Best Campgrounds near Eau Claire, WI

The spots were narrow and opened up to neighbors. We were fortunate to have no neighbor on either side, but I could see how that would limit privacy. Laundry was clean but small only 2 washer/2 dryer and no fan in room….really humid in evening and you didn’t want to open door due to bugs. Bathhouse clean….decent rec area for kids including sand volleyball court.

River walk trail…not detailed in paperwork. Trail is just ok, a bit overgrown and lots of bugs. We made it a good ways in and felt like we were parallel to River, but it’s so thick with growth…you can just make it out through brush. I was not prepared with flip flops so I turned back. Unknown if nice view at end.

Three loops: north (with electric service), island (walk-to, tent only) and south (dry camping).  We toured the north loop; sites are pretty close together and not that well screened from each other.  We stayed in the south loop, all of which sites are well spaced and decently screened from each other.  Half face toward the Mississippi and half face toward the shore, but all are right on the water.  The river was high when we visited, and some of the river-facing sites were flooded out.  Not crowded on the south loop, even in the run-up to the 4th of July weekend, with reservations available facing the river (even the dry ones!).  Vault toilets, one each for men and women, separated by 50 (?) yards, plus two accessible porta-potties in the loop--seemed meager for the possible number of campers in high season. Some train noise, and many motor boats--fishing and skiing--but the boat noise, of course, calmed down as the sun set.  Overall, a bit ill-kept, but right on the water!

The campground is super easy to find and right outside of Durand. 🏕️🌲🌳 There are plenty of places to shop, grab ice or fire wood etc. 🛒🔥🧊 There is wifi from the baseball diamond near by. ⚾📶 There are not showers so make sure to prepare for that. 🚿🚫 I suggest using thr bathroom as it has drains and stalls. 🚽🚿 I used a solar camping shower to heat water. ☀️🚿 All sites have electricity hookups as well. 💡🔌 The public pool is also near by as well as the walking trail. 🏊‍♀️🚶‍♀️ The tent sites are $20 a night and the RV sites are $45 you can pay on site. ⛺💲💰

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!