Hononegah Forest Preserve
All sites are separated not on top of each other. We’ve been here quite a few times during cooler months and have been very happy with our experience.
7 campgrounds with availability this weekend
Blackhawk Camping Resort's full-hookup sites accommodate pets in tent, RV, and cabin settings along the southern edge of Clear Lake. Several campgrounds near Janesville permit dogs, including Milton-Madison SE KOA, Lakeland Camping Resort, and Hickory Hills Campground. Most properties maintain standard leash policies requiring dogs to be under control at all times, though none advertise dedicated dog parks or off-leash areas. Milton KOA features spacious sites where camping with pets is straightforward, with well-maintained grounds and ample space for walking dogs around the property. Many sites offer full hookups with 50-amp service, making extended stays with pets comfortable. The bathrooms at these campgrounds are generally clean and recently upgraded, an important consideration when camping with pets in variable weather conditions.
Clear Lake provides excellent fishing and boating opportunities where dogs can join their owners, though swimming restrictions exist at some properties including Blackhawk. Seasonal operation varies among pet-friendly campgrounds, with most open from April/May through October, allowing for spring through fall camping with dogs. Milton KOA remains particularly popular for families camping with pets, offering playgrounds, pools, and recreational fields where leashed dogs can accompany their owners. Nearby towns like Milton provide convenient access to pet supplies, with veterinary services available in the greater Janesville area. The golf cart parade and organized activities at Blackhawk Camping Resort create a festive atmosphere where pets and their owners can socialize within the camping community.
"No enclosed dog park but plenty of area to walk your dog!"
"I'm going to try to make it a couple times. so much fun, just me and my dog. And one last the thing, my fellow campers were more than hospitable and very nice and I appreciate that very much."
"It pays to drive through the camp ground and note a couple sites that you are interested in and then book your site at the entrance during walk in days. "
"For us it's close to home, shopping and an RV dealership so it's pefect to "shake out" the camper and we can easily get anything we forgot or get stuff to repair anything that's not working."
from $12 - $50 / night
"The sites close to the store are so nice! wooded and somewhat private. Love that they have a sparkling clean (but cold!) pool and a lake with a beach!"
"Our site was nicely wooded and a decent size, but everyone was pretty close to each other. When we were there, the women's shower was freezing and the men's was almost uncomfortably hot."
from $42 / night
"Set along Lake Koshkonong this place was bursting with energy and feels more like a summer resort than a traditional campground with over 270 full-hookup sites and cozy cabins for families who don’t have"
"We came to this area to do some genealogical work and needed to be situated between Madison and Beloit. Good location for that."
"Right off i90, and next to fuel and food stops. Family run campground with 40 sites that have water and electric. They are cash or check only, with no online booking. Sites are snug."
"Has a pool, petting zoo, kayaks, rocky beach, dog park, and a land pillow!"
"Being right in front of the jumping pillow people didn’t walk around. They would cut thru our site."
"Good hiking around the lake and mostly dog friendly. Nice play ground with horse she pits."
"Just a quick 2 hour drive from our home in Chicago, with large wooded sites for privacy. Clean bathrooms."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $26 - $50 / night
"There are very tall trees around the entire campground giving you some respite from the sun and the heat. The bath house is easily within walking distance from anywhere in the campground. "
"Last time we camped in site 65, next to the path to the playground & walk-in site parking which was busy."












All sites are separated not on top of each other. We’ve been here quite a few times during cooler months and have been very happy with our experience.
Prairie View CG is the very first camping oasis you will come across after entering Rock Cut SP from its northernmost entrance, with Highway 173 to the west and Harlem Road to the east. Once you enter the park, you will follow the long winding nicely paved two-lane circuit until you begin seeing the signs highlighting where to go for the various campgrounds. Once you access this road, you’ll come across a small building with a ranger where you will check in, after which, you will pass by a designated dump station before coming around a small bend where you will take your first left.
