Best Equestrian Camping near Eau Claire, WI

The park itself is small and non-descript, not photogenic. The trail along the lake is nice for walking - it is a ridge above the lake with some nice views. Otherwise, the campsites were OK. Ours was secondary growth scrub with moderate shade. Others had nicer trees. Not a ton of birdlife. A lot of people staying there appeared to be there for golfing at nearby courses. Proximity to Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls is convenient. We enjoyed using the Old Abe bike trail. An entry point is near the park and there is a parking lot with clean restroom there. The trail goes for miles in either direction and is paved and well maintained.

So I love goin to this campground. It has nice lakeside sites on a bluff above the water and they are fairly well laid out. There is a trial along the bluff connecting the two main loops of the campground. Showers and restrooms work, but are showing their age. They are scheduled to be rebuilt in the next couple of years...hopefully. One of the best parts of this is its proximity to breweries. Not talking Lienies, that's generally ok beer, but the Brewing Projekt, that's amazing beer. It's in downtown Eau Claire, but worth the drive. Also, if you want pizza, which is something we like to do on the day we arrive Chippewa Falls has pretty much anything you need within 20 of the campground. Nice hiking and biking trails as well. I've camped here in Spring, Summer and Fall and multiple sites.

First thing you need to know: It's completely in the woods, and sites are FULLY shaded. Sites 28-38 are on a loop with a picnic pavilion in the middle with some openings for sun on the road and in the picnic area. Other than that, the rest of the campground is rather dark all the time; there aren't as many sunlight openings on the road to the other sites. This is not a good place for solar panels, but almost all sites are electric.

Nice price: Cost is $20/$16 for electric/non-electric. This is an Army Corps of Engineers park which means you pay $10/$8 if you have an NPS Lifetime Senior Pass.

Services: There are full services at this campground - flush toilets, sinks, showers, trash receptacles, and drinking water/dump station near the entrance. There is an interpretive center for Saturday evening ranger programs and a playground next to it.

Roomy sites: This campground is small, but almost all sites are large. There are 38 sites plus walk in tent sites A through G and a group site. It looks like sites 28-38 can be rented for a group; the entrance was blocked off when we were there.

Equestrian section may be open to campers without a horse: There is an equestrian campground about a half mile before the main campground entrance. You may camp in the equestrian area (E1-E10) without a horse if the main area is full. We were able to reserve a site in there a couple days ahead of time because the main campground was full. It was just us and one other family on a Saturday night, and neither of us had a horse. We moved to the main area on Sunday morning because lots of sites were open on Sunday.

New facilities and hot showers. Great hiking trails, mountain biking. Equestrian trails also. Lake is huge, walleye are prevalent. Kayaking is great with other boat ramps available. Sites heavily wooded, low noise and light pollution. Easy access to all activities.

Beautiful shaded campground with semi private sites. Nice beach that is a walkable distance from the sites. Lots of walking, biking and horse trails that are full of wild berries. Several stairways down to the lake, no beach at these spots but good for taking the dog in the water since they aren’t allowed on the beach. Wonderful staff in the visitor center. Firewood and ice sold on site. Also boat rentals and free yard games that can be checked out at the visitor center. Clean bathrooms with showers. Lots of boat noise from the lake and a plane noise from a nearby airport. Close to Chippewa Falls for restaurants and stores. A great family destination, not so great for a peaceful couples weekend.

Continuing my quest to visit as many Wisconsin state parks as possible. I stopped by here to check out the campsites for potential future camping and look over the park. When I found was a very well-maintained park, love the viewing area of the lake. Campsites looked good as well.

I'll start by saying that I like privacy and quiet and nature when I camp, otherwise I'd be staying in a hotel.  But we were looking to get away for a weekend during the COVID times, and site 65E was the only powered site available for that weekend in all of the Wisconsin state parks, so we decided to go for it.  If you're the social type with active young kids, that spot is perfect - it backs up to a large open field with cool playground equipment and has a trail to the field right next to the camper.  You're also right next to the water faucet (plenty of people will stop to chat there) and across the street from the pit toilets. It's a VERY busy site.  If I return, I'll pick site 107E, which is extremely private and far from everything.  In general, the 100+ sites looked to be on the quiet, private side of the campground, although not all had power.  Some of the unpowered sites. 69-79, had great lake views and were surprisingly spacious, although a hiking trail is between them and the lake.  In late July, the loop starting with site 41 is absolutely teeming with ripe blackberries.

The shower houses have little notes on them apologizing for their state and saying they're scheduled for an overhaul soon because they're almost 50 years old.  So definitely go in with low expectations.  Few of the stalls for the flush toilets had working doors, and while the showers themselves worked ok, there were no hooks, shelves, or anywhere inside to place your belongings.  My shower bag randomly has a suction cup and I optimistically tried to use it to stick to the pink tile wall, but even that didn't work.  Such is life.  Mirrors above the sinks were the polished metal type.

The pit toilets in the campsite have two stalls in each, so don't be surprised if you end up with a buddy.

The hiking trails around the park are great, nice long loops, and the ranger/park employee at the check-in area was very nice and knowledgable.  We rented a kayak and paddled around the lake for a couple of hours - single and double kayaks as well as canoes are available for rent for the day.  There was a rocky beach with so many signs up warning about different types of algae that we weren't sure if it was safe to swim or not, but definitely too gross to regardless.  I didn't see anyone else in the water either.  

