Searching for a tent camping spot near Manitowoc? Finding a place to camp in Wisconsin with your tent has never been easier. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Legend
Open tent sites and well designed riggings and beyond excellent, well-maintained trails, accommodations and hospitality. This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, so if you’re looking for this kind of experience, don’t pass it up. In one of the most lush forests in the SE corner of Wisconsin near Milwaukee.
Traveler
We were tent camping and stayed on a rustic site. Although we were 205 and it was fine, I would choose 212 and that area next time. $22 night for a rustic site; $34 for reserved with hook-ups. Plenty of clean shower and bathroom facilities and nice laundry
Scout
Tried out tent camping for the first time with a 5 year old and a 2 year old. Clearly were not sure how’d it go but pure success! The camp site (216) was perfect with privacy for the tent and was incredibly quiet. Not a long walk to the vault toilets and everyone was super friendly. Already planning our next stay!
ScoutTook my 2 year old fir first time tent camping, we were at site 231, which was huge and very nice. We had some friends at other sites that weren’t as nice. There is a YouTube video posted of all the sites. There is so much to do we couldn’t do everything we wanted in the one night we stayed.
Scout
If you are looking for a place to camp with an RV or rent a cabin, this is your place! Three pools, mini golf, and a great atmosphere! However, we were tent camping and our site was gravel and right on the main road. It was very small and our tent was too close to the road for my comfort. Hiking trails weren’t very well kept, but was still a beautiful hike! If you have kids and camper I would absolutely recommend this place! Also very dog friendly!
Scout
The park itself is beautiful, and the trails are nice. The tent sites were on the smaller side and kind of close together. The park ranger was good-natured and patient when we accidentally set up on the wrong site.
Make sure to store your food correctly! The two sites beside us were ransacked by raccoons all night long because they left their supplies out. Three raccoons came to smell around our picnic table as soon as we zipped up inside the tents but left quickly after not finding food.
Ranger
This was the strangest camping experience I've ever had. It was early June and there were maybe two or three other sites set up in the entire campground. I made my reservations online for a tent site and nothing indicated that the site I selected was an overflow site. These "overflow" sites were scantly numbered, and there were fewer fire pits and picnic tables than indicated online. All of these tent sites were scattered in a grass field among the frisbee golf. We were glad no one was playing frisbee golf because it was intermixed with where the tents would be, so people would be getting hit with frisbees.
My friend and I pitched our tent closest to the bathroom because we could not find the actual spot we reserved online. We could not find anyone to ask about our site other than the waitresses at the restaurant who were very busy. We ate at the restaurant too and were unimpressed. Unless you get the day's special, it is very overpriced and the portions are small.
The bathrooms were clean (because no one else was at the campground), but there was no drinking water. We were on a bike tour and had to bike over 10 miles in the morning to find some good drinking water. I don't believe I paid $25 for something that was barely a campsite and had no drinking water.
I might of enjoyed it more if I had time to explore the area and the tower, but just dropping in for the night was not a great experience. It felt the campground only came to be because somebody wanted to open a restaurant and his buddy thought it would be a genius idea to let people camp there too.
GuideThe tent sites are a great size and semi private (you can have a conversation and not be heard at other sites). The bathroom and showers are decent and cleaned daily around 6 am. There are reservable and walk-in sites. The sites also have extra parking across from them.
There is a lot to do for kids a great play area, swimming, fishing, boating etc. There are hiking trails but not a lot.
The couple I went with had issues with the site next to them ( loud inappropriate language and using drugs) the rangers responded quickly and efficiently!
I have been there summer and late spring.
Ranger
This campground recently became a KOA. Our site was wooded and spacious, but difficult to maneuver into. We had a W/E site that had a nice fire pit and well placed hook ups. The best part about this campground is the pool area. There are 3 pools- 2 large full sized pools and one kiddie pool and splash pad. Can’t forget about the big water slide too! We enjoyed hours in the pool followed by dinner at the patio seating poolside. A bar/pub restaurant and a well stocked camp store. There are a lot of seasonal sites here, and I didn’t see the tent sites. If you want Door County nature, head to the state parks. If you want a home base with a pool and really nice bathrooms, this place is great. Lots of bike riding, beaches, towns, etc. within a 30 min drive.
