Best Tent Camping near Mason, WI

Been there twice in the last few years. Last time, in late Sept, we had the place to ourselves. It was peaceful and lovely. This time (mid Sept) and it was a friggin zoo. The place was packed with large RVs, several of which had drunken, stupidly loud hooting and hollering yahoos taking it into the night. There is a separate tent camping area that is isolated from the main area by some trees but unfortunately not enough to block the noise.  The tent camping sites are not isolated from each other-just a long strip of lawn with about 6 sites or so. 

Nice supply of quality firewood and pay to spray shower (closed this year probably due to the pandemic). There is a nice, new modern bathroom facility for the Little Sand Bay park right next to the campgrounds.

Found this gem of a campground while passing thru this area.

Nice quiet campground. This campground seemed to be mostly filled with RVs. We were tent camping and they had a well shaded,very clean and quiet area for us.

The owners were quick to return our phone call when trying to make a reservation.

Very friendly owners!

Tent “lakeside” site is an open court yard setting which is a little strange. All sites can face The lake. Try and avoid the other tent sites as they are behind fish house in the woods. Those sites are still less than 2 minute walk to lake. Showers are 2 dollars for 8 minutes. Great location for apostle island kayak tours or starting point.

One bogus item or plus item.

County ran so some people pull up and bandant camp.

This campground has a marina and a beach right on Lake Superior. We went in mid September and it was pretty empty. There were about 10 tent only sites and there were campers at only 1 of the other tent sites and they were there only 1 night. I think if it was busy it might feel too crowded because the sites are very close. You had to pay 2 dollars for the showers but the water was hot and you got a good amount of time. The bathrooms were clean.

This is a  private campground that fills up quick.    It is 1 mile from Bayfield town center.  It is close to the ferry dock, restaurants, parks and beaches.  All sites are electric and water and some are full hook up.  There are cabins and tent sites as well.   The office/store is very clean and stocked with things you may need.  8 flavor ice creams on site!  There is a  dump station and picnic tables and fire rings at each site.   There is free wi-fi and a shower house, bathrooms and laundry.

The campground is located in a very nice small town and the water sites are amazing for sunrise. The campground has all the amenities you need; Full hookups, water, dump station, fire rings, and picnic tables. Tent sites were the most numerous, but there were several RVs. We saw everything from big RVs to motorcycles here. Things were clean but it was a super packed when we were there. You can't sit outside without getting to know your neighbors inner secrets! 

The view and access to water is what would bring us back.

We had a very difficult time finding a place to camp for the night traveling from MN back to GA. We found this place and I’m so glad we stayed here. We got a site with water and electric to plug in our teardrop trailer. We really wanted to tent camp so we pitched our tent and started a fire.

The camp host was quick to respond whenever we needed something (we just needed some firewood and had questions about the restrooms Before making a reservation) and even though the restrooms were closed for covid, they did provide a port-a-potty for campers.

This place was quiet and peaceful and left me well rested. I wish this wasn’t a pit stop and I could’ve stayed for a few days! I’ll be back!

Right on Lake Superior! The campground name was a bit confusing as it is also called The Town of Clover Campground, but most of the signage seems to say Herbster Campground, so that is what we will go with. The RV campground section is up front on a large lot with views of the lake (if you are in the front row). Across the street are a few tent sites right on the beach, as well as a few on the main campground side of the street. There is a nice loop going back into the woods that has most of the tent/small trailer sites. You get your pick- sand flies on the beach or skeeters in the woods. The campground overall is well maintained and very private- everything was well mowed to keep bugs down, and the sites in the woods were well spaced so that most sites are out of sight from each other. The shower house is in a newer shower trailer- sounds weird, but they were actually very nice and obviously cleaned daily. There was a sink station outside the shower trailer for cleaning dishes. I think I saw a fish cleaning station too. Most tent sites seemed to have electric (bonus!) and all had picnic tables and fire rings. They are pretty strict about firewood- it must be local! They have some wood for sale but also had recommendations for where to purchase nearby. This is a first come first serve campground that doesn’t take reservations, which is nice so close to the busy Apostle Islands. This is the place to come as it is much quieter than some of the campgrounds closer to the Islands. There is a boat launch about 5 minutes away that is reasonably priced if you have your own boat for exploring the islands/sea caves.

