Looking for the best options for camping with dogs near Merrill? The Dyrt can help you find the best campsites for you and your dog. Search nearby pet-friendly campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
PLEASE NOTE: HORN LAKE IS NOT A DESIGNATED CAMPGROUND
Overnight camping, including tents, trailers, cars and trucks may be permitted in the County Forest without charge for a period of no more than 14 days cumulatively in a calendar year. Any camper who violates the rules of good conduct, including cutting or defacing timber, carelessness with fire, violation of game and fishing laws of the State, or improper disposal of garbage and litter shall be subject to ejection from the County Forest and subject to the penalties provided by County and State laws.
When camping on the County Forest, blocking roads, parking areas, or lake access is not permitted.
$18 - $22 / night
Great Northern Campground is owned & operated by Chad & Bree Theilman & family. Our goal is to provide outdoor enthusiasts with a clean, affordable, family-friendly, and relaxing camping destination. The campground was built & designed by individuals with the same passion for camping & the outdoors who want to make your camping experience a lasting memory. Great Northern Campground is Langlade County’s newest campground offering 53 sites, most with water & electrical hook-ups. Now offering a large swimming pond with sand beach, showers, and flush toilets. We are conveniently located on the ATV/UTV trail & all riders are welcome! Daily & seasonal sites are available. Dogs are welcome!
$22 - $37 / night
Guide
We camped here in May not much for skeeters, good sites on the lake with a fire pit on a dead end road with a boat landing.
ScoutAs a primitive camper who hates paying to sleep on the ground somewhere, this is my new favorite spot. Two sites, fire rings, no bathroom, water, electric.
Traveler
Small primitive campsites right on lake pine in a beautiful area. The site are adequate and nothing negative to report. Host was super friendly and came up to welcome me. Picnic table down by lake so you can sit while watching the sunrise. $15/night unless you got a park/forest senior pass then 50% off.
Traveler
Nestled between towering trees, the campsites here were clearly marked and tidy. Each site has a nice fire ring with grate. Main road is paved and sites are small gravel. Hiking/running trails are wide enough to accommodate strollers.
Traveler
Lake Cunard campground was designated a "Quiet" campground several years ago - one of only two in the 18 different Northern Highlands American Legion state forest campgrounds. That means no "noise producing devices", including generators, radios, TV's, video games, guitars, etc. No means none. Prohibited. It's good to know this before booking a reservation!
Also note that the posted rules for ALL campgrounds read, "At no time may a person engage in.. boisterous, unreasonably loud..or conduct that tends to cause a disturbance" - defined as " interfering with another person's enjoyment of the forest".
This transition in 2019 was perhaps difficult for long time visitors at Cunard to adjust to. However, the quieter experience there has become a favorite of many who appreciate the peaceful atmosphere. 👍 It is an older, more rustic property - and could use some updates (ie new toilets), but if you're looking for that serene Northwoods experience - Go!!
ScoutSome of the sites are wide open with no privacy. Ours was the last one available on a weekend in July. Beach is small, but nice. Priveys are clean! 5G service with Tmobile.
Would definitely come back!
Guide
We have been coming here for a long time. It is under new management and we thought things would get better. While we were here other guests trashed the beach and had dogs running and using the bathroom throughout the campsite. The rules for dogs were to keep them on leashes and clean up after them. These rules were not being followed which caused the beach, in the past is lovely, but with the dogs using it as a bathroom the beach smelt like poop. Nobody in our week of staying cleaned up after them so we needed to go somewhere else to swim. If your place is pet friendly please make sure to keep up with your own rules. The cabins are run down but showers are hot and the utilities are still able to be used
TravelerA few mosquitoes, but the wind kept them to a minimum! Great view of the lake and very private. About 2 miles of dirt road to get there. Turn right when you get to ATV trail. Two camp sites 10 yards apart.
Scout
Relatively primitive sites, large pile of firewood available. Pit toilets
Guide
Excellent campground! Well maintained and easy to maneuver around. Quiet and enough sun and shade for everyone. Owners are helpful and very nice! Nice playground for the kids, swim beach for great summer fun, campground store/food/drinks if you’re hungry or desire a cold drink to beat the heat and such amazing riverside views that melt the weeks stress away! We will definitely be back to this jem of a campground! Come see for yourself, don’t take my word for it!
