nelson and accessed through a residential neighborhood. Although not our preferred camp stay, we chose it since we knew we wanted to eat at Stone Barn Pizza (a must if you are in the area!) which is why we arrived after dark!

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• 

  GoWhereYouAreDraw N.

  Legend

  May. 5, 2019

  Reicks Lake Park

  Beautiful place to watch the sunrise and start your day!

  Rieck’s Lake is located 3 miles northwest of Alma, Wisconsin. For $15 a night you will enjoy paved camping pad, fire pit, picnic table, coin-operated shower, and restroom. Electric is available at an additional charge. Word of caution there is a highway nearby so it can be noisy at times and sometimes difficult to find a spot.

  This park offers viewing platforms and is a great place to view many types of birds.

• 

  Amy G.

  Legend

  Jul. 18, 2022

  Coon Fork Campground

  Lovely campground with lake views

  The campground is lovely considering it's only $20 for lakeside ($17 non lakeside). It has a shower house, bathroom, dump station, wood for sale ($6/bundle), ice for sale and is non electric. The sites are very generous with a lot of green between spaces. You are not on top of your neighbor.

  I like to hammock, and while not a lot of the sites are ideal, they're are a few that are. A3 was one ($17 non lake) and 2LR ($20 lakeside). The latter was perfect for several hammocks.

  All sites have very clean fire rings, picnic table and a bench next to the fire pit.

  There is a totally separate loop (Loop D) for units that are self contained.

  If you don't make it before the office closes, there is self check in. A total of 108 spaces with about 30 that are first come.

  Very little road noise here… Pretty far off the road. I did have noisy radio neighbors the second night I stayed, but it happens sometimes.That did not reflect on the campground itself.

  Raccoons frequent the park, hence the name, so they will give you trash bags at check in to keep them at bay. That's a great way to help control the problem.

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