RangerI decided to give this campsite a try to get some of my family members ate not up for tent camping. With real beds, running water and AC I figured that this would do the trick.
The cabin itself was roomy enough for five with a bunk bed, queen bed and sofa bed. Any more than that would get a little tight.
Amenities: Camp store, mini golf, three swimming pools, trails, basketball court, volleyball court, snack bar, and saloon. My kids had a blast so I would really recommend for a family who wanted to some form of cabin camping. Oh, there were goats as well!
I love campfire cooking which I was able to since there was a fire pit out back.
Also, this place has activities for family members, even a movie night. I saw groups of kids playing basketball or just hanging out and having fun. Oh, and there’s an arcade. At the saloon there was a karaoke night.
If you are more of a traditionalist then you may not like this type of camping. But, if you want to get out for the weekend with you family for a family oriented atypical getaway then this is for you!
We’ll be back.
RangerThis is a great campground for families with RVs. We stayed in summer of ‘20 and loved it, came back in ‘21 and enjoyed it. Biggest attraction of 3 pools and a water slide were down to 1 pool and the splash pad, which meant crowded pool. Like many things during COVID, delays or back ordered repair supplies are impacting the campground. That said, this is still a great KOA with some full hookups and some w/e. Showers and laundry $$ facilities available. The full hook up pull through are awesome sites- easy in and out, but there are only 6 so book early. We stayed in site 198 last year, and it was a nice wooded site but right on top of neighbors. This year we had 49, which had more open space and some shade for one big tree. This is a very dog friendly campground with a big fenced in dog run and lots of rooms for walks. There’s a bar and restaurant, but with so many great places to go in Door Co I’d skip eating there and enjoy the area. They have 2 tent sites, but these are in an open field with no privacy. I’d pass on sites 95-98 and 133-136 as they back up to the pavilion and offer no privacy. If you’re looking for wooded sites with privacy stick to the sites north of the pools. If you’re looking for open sites for a group of campers, the south part of the campground should suit you.
LegendThis was our first time camping in Wisconsin and we got to say we absolutely love this park. Most of the sites are pretty secluded so if you enjoy your privacy I will love this place. Everything was clean and updated including the bathrooms. The campsites are about a mile or two from Lake Michigan but it is an easy drive or hike as there are many trails that go through the park. When we went to the lake level was up so high due to flooding that we weren’t really able to enjoy the beach but normally there is plenty of coastline for enjoying some beach time.
Legend
General: There is both a north and a south part to this campground with a total of 178 sites. The sites in the south part are all on a grassy field and there is a small man-made lake with an inflatable play area. The sites in the north part are a mix of full hook-up and tent sites. There are also small cabins (only one of which has a bathroom) and three “condos”. These all had air-conditioners, but I did not see the inside of them. The north unit features a pond, which I was disappointed to discover was algae-filled and completely green.
Site Quality: Some are pull-through and some back-in. Some sites have electric and water hookups, some have picnic tables, and some have fire rings (but not all sites have all of these amenities). Only a handful have concrete pads; the rest are all on grass.
Our impression of Sleepy Hollow was influenced in part by the fact that it poured rain for much of our overnight stay. The roads were all dirt and with the rain, became very muddy along with the campsites as well. When leaving the next day, we had some challenges backing out of our site with the amount of mud. There is no clear delineation between the sites other than where the electric and water hookups are placed.
Bathhouse: Was very clean (in both the north and south units of the campground). Showers are available for a fee (five minutes for$1.00) but we did not use them so cannot comment on how well they worked.
