Looking for an adventure where you can explore Elkhart Lake and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent camping near Elkhart Lake, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Primitive camping on private pond well maintained lawns. Clothing optional.
$50 - $80 / night
Purplehaze Acres is a 60-acre organic rustic farm in Rubicon, WI and resides at the beginning of the approx. 650-mile Niagara Escarpment--known locally as "The Ledge". We are in close proximity to the Ice Age Trail, and the natural treasures of the great Horicon Marsh, Lake Sinnissipi/Rock River with canoeing/kayaking/fishing, Ledges County Park, and the world-renowned Holy Hill Shrine.
Nearby Hustisford ("Husti") offers unique shopping and dining experiences, such as the Mercantile and Mocha Vino. Need a few organic groceries? Make sure to visit Back To The Best Organic grocer only 3 miles away, featuring food raised on local organic farms including Purplehaze Acres.
Potable water, charcoal grills, firepit grates, eggs and available for purchase--firewood. COMING SOON: Did you forget something? If so, check out our Camp Cupboard Store. FYI: In addition to our private individual sites, our PEACE CAMP site is a group site perfect for the rustic camp wedding, small festivals, EAA, Harley celebrations and other fun casual events. Check out the Peace Camp listing for details.
Your approach via 1/2-mile dirt drive up the hills and through the woods . . . to not your grandmother's typical house you go. You'll find wonderful vistas, wildflowers, berries, trails up into the woods, a 900' grass runway for aviators on an overall great "peace" of earth. ☮
$40 - $160 / night
Scout
Great campground! Shaded or Sunny sites. Level sites. Friendly staff. Sandy Beach. Swimming. Playground. Kids Activities. Themed weekends. Bar. Restaurant. Great Food! Tiki Bar on Beach. Great Fishing. Laundry.
Guide
We were staying at Mauthe but it was packed so we came here instead and we're glad we did. The trails, fishing pier and beach are nice. We got caught in a thunderstorm that we waited out in a little tavern in nearby Dundee, which is pretty much the cutest little town around. We plan to return next year to camp.
Guide
It was hot and crowded but we had a decent campsite with plenty of shade so we were happy enough. Showers were nice. We spent most of our time fishing at Long Lake, which we liked much better. If you go, make sure to get fresh cinnamon rolls delivered to your site!
Guide
Great campground my family loves. Can't wait to go back
Traveler
The campground is clean and organized well, with each space separated by trees/bush/woods. The drinking water is not good so be sure to pack enough. The beaches are very clean and great for walking at different points in the day. Site 28 was a bit small.
Traveler
We enjoyed our stay it was beautiful and clean and quiet we enjoyed the sunsets and the little store was nice very friendly staff
Traveler
We stayed there for a while very pretty and the people very friendly bring wood to your camp they have trails you can walk and county pool and golf course sites are good size we will return it's close to town as well
Traveler
We enjoyed our stay it was so beautiful and clean and very quiet for the most part we loved it will definitely be going back
Scout
It was our first time visiting Ledge Park & we would absolutely go back! The sites are natural feeling and the park is very, very clean (including the bathrooms)… the views from “The Ledge” are hard to beat.
Traveler
Great location. It was very quiet, with lots of greenery. The amenities were very clean and well taken care of. The level of seclusion and privacy varied depending on the camp sites.
TravelerGreat quiet spot, huge biking trail that's about 7 miles long one way, good beaches and great lake.
