Best Campgrounds near Holmen, WI

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!

However the one shower in women’s bathroom has a broken button so doesn’t work at all and the one has a plugged drain and there are 3 inches of sanitary water hazard at the bottom. So unusable. If desperate I say go use the men’s. What else can you do! Also book online before you get there!!!! Also book your car pass separately. I did not see any staff anywhere at any time. You are on your own. Too bad the state can’t afford a single staff to manage the place in the evening. Come on Minnesota… are you really that cheap? Us users are willing to pay you know!!! Charge us more so we can count on stuff being maintained! Otherwise the place is fricken gorgeous!!!!!

The campground is super easy to get to as it is adjacent to I-90 which means you’ll also deal with highway noise. The noise becomes just background after a while and the full hookups mean running the RV air conditioner at night somewhat blocks the traffic sounds. Lots to do in the area with the Wisconsin Dells less than 30 minutes away and Tomah is less than 10 minutes the other direction. The campground itself is small but very well taken care of with a mix of back-in and pull-through sites along with cabins. Staff was very friendly and helpful giving us suggestions for places to visit while we were there. Bonus: A convenience store/fuel station including truck diesel lanes is just outside the entrance to the campground for easy fill ups before you hit the road.

We had a reservation on the North Shore, but switched it to Whitewater when we saw the ice and snowstorms in the forecast.

Our site was large and easy to back into, all sites have a picnic table and fire ring. We had no cell service at our site, but 2 bars plus WIFI outside the visitor center. A water spigot was there, too, since the water and bathhouse are off/closed for the winter season. Firewood is available for $8 per bundle, you can pay by QR code if you have enough service. Or you can grab wood and pay in person at the other end of the park - a small shop is there near picnic areas and trailheads.

The wood was small pieces of mill offcuts, but it burned better that we expected, enough to warm up and to cook. It started drizzling, so we didn’t sit out by an evening fire. We think our bundle was oak. In any case, it was good, dry hardwood. It exceeded our first disappointing impression.

We had great weather our first day and saw few other people on the trails. It got colder and rainy and most of the campers left.

Overall, this was a great spot to get away into the fresh air. We’ll be back another time for fishing.