Campground Review

One of the things I love about Wisconsin is that there is a municipal campground in a lot of towns near major attractions. In this case, it’s Prentice Park in Ashland, WI, which is on Lake Superior and close to the Apostle Islands. If you come to the Apostle’s on a busy summer weekend, you may not find a place to camp. Ashland to the rescue. This is a fairly new, modern campground just off the the main drag, and a short hike (less than half a mile) to the beaches. There is a nice paved trail that takes you to the beach as well as around the wetlands in between. A short drive into town takes you to a cute downtown where you can see the murals painted on a dozen or so buildings depicting the history and people who have made this town. The campground itself has 9 or 10 tent only sites and about the same of RV/hookup sites, with most of the tent sites clustered on one side, the RV/Hookup sites in one group in the middle, and a few more spacious tent sites past that. Some tent sites are really large and set back from the road, with nice grassy areas for pitching the tent and a few trees for hammocks, and a few of the tent sites are very small, right on the road, and no room for more than a small tent, the picnic table, fire pit, and that’s it. There is one bathhouse that is new and very clean, with two all in one shower rooms (toilet, sink, and shower, very spacious) and what looked like two more standard bathrooms (they were locked the whole time I was there, and they are not coded like the shower rooms are). You will need to check in with the campground host in order to get the code for the shower rooms. One of the best features of this campground is the water. Yep, water. There is an artesian well in the day use area that pumps out the cleanest, tastiest water. Empty every vessel you have and fill up here! There is another artesian well house down on the beach and it was very busy with locals filling up.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I occasionally get to test products. On this trip, I fell in love. With Matador’s FlatPak Soap Bar Case. This little “dry bag” for a bar of soap is a total game changer. In the past I’ve always brought tubes of shower gel with me camping. It’s the only time I use shower gels as I am a bar soap kinda gal. The gel’s always seem to be a bit of a mess for me as the lids don’t stay closed, or water or gel leaks out, or there’s just not enough, and it always means a special trip to the store to get just this one item that I don’t have normally at home. This Soap Bar Case means I can bring my own bar of soap which I know will last a while and can easily find another at any store in the country. This dry bag lets the soap dry out while magically keeping soapy residue inside the bag.

Here’s what I LOVE about this case:

1. While compact in size, it can hold a standard bar of soap. No need to squirrel away a bunch of those icky hotel soaps that you end up abandoning after a single use.
2. Soap goes in wet, comes out dryer (but not dried out).
3. The fabric breathes, so the moisture evaporates out through the fabric, but doesn’t get anything around it wet, and the soap residue doesn’t pass through the membrane. Everything in my dopp kit stayed completely dry and soap free. Soap stays in, moisture goes out. Totally mess free!!
4. The dry bag closure is really simple to use. Just roll the bag down about three or four times and clip it closed. Simple.
5. This could easily be clipped to your backpack and it wouldn’t be in the way or flop around as it is so small.

There is only one thing I would want different:

1. I wish this came in other colors besides black. A bright red or marine yellow would make it easier to see in my dopp kit and would make a person less likely to forget it/leave behind.

This is a product I would happily buy for any of my camping buddies, and if/when Matador introduces the FlatPak Soap Bar Case in brighter colors, I will likely buy myself a second one. This would be great for taking to the gym as well as for kids going to summer camp or anywhere you want to get clean without getting soap on all of your gear.

If your objective is a daytrip or weekend trip to Two Harbors without dropping a lot of money for lodging, this is an adequate campground. There is a good new bathhouse facility, and the location of the campground is primo for exploring the Two Harbors area. However, the campsites are small, jampacked together, and open without trees. RVers will find the anrnities they need, but even for them I think they might find it a bit crowded. Not good for tent campers, no privacy, a lot of noise, and hard tent sites. Car camping might not be so bad if you really want to be in the Two Harbors area. Campground closes mid October to mid May.

Note--the website link in the listing above doesnt seem to work, the correct website address is http://www.twoharborsmn.gov/city_departments/burlington_bay_campground/index.php