Activities/Amenities: In the south unit, there is a small manmade lake with an inflatable play structure and plenty of life jackets. The color is a beautiful Caribbean blue, but it did not look natural, and I was not sure of the source of the color. We were there on a weekday in September, and no one was using the lake. There is a small bar and grill (in the north section) and a concession (south unit) on-site, but both were closed when we were there. Firewood was available (15 pieces for $10); we asked and were granted permission to use the golf cart to bring the wood to our site. Other than the lake, there really is nothing offered for recreation.
We chose this campground for its location; it is very close to Highway 41 in Oshkosh (you will hear road noise) and we were meeting family there. We checked in online the day before and arrived at 3:30 pm. No one was in the office when we arrived but the family members we were meeting had arranged for us to camp in the site next to them (not the original one we had selected). This campground is VERY close to EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association), and I imagine it would be completely full during the annual EAA convention. For us, it was a convenient location but aside from spending time with our family, the reason we chose this campground.
Guide
Awesome campground! We stayed here for 2 weeks in our 2021 Keystone Hideout 250BH. They don't have a ton of sites and they are reserve only. The weekdays are extremely quiet but the weekends get a little busy due to the seasonal sites.
The sites are electric/water and they do have a dump station very close by. The central pond and waterfall were awesome!
As far as amenities - the bathrooms/showers were very clean and well kept. They also had laundry services! Mowing day is on Thursdays!
The only negative with our stay (which the campground can't help) were the mosquitos, flies, and bees. So bring bug spray!!!
There are several things to do - hiking, biking, caves, Lake Michigan, etc.
The New Hope Cave is only open to tour 1 weekend of the month. It is usually the 3rd Saturday of the month but there were scheduling conflicts and it was open on the 2nd Saturday in August so we weren't able to tour. We were still able to visit the other caves and walk around and look at wildlife. If you go when it is raining you won't be able to go in many of the caves as they become flooded but it does make some really cool waterfalls! The Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse is on Lake Michigan about 30 minutes away from the campground but we definitely recommend going to see it! We would definitely stay here again!
Ranger
We were in route to visiting Green Bay Wisconsin and found this campground on Lake Michigan. We were able to secure a sight by calling directly to the park because the phone number was on the Wisconsin State Map. The had a staff of about 5 people at the and took a debit card for Payment. We paid $22 for the sight because it had electricity and an additional $9 day fee required in Wisconsin. You can pay $30 for a season, we were only in Wisconsin for two nights. The sight was nice for a tent and we were able to hang out on the beach of Lake Michigan. The bathrooms had hot showers. We got up early and made our way to Green Bay.
LegendCampground Review
High Cliff is a generally wooded and shaded campground on a cliff overlooking Lake Winnebago. The sites are average to above average size, with a good mix of electric and non-electric sites. We are tent campers and the ground was pretty flat and there was a good spot for our tents in our site. Our site was nice and spacious with a good fire-ring that had a grate that rotated. Typically I use an adjustable tripod grill, but since was a rainy weekend, it was nice to be able to not have to get that out. The one thing about our site(and the campground in general) in the rain was the mud. Since it is heavily shaded there isn't really any grass, so the ring forest floor soil turns mucky and muddy.
There is one main flush toilet/shower building in the campground, and a bunch of pit toilet buildings. The pit toilet buildings had some issues with the lights in some of them, but the shower/flush building was mostly clean and not too far away. There is also a really nice playground nearby.
Within the park are plenty of hiking/biking trails, a lookout tower, and there is beach access. The beach/water is definitely swimmable, but this isn't the most beautiful beach for swimming. When we were here, it was cool and rainy, so the most we did was put our feet in the water. There isn't much sand, but there are large grassy areas.
The weekend we were there a local theater group happened to be performing a minimal version of Romeo and Juliet. It was awesome.
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, this time I got to test the Wenzel Ivanhoe 6 tent.