Scout
The Good: Campsites along the river looked really nice. The Bad: We had a 3 day holiday weekend booked for tent camping.Unfortunately the weather did not hold up and our site was completely soaking wet- we could not even steak out our tent. The owner of the campground denied a refund due to policy. The amount of rules and regulations this camp ground has is absolutely absurd. The Ugly: When checking into our site, the woman working the desk was efficient but things took a bad turn really quick. 1. If you book on the Playful Goose website you will get charged a% service fee, which The Playful Goose Staff does not stand behind. 2. If you book on the Playful Goose website you must specify how many nights, adults and tents per site. Without too many logistics, we ended up paying over$220 for a weekend JUST TO CAMP IN HORICON. While trying to set up camp in the rain, a male(we were told he was the assistant manager) in a golf cart drove near our site yelling vulgar language, accusing our group of doing things to the grass(when the grass was a swamp to begin with due to weather) and lastly, as the man was driving away he continued to make harassing comments. The lack of professionalism, courtesy and respect from staff was unacceptable as a paying guest. Playful Goose Takeaway: I will never spend my hard earned money here. Again. And be sure to tell everyone I know to not spend their hard earned money here either. There are so many other beautiful camp grounds within a 100 mile radius and this one will be my last choice. Such a shame this wonderful campground I used to visit has gone down hill.
Traveler
Decided to get back into camping and decided to check out this semi local State Park. Alot of great walking and hiking spots, it was a bit chilly in mid April and especially windy down by the lake. Once up by the campground wind died down and was pretty nice. Site 53 was flat, had a fire pit, and picknick table. Despite being the closest site to the main road and entrance, didn't feel like it was too busy or distracting. Campgrounds were quiet and friendly. Will definitely come back once it warms up a little bit.
LegendHuge campground, and I guess we were lucky to snag a site mid week in August, as there were only two sites left when we arrived in the early afternoon.
You get a choice of electric or non electric. We paid $25 for a non-electric site (weekends are higher rate). You also have to pay the Wisconsin state park entry fee at $13/day for non residents, or $38 for an annual pass.
The dump station gets really backed up at the end of the weekend, so heads up.
Also, a portion of the beach is dog friendly, so if that’s important to you then try and get a site close to the dog friendly portion (south of the lighthouse), otherwise it’s a good mile walk from the other end of the campground to the dog area. Leashes required at all times, except for when the dog is actively frolicking in the water.
The concession stand here looks really nice, like a full service restaurant. Showers are nice and free. Water spigots throughout campground, or there’s a water fill at the dump station. There’s a little free library here too:)
Campground will be closed until May 24, 2024 for maintenance on the waterlines.
LegendAnother beautiful Wisconsin State Park. We’ve stayed in several of these now, and have found them to be consistently well maintained, clean, free showers (this one has a handle where you can actually adjust the temperature), with dumpsters, recycling, and a dump station and water fill.
We paid $40/night for an electric (30amp) site because we needed to run the a/c, but otherwise that’s far too expensive and we’d much rather pay $25 for a non-power site. There’s also the $13/day or $38 annual state park fee (residents pay a few dollars less), which we’re seeing more and more of at state parks now.
Rangers and hosts are super friendly and helpful as well. There are nice trails around the campground, and some of them even allow dogs. Only a portion of the beach allows dogs, so watch for that. Sites vary in levelness and amount of privacy from your neighbor.
There’s also laundry here, such a nice perk for full timers like us! Laundry day at the laundromat is such an unpleasant chore.
ATT had good service and Verizon had weak service.
Scout
Unfortunate ownership of what could be a great campground.
NO WIFI.......at all!!!!!
I would not stay there again since there are so many much nicer and more user friendly campgrounds in the surrounding area.
Rude attitudes along with made to feel like an imposition and outsider if you don't take part in their whatever you want to call it.
Can't count on your tanks being cleared by their in-house "service" allegedly on Monday and Thursday or maybe Tues or maybe Friday......you get the drift.
The constant speeding of golf carts but yet there is reprimands for going a little faster than 5mph all the way in from the outer access road along with inconsistencies to dogs being on leads.
To me......Lake Random or any of the other RV campgrounds will be my pick next year.
Legend
All the other campgrounds in OshKosh are near the airport, which makes sense since the biggest event each year is the EVAA air show. None of them have trees.
Hickory Oaks has it's own airfield and lots and lots of trees. They even have a mini-lake (4 acres).
