Best Dispersed Camping near Elroy, WI

Dispersed camping near Elroy, Wisconsin centers primarily around the Lower Wisconsin Riverway, a 92-mile waterway stretching from Sauk City Dam to the Mississippi River. This area permits free sandbar camping along its route, with primitive sites accessible mainly by boat or canoe. Crater Island represents another dispersed camping option in the region, though it requires boat access and offers no facilities. Both locations provide authentic wilderness camping experiences on public lands without designated campsites or reservations.

Access to these dispersed camping areas requires watercraft, as both the Lower Wisconsin Riverway and Crater Island are designated as boat-in only destinations. No drinking water, toilets, or trash facilities exist at either location, requiring campers to pack in all supplies and pack out all waste. Fire restrictions vary seasonally, though fires are generally permitted on sandbars along the Wisconsin River. Water levels significantly impact site availability, particularly on the Lower Wisconsin Riverway where high water can substantially reduce the number of exposed sandbars suitable for camping.

The Wisconsin Riverway offers scenic natural landscapes with minimal development visible from the water. Wildlife viewing opportunities include abundant eagle sightings along the river corridor. Camping areas provide varying levels of seclusion depending on water conditions and seasonal popularity. A recent review noted, "We did 15 miles this trip - put in at Lone Rock and canoed about 6 miles until we found a nice high sandbar near Gotham." Campers should be aware that despite the wilderness feel, some sites may experience noise from nearby roads. As one visitor commented, "Even though you couldn't see the road you could hear it. It's a truck route so at 6:30am it was busy with trucks and noisy which definitely took away from the vibe of dispersed camping."

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Best Dispersed Sites Near Elroy, Wisconsin (2)

1. Lower Wisconsin Riverway
4 Reviews
Prairie du Sac, WI
40 miles
Website
"I use the Wisconsin Canoe Company’s website for a lot of information for planning trips. They have detailed maps and guides for the entire Riverway."

"It’s a truck route so at 6:30am it was busy with trucks and noisy which definitely took away from the vibe of dispersed camping.

Water levels were good. Weather was beautiful."
2. Crater Island
1 Review
Hokah, WI
50 miles
Website
+1 (651) 290-5807

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Recent Free Dispersed Camping Photos near Elroy, WI

11 Photos of 2 Elroy Campgrounds

Adam
Lower Wisconsin Riverway

Dispersed Camping Reviews near Elroy, WI

5 Reviews of 2 Elroy Campgrounds

Siobhan R.
Ranger
Jul. 21, 2020
Lower Wisconsin Riverway
Ranger Review- COAST headlamp on the Wisconsin River
Spend another amazing weekend on the Lower Wisconsin Riverway! We did 15 miles this trip- put in at Lone Rock (Otter Creek) Friday and canoed about 6 miles until we found a nice high sandbar near Gotham Jack Pines Burren State Natural Area. We spend Saturday just hanging out and fishing, then paddled out 9 miles on Sunday to the Muscoda boat launch, where Wi River Outings gave us a shuttle back to our truck. Water was very high this trip- not many sandbars out there, but also not as many people. Fishing wasn’t too great either due to the high water, but we did get a bunch of catfish. Beautiful scenery, very few houses until we got closer to Muscoda. The Riverway goes 92 miles from the Sauk City Dam all the way to the Mississippi River and sandbar camping is free the entire way! Make sure to keep an eye on water levels for the area you will be on, and also the weather. (Shout out to the Midland weather radio that I’ve reviewed for the Dryt before that alerted us to the severe weather when it blew up out of nowhere!) I use the Wisconsin Canoe Company’s website for a lot of information for planning trips. They have detailed maps and guides for the entire Riverway. Remember that no glass is allowed on the river because the fine is pretty steep and no one wants to step barefoot on broken glass! You need to pack in everything you need, including water. The river is very sandy and eats through water filters quick. This is wilderness camping, yet close to town if you need supplies or assistance. Some firewood can be scrounged from the islands, or you can get some from many roadside stands or an outfitter. It was pretty hot this trip so we didn’t do a big fire, just a little one in the stick stove for some ambiance. The nice thing about being right on the river is being able to take a dip in the cool water any time it was too hot! Be careful of drop offs, especially on the downstream side of islands and make sure kids and people that aren’t strong swimmers always have a life jacket on when wading- the currents can get very strong. There are many loaner life jackets at many of the landings as part of a DNR program. Also be sure to bring lots of sunscreen and something to make some shade- it’s very sunny out there! As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I occasionally get gear to review. This trip I had the FL1R headlamp from Coast. Right out of the box I was surprised by how light it was- about 1 oz! I’m not too worried about weight on the canoe, but the small size meant I could shove it in my bag with no worries and not taking up a ton of space. The 200 lumen light really lit up a huge area. I wish I could have gotten better pictures, but it doesn’t really show up as good as it looked in real life. The battery lasted the entire weekend with no problem. Before the trip I tested it out at home and it lasted at continuous high power for over 3 hours. The red light feature was my favorite. It allowed me to do all kinds of tasks while keeping the bugs away. I also appreciated that it came with a hat clip if I preferred to use that instead of the included band. The splash resistance was also a must for on the water or in bad weather. Overall a very good headlamp and I would definitely order from Coast again.
Joel K.
Guide
Apr. 5, 2024
Lower Wisconsin Riverway
Canoe paddle and sandbar camping
Paddle trip in early June 2023. From Prairie du Sac to Spring Green, about 21 miles? Went mid week, saw one Boy Scout troop but generally nobody else.

Campsite was beautiful with a fire pit and some left over wood from the previous group. BUT, even though you couldn’t see the road you could hear it. It’s a truck route so at 6:30am it was busy with trucks and noisy which definitely took away from the vibe of dispersed camping.

Water levels were good. Weather was beautiful.

Only camped one night. We rented the canoe and they ran the shuttle for us, which was very easy to arrange. Would do this again!
Leah M.
Guide
Feb. 3, 2024
Lower Wisconsin Riverway
River Canoeing Camping
So much fun. Bring dry wood! Don’t forget your meat ( obviously we did)! I Great time regardless. Canoe and then camping on the river. There was a storm, it was a rough summer (2023) many storms. So much fun.

Highly recommend.
A
Adam
Guide
Feb. 21, 2021
Lower Wisconsin Riverway
My favorite place to camp
If chilling and canoeing is what you want with little to no other human contact the lower Wisconsin river is the place. Eagles everywhere. Great fishing.
Michael V.
Ranger
Sep. 17, 2022
Crater Island
Great place for camping via Boat
Big parties in the cove. No bathrooms no showers, just sand and water. Very busy on weekends in the summer, as long as there is no dredging operations going on, otherwise it’s closed. If it is closed, there are plenty of islands and beaches near by to set up for camping.