Best Tent Camping near Cross Plains, WI
State parks and county-managed lands surrounding Cross Plains, Wisconsin provide several options for tent camping within a 30-mile radius. Governor Dodge State Park offers backcountry tent campsites that require a half-mile to one-mile hike from designated parking areas. Devils Lake State Park features group tent camping areas with well-spaced sites in heavily wooded settings. New Glarus Woods State Park, located about 20 miles south of Cross Plains, includes both drive-in and walk-in tent sites along wooded trails. Sandhill Station State Campground near Lake Mills provides carry-in tent-only camping in an oak savanna setting.
Most tent campgrounds in the region feature basic amenities with varying levels of accessibility. Walk-in tent sites at New Glarus Woods require carrying gear between 40 and 1,000 feet from loading zones, with carts available to transport equipment. Sites typically include fire rings and picnic tables, with vault toilets centrally located. The backpack campsites at Governor Dodge State Park have rougher, less level ground but offer greater seclusion. Campers should note that many primitive tent camping areas lack showers, with only pit toilets available. Water access varies by location, with some campgrounds providing pumps or spigots while others require bringing your own supply.
In early fall, tent campers frequently find more comfortable conditions with fewer insects at sites throughout the region. According to reviews, the walk-in tent sites at New Glarus Woods are "spaced out well and heavily wooded," though highway noise is audible at most locations. One camper noted that site #19 offers good privacy: "You have to take a short foot-path off the main trail to get to the site and the site itself can't actually be seen from the trail or the parking lot." At Governor Dodge State Park, backpackers appreciate the "great views and plenty of privacy" despite some sites having rough, uneven terrain. Tent-only sites at Sandhill Station are described as "spacious, private and beautiful" with oak trees providing mixed shade, making it "a nice choice if you want a private, quiet getaway into the oak savanna of southern Wisconsin."