Looking for the best campgrounds near De Soto, WI? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Wisconsin camping has to offer. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Wisconsin camping adventure.
Esofea/Rentz Memorial Park is Vernon County’s oldest and most historic park. Situated on 148 acres in the Town of Jefferson, Esofea Park has 16 rustic sites, 2 electric and water sites, and 10 full hookup RV sites - advance reservations require a two night minimum. Esofea has more than 3 miles of hiking trail, a picnic shelter, a spring trout pond, large open areas for softball or kickball or volleyball, and an incredible section of the North Fork Bad Axe River running through the property. Esofea Park has something for everyone! Just down the road on the adjacent property is the Bad Axe River Country Club, featuring a nine-hole golf course, mini-golf, and disk golf.
$20 - $40 / night
Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort is one of the premier Wisconsin camping destinations! Stay with us for your family vacation, or maybe for just one or two nights to escape the stresses of everyday life. Neshonoc Lakeside offers activities for everyone, whether it's a relaxing day at the beach, fun in the sun by the pool, a spirited game of horseshoes, volleyball, boating or a relaxing day of fishing on the lake. So Stay a day, week, month or the entire season. Book your RV site, tent site or cabin today! Whether you're planning a retreat for the whole family, a group of friends or a getaway for two, there's no shortage of unique activities to explore at Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort. Plan activities upon arrival or visit this page before your departure to plan ahead. Looking for more? Our friendly staff can fill you in on all of the great ways to make your stay a memorable experience.
Located just three miles east of Lanesboro, Minnesota, Eagle Cliff Campground & Lodging offers something for everyone. Accommodations include riverfront tent sites, electric-only sites, water-electric sites and full hookup sites and a five-room motel on site. Eagle Cliff offers group camping, a picnic area, private canoe launch and wonderfully-clean central restrooms.
$30 - $46 / night
On the banks of the Westfork of the Kickapoo River - Address is S3649 County Rd S Viroqua WI 54665
The WFSC owns and operates a 19 acre main facility, with 27 sites, all group are group sites. Modern bathrooms and coin shower facilities. On the Westfork of the Kickapoo River with 1/2 mile of stream in the heart of the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. Surrounded by the Ochooch Mountains. Great location for biking, hiking, fishing, (Trout Central) star gazing, relaxing, visiting the cool shops in the local towns, the farmers market, organic farming countryside, Amish Bakeries and so much more!
Campground is self serve: Camping fees, membership dues, & any other fees should be left in the IRON RANGER – The Green post on the south end of clubhouse by the wader cleaning station. OR can be paid for online using Paypal at westforksportsclub@gmail.com (add a 4% paypal fee)
Pull in and camp where you like. Any shelters reserved for functions will be posted as such. Otherwise all sites are open if no one is there.
Instructions are posted on the building by the IRON RANGER
Cabin, Clubhouse and Lodge reservations are now made online and automated and require immediate payment.
CAMPING INFO: Only members may register to camp. Adults,(over 18), must be members. At least one adult member per family must be a member. Memberships are $30 per year and help pay for the youth environmental work we do as a club. Families may have a second tent at no cost for kids. All other adults should be members. $20/night- non-electric $30/night- electric hookup. Maximum size motorhome/camper= 32′ NO DUAL A/C systems. Firewood available on site.
The WestFork Sports Club is a conservation club. Membership fees pay for both amenities and local conservation efforts.
8 Miles from Viroqua, Wisconsin off of County Hwy Y to Avalanche, WI, turn right on S, First right. Mississippi River is 40 mins away, La Crosse– 40 Mins, Milwaukee-3 hrs, Madison,-2 hrs, Minneapolis 3 hours. Chicago 3.5 hrs.
$10 - $30 / night
$33 / night
Guide
I’ll begin by saying this is by far the cleanest campground I have stayed at. The facilities were well kept including the vault toilet houses. We stayed in a walk to site and the views were incredible. Our tent pad was quite rocky so I would recommend sleeping pads or you will be very uncomfortable. Our site was also extremely dusty which wasn’t a problem at all just be prepared to be a little dirty. The campground was quiet except for the occasional train that rolled through those are quite loud due to how close they are to the campground. I would definitely come back to Nelson Dewey and stay again. There was not a ton to do in the area so a short weekend stay was perfect. A highlight is that the park provided cart to use to haul all your stuff to the walk to sites. There is 1 designated parking spot per walk to site as well. The walk to sites are small and only accommodated our one (6 person) tent which was not a problem for us as we knew this ahead of time.