There are all types of RV sites, tenting/primitive sites and group sites, some small cabins as well. We camped in site 60 because we arrived after dark, and Cindy suggested that our first choice, #67 might be too hard to find at night. There is only one street light, and it's by site #1 and the swim area.
The map doesn't really convey what an oasis of trees this place is. To the West is the runway and beyond that, a large grassy hill (it's actually landfill). To the east in a rural road running along the lake. To the north, in the distance is a prison. That all sounds worse than it is, it's a lovely campground.
There are a few things for sale in the office, but you're so close to town you can get everything there. Cindy the operator is extremely nice and helpful.
Fire pits are 30" rings with no grate, Tables seem smaller than average.
If you're visiting in the summer, be sure to visit the Farmer's Market , Saturdays on Main Street, also Wagner's Market for the best meats, deli and beverages. The Paine museum & gardens and the city museum are both worth visits as well.
GuideI camped at site #102. There are great views of the lake and easy access to water and bathrooms. The site that I stayed at was actually a teepee site and had a large-ish wooden platform. Parking was right in front of my site but not a drive-in site.
I've become a spoiled baby after hiking the PCT last year, so established campgrounds are hit or miss for me, primarily because of how noisy they are. That said, the hosts were wonderful and the park is clean and very well-maintained. I ended up leaving halfway through my second day because I just didn't want to deal with the noise and traffic.
Overall, I would definitely visit this park again! Next time, I'll aim for dates outside of peak summer camping!
TravelerVery nice campground. Sites are decent sized for tenting or small camper. Almost all the sites are surround by trees and small brush so it gives a private feel. Took a ride over to the town of Dundee and checked out Hamburger Haus for some HUGE ice cream cones. Decent biking trail system to beach and bike trail that connects to Maithe Lake. Would give five stars if the showers and bathroom were a little nicer as they are pretty dated looking.
RangerWe love this place! We were on the water in the W area, a spacious site with firewood prepaid and waiting for us when we arrived. Pit toilets are within a short walk and are among the cleanest I’ve seen anywhere. The only drawback is the showers. Coin operators is OK, but no temperature control. Fortunately, the water is hot! Staff is awesome, as always.
Scout
Very clean, and well cared for! Nice playground and aesthetically pleasing! Our site had own fire pit, and owners were extremely nice! Enjoyed the stay!
GuideHigh Cliff State Park is close to Appleton and Green Bay and is situated along the Niagara Escarpment on Lake Winnebago. Camping is great however, even though there is a beach, it is not a very nice one and swimming there isn’t the best. The park is great for hiking and low elevation rock climbing.
GuideGreat spot that is cheaper than most places nearby. Scott was really nice and got us checked in without any issues. Great location and near to fishing,restaurants and the beach.
Guide
What a great little spot to visit. They have many sites in the field or in the woods. Most with electric 30/50 amp and a beautiful lake with many family friendly things to do. The people are friendly and they have clean showers and bathrooms along with laundry.
GuideThis campground is situated across from Lake Michigan, with access to trails, sand-ridged beaches and a lighthouse (the lighthouse cannot be toured, but can be admired from the outside). There is nice lodge and camp store right on the lake, complete with a quaint restaurant where we got breakfast on the weekend as well as ice cream.
We stayed on site 13. Not super secluded from neighboring sites, but it had nice tree cover. A three minute walk to the beach. The shower house and flush toilets were a bit of a hike from our campsite, but pit toilets were nearby.
We camped in late-May and there were no mosquitos and we didn't see any ticks (not to say there weren't any). The area has some interesting natural features, including some wetland-prone areas with frogs, salamanders, etc.
All-in-all everyone in our party agreed that we would stay here again. Happy camping!
Traveler
Site we got was not the best, but worked out OK. Site was behind the main y coming in to camp, so lots of traffic. Other than that, nothing to complain about. Nice pool, friendly staff.
Scout
The owner will pinch every cent out of you that he can
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Elkhart Lake, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Elkhart Lake, WI is Greenbush Group Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit-Iansr with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Elkhart Lake, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Elkhart Lake, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