I've owned a bunch of tents throughout the years, but mostly they were small backpacking size tents. We have use a large 8-person Cabella's tent for the past 9 years for car camping, but it is time-consuming to set-up, so we thought the Wenzel Ivanhoe 6 would be a nice complement tent for us.
The Ivanhoe is part of Wenzel's "Tribute" collection, with a retro-inspired design. The Ivanhoe reminds me of my parents' old canvas tent. The Ivanhoe is a single-walled house-shaped tent made of weather-treated polyester and taped seams. It held up really well in the rainy weather we had camping and there was just one small area that the seam tape failed: a"troubleshooting" tag that hangs down inside the tent.
What I like:
The single pole design is simple and quick to setup
There is good airflow with the large screens on the doors and the two side windows; The rear vent is a nice touch
It has a great look and it well made
It actually fits in the bag it came in
What I don't like
The top peak vents don't really work
There was a slight leak by the tag (I'll use some seam-sealer to fix this for the future)
Since it isn't freestanding, there are a lot of guy lines that are easy to trip over in the dark
For a sub-$200 tent, this tent is awesome. It's easy to set up and looks great. It is a simple design that is spacious and comfortable for 3-4 people. It did great in rainy weather. I definitely recommend this tent for for those looking for a car camping tent around this size and want to spend less than $200.
ScoutThe tent spots are big. But wish the electric outlet was closer. Bring long, long extension cords.
Traveler
We visited in mid September 2020 and found the hosts to be very very helpful and friendly. They have been in business here for 10 years and it looks like everything is brand new. We stayed here as part of a month long travel vacation and are likely to come back - so many places to see and so little time. Our site had trees and full hook-ups. For families in warmer weather, we did not see a pool or playground but that is not something we look for in September in northern Wisconsin on Lake Michigan.
This campground is right next to Point Beach in Two Rivers , Wisconsin.
Guide
I backpacked the IAT with a group and we camped for the night at Mauthe Lake at the beginning of April. There are lots of downed trees at the campground, which sort of detracted from the landscape (tornado damage, I'm told). Pit toilets were open, but water had not yet been turned on so be prepared to filter if you go this early in the season. We perused different sites/loops for a while to find adjacent non-electric sites large enough for multiple tents at each and were able to fit 8-9 (small backpacking) tents between 314 and 313.
TravelerThe staff was great to work with finding a campsite on a walk-in. The campsite was very clean and read for us to set up our tent. The hiking and lookouts were breath taking
GuideGreat clean sites and fishing. Many hiking trails. Historical attractions. Wisconsin does their parks and forests right.
ScoutMauthe lake was my very first camping experience and continues to be a go-to site for my family. Decent sized campsites with options for tents, campers, electric, etc.
TravelerLarge sites great for groups. Sites 2 and 9 are the largest. Those can each fit over 20 backpacking tents at the same time. Grassy sites surrounded by trees (plenty for hammocks too). Short walk to pit toilets and drinking water.
GuideIt was a bit chilly to enjoy the lake unfortunately, but the hiking is amazing. There are great rock outcrops for bouldering and exploring. All over just beautiful. Definitely one of my favorites in Wisconsin!!
TravelerI have a self contained van and so like to camp in rustic sites. The full electric sites here are pretty small and tightly packed, but the tent / rustic sites are great. Aim for the 500 loop.
RangerAutumn camping along the lake - we chose an electric site even though we tent as it was in mid autumn and it gets darker earlier - it was mid week so no issue getting a site. Love the hiking here and easy lake access - Plus it's near Sheboygan and Kohler with all they have to offer
Scout
Very nice place to camp. Quite and friendly. Small but accommodates all types of campers. Has 30 and 50 Amp hookups. Tenting up to cabin, they have two. My second year long term camping here. On the edge of the city and close to everything.
Tent camping near Manitowoc, Wisconsin offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the great outdoors. With several well-reviewed campgrounds nearby, you can find the perfect spot for your next adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Manitowoc, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Manitowoc, 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 Manitowoc, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 tent camping locations near Manitowoc, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