Traveler
Beautiful area with very nice trails. 20-30 mins to Winona, 20 mins to La Crosse. Not a huge site selection, but very nice sites. My wife and I try to go there as much as we can!
Traveler
Very cool secluded walk in sites, pet friendly, awesome trails.
Scout
Lots of activities. Near-by La Crosse has baseball and softball teams from the Northwoods collegiate summer league.
Scout
If you want to experience very rude and unfair treatment where you will be mistreated and ripped off by the staff and ow era you must come to Eagle Cliff campground. Was double charged for the room without any options and negotiations and knees delivered to us after we already left the campground. Staff is very rude and unwilling to be reasonable, professional and understanding. Campground looks good but rules are ridiculous and staff and owners are very shady and make non sense decisions. Stay away if you want nice peaceful stay and don’t want to be ripped off.
ScoutIf you want to experience very rude and unfair treatment where you will be mistreated and ripped off by the staff and ow era you must come to Eagle Cliff campground. Was double charged for the room without any options and negotiations and knees delivered to us after we already left the campground. Staff is very rude and unwilling to be reasonable, professional and understanding. Campground looks good but rules are ridiculous and staff and owners are very shady and make non sense decisions. Stay away if you want nice peaceful stay and don’t want to be ripped off.
TravelerThe cart in sites all have a fire pit with a grill, picnic table, and are a short walk from the primitive toilets. There is a water spigot in the parking area. They have 4-5 wheelbarrows to use as carts to get your stuff to the site. Each site could comfortably hold 3 to 4 tents. They are on a path for an out and back hike so expect some passers by. Cart in 1 and 2 are fairly close to the parking area and are less secluded from each other. 3 and 4 are more secluded. Site 3 offers more shade and 4 looks to have recently had some trees cut down and is fairly open air. Overall the trails are well maintained and accessible from the cart in area. They provide some nice views of the river and you can easily hike the area in a day. It’s by no means a secluded area if you’re looking to get away from road noise or other people. All in all it makes for a nice weekend getaway.
Scout
Free firewood, free wifi, water and electric at each campsite. Found a nice shady site for tent camping.
Scout
Dre, the campground manager, is a stellar guy to talk to. Excellent customer service! Gorgeous bluffs and river to camp right next to! Can’t wait to go back!
TravelerStayed here one night on way to YNP. Very nice and quite. Clean flush toilets. There are no hook ups.
The road in is long gravel road, but smooth. The sites are short and tree branches low. We have 10 foot high 19 foot travel trailer and it was fine for us. I think for any unit more than 30 feet will have trouble.
We liked it as overnight stop.
Ranger
We loved it here! What a gem! The views go on and on!
Huge open sites. Not a lot of trees for privacy but the sites are huge so it’s all good! Hot water and flush toilets and hot showers (need quarters). $40 for a yearly membership (covers your camping fee and then any time you return in the year the camping is only $20).
Feel like you can write your long overdue novel here. Perfect setting and very relaxing. We would stay again for sure. Lots of bugs at night to be expected being that close to the driftless. We awoke to such views - hard to beat!
GuideThis is a smaller campground but makes up for it with all the access around it. Ice Cave trail was a neat, quick walk. The trails around have gorgeous views of the driftless area and Kickapoo river. I stayed at site 1. While it is right next to the campground road and a trail, trees block the views from people looking in and there was not that much traffic. It is a tent only site and can fit one tent. Was a good site for just me and would stay at this site again as most of the other sites are very explored.
Traveler
Nice grassy sites next to a cool creek. Electric but no water hook up. There is an RV fill up and a dump. Stayed in site #34 which has shade all afternoon. Also very level. Showers are not great but they work. Nice 2 mile trail around the lake. Close to the cute town of Viroqua and 20 min. Drive to the Mississippi River. Beautiful country.