If it's a clear night, the field with the playground equipment is a great place to sit and stargaze, as the park gets very dark at night.  We were even able to catch a few meteors!

Very no frills camp site. Sites are decently sized, has some good views. It's missing a sculley.

I love the hiking trails and my kids love the lake and all the fun activities that a company at like boating and swimming. The only downfall is that it's quite congested

Best trails and lots of wildlife.The park staff is great also. Love the price to camp along with the camping areas.

I've camped here a few times, really enjoyed it each time. Sites are nice, good trails for some easy hiking. Great beach area. This is where I discovered my love of kayaking. They have kayak and canoe rentals.

We took site 87 for two separate tents, 2 vehicles, and an EZ-up over the table, and we really enjoyed it.  That site is very private with a nice hook in the clearing in the woods that made us feel isolated from the camp road, yet we were close to the water pump and to the back walkway into the bath house area.  We discovered the single family bathroom on the South side of that bldg early on, and that helped us feel more comfortable using facilities during this physical-distancing time.  

I wondered if the sites closest to the water have any access, but not sure.  The boat dock and beach launch for kayaks is close by car, and we used it twice.  You can also access the water via a 0.5m walk or by bikes on the main car road.  Lovely waters - if you paddle North towards the park shoreline, there are shady places to tie up under white willow trees, or to land and use secluded tie-up points just South of the beach area.  Further North of the beach gets busy with power boats taking off for the big waters of the lake, but worth exploring that shoreline too.  If you paddle south, it's a more calm section with private shorelines but terrific sunset views.

This campground/park is so beautiful. The campsites are all private and secluded. We really enjoyed that it was all so unspoiled, yet all the areas/paths were well cared for and clean. We brought our dogs and they had a blast too. My only complaint is about the campers who had our site before us. They pulled out of site 111 at 3:10 on Friday the 24th of July and left the site like a pigsty. The fire pit was filled to the rim with garbage; including dirty diapers and underwear filled with poop. It was disgusting. If people don’t know how to clean up after themselves, they shouldn’t camp. Stay home.

It was a perfect Autumn weekend for our stay. Very quiet, beautiful bike trails and close to the camp park with a gorgeous open field perfect for stargazing. It was great, highly recommend!

Great place to go fishing,swimming and camping! We love staying here for a long weekend and taking the boat out on the water. It is a little busy though and lots of people around. Not a good place if our dog doesn't do well around other dogs. Awesome wildlife, got to see an eagle take a fish right out of the water in front of our boat!

Lake is huge with alot to explore. Not an overabundance of boat traffic. Camp facilities are brand new. Sites a level, plenty of shade. Hiking trails are awesome.

This is our second stay at Lake Wissota SP. Last year we were in an electric site inside one of the loops, this time we’re sans electricity and overlooking the lake. Our site was spacious, level, shady, sandy (not grassy) and we had good cell service (we use Visible). We were here weekdays so lots of empty sites. Walking and biking in the park are nice. There’s single stream recycling dumpsters which is convenient. The shower houses haven’t been renovated like they have at other WI parks but apparently that’ll happen in the next couple of years. It’s a very nice quiet place to stay and the area has much to offer, be sure to visit Irvine Park and the Thai restaurant downtown!

I really enjoyed it here! The campsites were big and spaced out enough (though check the map because some are close together).

Plenty of trails, a scenic out look, a beach, pavilion, volleyball, etc.

Dogs are allowed on leash, but cant be on the beach.

Half of the campground is closed for the off season.

Will ad more info soon!

Considering the park was over 4 hours from home, I was really hoping for the best! And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. From the wildflowers to the bike trails, this park was definitely a winner. The campsite was great even with one side being completely exposed to the neighboring campers. The swimming area was a little too gross for my liking, but my husband and stepson spent hours in there. We also took our kayak out onto the lake and had a blast! So much to do. We can’t wait to return next year with more family members.

Lake Wissota is beautiful and the beach area is very nice and well kept! Tons of nature trails for walking (easy). I like birdwatching and have seen a good variety of species!

Sites are big and spacious! Tons of walking, and biking opportunity! Both pit and flush toilets, and they have showers! Bathrooms are clean and well kept. Lots of flowers, birds and wildlife and tons of attractions close by!

 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.

A group of 5 of us went camping and split ourselves among 3 campsites (2,3,4). Area is well maintained and the bathrooms (flushing toilets and showers) are cleaned regularly- however if you have to use the bathrooms between 7:30-8:30 am, use the pit toilets because that’s when they are cleaning. Trails are well maintained and there is plenty to see. Only one issue when we got there due to someone not leaving our campsite but the staff were super nice and resolved it so well.

Good site with plenty of room. The campground is big. Our site was very private for what a State Park is but not all are. Trails were awesome, but fishing from shore at the fishing peirs are not ideal. Didn't catch anything. Wood is for sale at the main entrance but not well marked or advertised. Open 5 to 7 at night at $5 a bundle. Found that out after running around town to find wood. Overall I would recommend but watch site selection, we lucked out.

We like this one for a quick weekend retreat. Lake access is great on one of the best and bigger lakes in the area. Great place for boating with the family.