The sites begin with #500 and as you circumnavigate the simple circular loop, you will pass by about 2 dozen or so slots that are nice flat paved slots perfect sized for just about any RV or 5th Wheel. There is a single his / her restroom along with trash area at the beginning of the loop just past sites #503 and #504. To access the shower, you will need to go back to the main road and hike it down the road with your towel and toiletries, which I have to admit, is the biggest bummer about this particular campground. If having close access to shower facilities is important to you, then you may want to contemplate staying at other campgrounds here at Rock Cut SP like Staghorn and White Oak, which offer closer proximity.
One of the greatest assets here at Rock Cut SP is the very massive Pierce Lake, which is great for fishing, boating, kayaking and swimming. To launch your watercraft, you’ll head south to Hickory Hills campground where on the eastern side of this area you’ll be able to find the boat launch. In the Prairie View campground, in addition to restroom and waste disposal, you’ll also have access to running water spigots at each site along with running electric. The small community amphitheather is located centrally just past the campstore and before reaching the Hickory Hills campground. There is an excellent camp store in the middle of Rock Cut SP that offers up ice, firewood, ice cream, snacks, games, limited groceries and a number of other sundries you might need while camping. Additionally, there are 5 shelters that have electricity, with water and restrooms nearby and each shelter available through a reservation system. Two of the shelters (Red Oak and Puri Crest) also have children’s playgrounds nearby.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) IMHO the best sites here at Prairie View CG are those that are located furthest from the main road, for attaining the maximum camping bliss trifecta of less traffic, little noise and more privacy. As such, look at sites #512, #514, #516 and #518, which are all located on the exterior of the circle, thus providing the greatest amount of intimate nature experience; (2) Once you grow weary of trying to conjure up that next meal from the depths of your cooler, fret not, and just head out of the park where you will find a handful of dining options: Tom& Jerry’s, Fresh Start Café, Waffle Shop, Golden Chopsticks Buffet, Sunrise Family Restaurant, Beef-A-Roo (in fact, there’s like 4 of these that the park is surrounded by), but one of my absolute favorites is Green Fire, which is a really nice farm-to-table joint; (3) Got bird watching on your mind? Well, you’re in luck, because here at Rock Cut SP you can spot an amazing array of winged adventurers including bald eagles, American robins, northern cardinals, barn owls, mourning doves, indigo buntings, eastern bluebirds, Canadian geese, red-bellied woodpeckers, brown thrashers and many others; (4) Tired of nature and just want to get some really cool culture in you? Then head just due south of Rock Cut SP to explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House, which is simply amazing; and (5) If you come bearing watercraft like canoe or kayak, while Lake Pierce is wonderful and great for fishing, if you want something a bit more challenging, then head due west to the Rock River, where you can drop in from a number of launch sites, however I strongly recommend Atwood Homestead Forest Preserve.
Happy Camping!
This campground charges both a site reservation fee ($33 for a primitive mosquito infested tent site) AND an additional day use fee on top of that - a $16 fee on top of that! $49????? For a no hook up single tent site???? Of course the fees aren’t actually published anywhere so you have to reserve it to actually know what you’ll be paying. It’s nothing special so these fees aren’t actually warranted for this place. 👎
Smaller campground with decent sized campsites with picnic table and fire ring pit. Although my site and quite a bit of unleveled ground which made for limit options to pitch a tent. Pretty good cell service with T- mobile.
We got a campsite with a concrete pad. Electricity 30 amp site. There is a dump station close to the registration office. Boat ramp available for campers. One cabin for rental overlooking the Pierce Lake $50/night for Illinois resident. Beautiful setting. Wild turkeys roaming through our campground.