LegendNice campground, quiet would come back! It was our first time to WI so the scenery to the park was just beautiful.
Our campsite was nice. Spaced out enough from neighbors that we were comfortable. Do not like the nickel and diming of WI state parks. Charge the site fee which is reasonable enough but then a $8 reservation fee that gets you to $40 and then another $11 to NR's for the vehicle pass. You can get an annual pass for $38 but when you are just passing through it's not worth it. Brought us to $51 for the stay and it was worth it since we needed a place to camp, but I've stayed in better places for less. This park was much better than Rocky Arbor.
Bathrooms were super clean for a campground. Good shower with directions on wall, which was a nice touch. The cement in shower is stained so it looks dirty but it's really pretty clean. Enjoyed my hot shower here.
Hiked the Old Settlers Trail. It was nice, some elevation changes that get you attention. It was muggy and hot as I hiked right after the rain, so temperature was miserable at times, but it is July! The entire trail was about 3 miles round trip from the campground. Definitely check out observation point! Beautiful view!!!
GuideGreat spot in the Root River Valley. They offer lots of extras including tube rental and transport, bike rentals, bingo and live music. Our site was right long the river where we saw turtles, bald eagles and lots of other wildlife. Facilities were clean and well-maintained. Not a lot of trees between sites but still far enough apart for privacy.
RangerThis huge campground had the best lush looking grass I ever saw. There is every kind of camping to be found here, including seasonal camping. Close to Lanesboro. If I needed bathroom or showers, I would have been disappointed at the port a pots and showers far away from my site.
GuideThe campground had quite a few geese when we went so lots of honking and goose poop which dont work out if you want peace and quiet and clean shoes. The camping sites also have large tall trees where a camper should be parked which causes you to park way to close to the fire pit. Luckily we were camping in a group and could hang out at another campsite with better placement. On the plus side, the view is beautiful and the bar is nice!
TravelerThere are 4 walk-in campsites that overlook the Mississippi River (A, B, C, & D). We stayed at campsite D, which had the most incredible view! The trails were enchanting and abundant in life. It flash stormed around sunset, which is not uncommon for summer in the Midwest. The sunset seemed to last for hours as the light danced in the storm clouds. It was one of those, “wow I am grateful to be alive” experiences. Couldn’t have asked for a better bedtime show than a powerful and beautiful display of nature, it was such an unexpected delight. As the storm dissipated, the pitter-patter of the raindrops was the perfect audio to fall asleep to. Despite the humidity, we managed to get a fire going pre-storm and cooked some nice grub. There is a shed with firewood on the way into the campsite, you can pick some up for a small fee. Be prepared for humidity and bugs, it’s right by the river so it’s kind of inevitable during the summer. Insect repelling incense and spray kept us comfortable. There’s a train track right next to the river, which you may hear toot it’s horn occasionally, but it didn’t really bother us. The lovely small town of Cassville is close by may you need any creature comforts. Overall, an amazing place to camp and I can’t wait to go back!
LegendThis was our second visit to this park. On both occasions we wanted to canoe the scenic Kickapoo river. Our first trip was five years ago and we got portage service for our canoe from Titanic Rentals in Ontario. We went from there (bridge 1) to bridge 12 Which took nearly all day, but we were able to have lunch at the park's Wildcat landing, the only real and equipped picnic site along the river. NOTE; Google maps makes it look like the campground and landing are near each other. They are not. It's three miles of very steep roads, so don't think you're going to fetch anything you left behind.
The campground is on top of the ridge, which means in the morning you will look out over a fog shrouded valley through the trees. The views from the overlooks, which are a short hike, are worth checking out. Campsite 15 is the only one with a clear view.
There are walk in sites and the paths are wide and clear. The park provides large carts for your stuff so you can really pack stuff in and get away from it all. But the family tent and RV sites generally well spaced, check the map as some are more private than others.
Our second trip was in August, 2023 and we canoed from bridge 12 to LaFarge (bridge 21). It was later in the season than our previous trip, and in the slightly less scenic stretch of the river. As a result, we didn't see any other boaters.
Campsites have basic fire ring, and there are pit toilets as well as one Full facility with running water and hot showers. Firewood is available at the Ranger station.