Campground is small with only 18 car camping sites. Vault toilets, no showers. No electricity or dump station. Group camping sites and walk-in or bike-sites also available. I don't mind vault toilets but they were very low to the ground without any grab bar. I found it odd that this campground has many sites for cyclists using the sugar river bike trail and there isn't any showers. Being close to town is nice. There is a paved path that takes you right into New Glarus and past the New Glarus Brewery. After a day of cycling or hiking, one really needs a shower before heading into town!!
The beauty of this campground was to Madison venues. We stayed here twice recently and took Uber rides too and from Camp Randall. It’s a very clean and friendly campground ground. Very nice pavilion for events. I loved the walking path and benches along the lake.
The park is beautiful. The water is beautiful. They say it's a gated community, but it's open to the public 9 to 5 daily. At twenty five dollars per person. And then on friday and saturday night, the locals that park here for the summer start their party central including karaoke at the camper next door, and several others. I've never had a camcround with that loud of parties. And it's a weekend event. I like hearing and seeing people having fun but when the manager extends the curfew for the parties she's at (they kind of party hop), it starts to affect the enjoyment of the park. If we had to stay, we'd stay in the S## sites in the back, where you don't hear so much of the partying. And then during the day, the rules began. Kind of like the soup nazi.
LOTS of acorns and walnuts dropping on the camper all day and night
Several campgrounds near Janesville, Wisconsin accept dogs with varying policies and amenities. The region sits at approximately 824 feet above sea level in southern Wisconsin's glaciated terrain, with moderate summer temperatures averaging 80-85°F during peak camping season. Winter camping isn't common as most campgrounds close from late October through April due to freezing temperatures.
Kayaking and tubing options: At Crazy Horse Campground, campers can enjoy complimentary kayaking services with a shuttle. "They provide at no charge kayaks and a shuttle to a drop-off point which you can kayak back down to the campground which takes about an hour and a half," notes David H., adding that "if you have a second vehicle you can continue on down river another eight miles."
Fishing opportunities: Sugar River Forest Preserve offers excellent river fishing just a short drive from Janesville. "The river was low this time, so we didn't do any canoeing, but we saw many people tubing from Sugar River Adventures having fun," Brian O. writes. The preserve is known for both fishing and paddling, with the Sugar River being "scenic, and easy to paddle up or down, so you can do round trips without having to arrange drop-offs."
Hiking and exploring: Lake Kegonsa State Park provides extensive trail networks. "Very nice hiking trails right from campground. Lake & pet swim area," notes Kathy L. The park features "multiple trails scattered throughout the park. Everything from a quick half mile trek to loops that allow you to put on a couple of miles."
Clean facilities: Milton-Madison SE KOA receives high marks for cleanliness. "Bathrooms are fantastic and recently upgraded," according to Marc W., who also praised the "nice playground, and pool area with hot tub." Chris H. agrees: "This place was the best on our trip so far. The pool was great (from 3-4 it's adult swim, so the kids had to get out)."
Spacious camping sites: Many campers appreciate the generous site sizing at dog friendly campgrounds near Janesville. At Rock Cut State Park, Justin G. found that "this location was close to the shower house" and had "plenty of scenic photo opportunities." Matt S. notes it "boasts as being the largest State Park in Northern Illinois" with "almost 40 miles of hiking trails, including equestrian trails."
Organized activities: Seasonal events create community at many properties. "Golf cart parade, DJ, band, BINGO," summarizes Karli M. about activities at Blackhawk Camping Resort. Christopher P. appreciated Milton KOA's atmosphere: "Woke up to a beautiful site and extremely nice people," while Erin B. mentions "games and activities for the kids over weekends."
Varied bathroom conditions: Facilities can differ dramatically between campgrounds. At Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground, Melissa K. reports that "facilities were clean enough and toilet paper seemed to always be stocked" though "the shower heads could all use a little TLC." She adds an important tip: "There were NO soap dispensers so make sure you bring your own toiletries."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Janesville, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Janesville, WI is Milton-Madison SE KOA with a 4.3-star rating from 21 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 97 dog-friendly camping locations near Janesville, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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