There's also Equestrian camping elsewhere in the park and lots of trails for both hikers and horses.
The town of Ontario has a good general store and a couple bars, but this is pretty much wilderness and small farms. Two unique places however are Wild Things Furrier near bridge twelve. Want a coonskin cap or some smoked trout? This is the place.
More unique than that if you want to treat yourselves, go 34 miles south to the St. Frances Hermitage restaurant. It's run by a small order of French Monks and Nuns who raise their own animals and grow the vegetables they serve. Their bakery is also delicious. This is not fast food, this is a gastronomic experience.
GuideWe stayed in walk-in site C, which the furthest site from the parking lot. Arrive before dark!! The wheelbarrows provided are a lifesaver, the trail to the site is manageable until the last 50 feet, which is steep and rocky.
It is a smaller site and mostly slanted so we had to use our backpacking tent (90"x70") on the small patch that's sort of level, as our car camping tent (10'x14') was entirely too huge.
The views are stunning. There was a pair of bald eagles in a nest down by the river - bring binoculars!
HUGE caveat - this site sits on a ridge above a county highway and freight train tracks. There are also train tracks on the other side of the river. When trains are blowing their horns miles away, the sound carries. When they go past the site, it's incredibly loud! I was amazed at the racket - we live in Chicago on a busy street, a block from the L and the Metra tracks.
Bring ear plugs, trains rolled through until just after midnight and started up around 5am (that I noticed anyway).
While Site C is incredibly difficult to reserve (best dates I could find were a Mon-Wed in October which I booked in APRIL), it's worth the views and the privacy.
Site D is the first of the four walk-ins, huge, level, has a wide view, and a bend in it's trail so isn't exposed. A great choice if C is booked.
Site A is next, least amount of privacy, medium sized, looked level. Sites B was occupied our entire time there so wasn't able to check it out, but it's a bit more private.
Pit toilet by the walk-in sites was as nice as pit toilet gets, it even has a urinal. Water is conveniently located near the parking.
Shower house with flush toilets was really nice, 2-3 shower stalls and 4 toilets. No pay, just have to push the button over and over since the water only stays on for 10 seconds.
The electric and non-electric sites are well spaced and on the larger side. A nice campground overall.
For supplies and firewood, I recommend the Okey Market. It's convenient and has everything you need, huge beer cave too. If you want some local flavor, stop into the Silver Spigot Saloon, cheap beer, tasty fries, and they have a dog-friendly patio.
TravelerThey have gravel on all there campsites with tents horrible on the tent put a hole inn the bottom of the tent with sharp gravel. I would bring a padded floor with next time.
Travelerthe view was amazing. The campsites were very small. And KEEP BARKING DOGS AT HOME PLEASE.
TravelerGot here late. Woke up with 30 bites on my legs and arms. Sites were extremely pretty but I come from dry areas so I wasn’t expecting it but 10/10 would do it again.
TravelerAwesome campground the full hookup sites were perfect. Tons of things to do on and near the campground.
GuidePassing though the area and this park was on my list to check out. Drove though and found a pretty amazing overlook view. There were wildflowers that smelled amazing. It was really cool to see the hawks flying below the overlook. Driving through the campsites they do look pretty nice and larger than normal. Some do look like the have a “mound” on them, which was interesting. I did get great cell service, LTE with us cellular. Overall, I would visit again!
ScoutPretty cool state park. Campground is located on the top of the hill. Wish there were more hiking trails. You can also hike on the horse trails if you want. Would highly recommend canoeing or kayaking the Kickapoo River if you are spending a weekend there.
ScoutThis was our 2nd time camping here and it did not disappoint. It’s a lovely state park with some beautiful lil trails. Campsite Ds views were unbeatable. A storm rolled in over the Mississippi as we were heading to bed; it was a magical experience
Camping near De Soto, Wisconsin, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, there are several campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near De Soto, Wisconsin, has something for everyone, from stunning views to family-friendly activities. Just be sure to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near De Soto, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near De Soto, WI is Great River Bluffs State Park with a 4-star rating from 25 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near De Soto, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 24 glamping camping locations near De Soto, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