Scout
Was great quiet and relaxing
RangerGreat spot right on the water. There are 2 camp spots with stone rings. They are about 40' apart on a cul-de-sac at the end of the road where the boat launch is. I'd suggest using your own firepit/ grill if you have one as some moron decided burning tires in the firepit was a good idea.
It's a beautiful spot. Very quiet. Land to the north is private property, so keep that in mind. You'll see a few houses on the way in.
If you travel to the left where the road "T's" off, take care. The road is tight and very twisty. There are numerous spots to camp, but no pits to the left. I would not recommend going to the left unless the max your hauling is a teardrop. Anyone up to 20' would be OK going to the right where the established 2 sites are.
Traveler
Recommended by two locals, this campground is mostly for RVs but they do have areas away from the RVs. The seasonal campers all appear to have golf carts that they run around all over the place. The teenagers stay active into the night but it didn't bother my sleep but a few times.
Good trees and tree spacing if you want to hammock camp.
Full bar with standard bar fare available on-site.
Overall, a very welcoming campground. The staff were excellent.
Legend
This is our second stay, once in 2020 and now 2023. Both times were just for a couple nights. Great location to explore Minocqua. The campground is comprised mostly of seasonal folks, but offers 20 some sights to non-seasonal. Sites are relatively spaced apart for a private campground and offer FHU’s for those needing to stay a night or two to dump tanks, etc. A bit pricey, but if you spend most of your time boondocking it’s a good fit. Good Verizon signal and they have cable TV hookup.
Traveler
There are tons of sites across three loops, spaced apart with picnic tables, fire pits, and plenty of room. Most sites are level– we were only staying one night and didn’t even need to unhook our pickup. The lake is very close with a trail to a beach and dock. The bathrooms have flush toilets and showers. We didn’t have our ATVs with us, but the trails looked like narrow gravel roads. It wasn’t busy– on a Thursday in July only about¼ of the sites were taken. We had one bar on Verizon.
Guide
GuideWe were hesitant to stay because of the previous owner- I am happy we did however! Our group stayed at sites 36-38. They were nice and level. We did have to pick up some dog poo when we first got there but it wasn’t much thankfully. My son (16) was pretty bored. There was lots of stuff for little kids to do! There was a nice little man-made swimming hole that we didn’t get to use because of the weather. The store didn’t have much in it when we got there. The shelves were filled by evening however! The bar was very big! They only had fried food at the time of our visit- no burgers.
Scout
We were coming from Oshkosh, WI, picking up a kid in Wausau and ultimately heading to the eastern part of the UP. I figured a night stop would be needed and we were kinda just hoping for the best in finding sites this weekend, so I picked a few along our route just in case, this being the first choice. We were lucky and found one last spot to call home for the night. Great campground, albeit gravely. The amenities were well kept and placed and having our dog with us wasn't a problem. Trillium in the wooded areas are radiant in the morning sun shining through the trees. We would absolutely stay again!
Ranger
Loved the whole experience, the cold, the snow, the hammock camping. Quite an event!
GuideBeautiful, friendly campground. Swimming area, waterfall, steam, fishing. This camp has it all. Some season campers, some overnights.
Guide
We only got to stay one night here. The spaces seem close to neighbors but our site was pretty large in the back. Easy to back into. Really quiet and the lake views are serene. Nice little playground too. The site managers were really friendly and helpful. I would love to come back so we could enjoy the site more!
Ranger
Love our site. It’s big, neighbors are not on top of us… and it’s quiet! Great firewood… only 5$ per bundle. Clean showers. Friendly staff. Highly recommended.
ScoutIt is a quiet campground, I can respect that. But camp friend was not so friendly. If we laughed out loud she would warn us.
ScoutSites are spread out with woods between the sites. Flush toilets with token operated showers. Waterfront sites are usually full, but shallow boat ramp for trailers is close by. Fishing pier and trails to get kayaks in the water are accessible from the main campgrounds. ATV trail close by but didn’t hear any even on the weekend.
Guide
We had a great time! Tall trees, no issues with branches. Quiet…a lot of full timers living there. Work during the day. Walked down to lake, very pretty.
Very close to highway, very quiet on week days. We had fun!!
Scout
The campground is part of a larger park. There are multiple playgrounds, tennis courts, splash pads and even an amphitheater and ice rinks within the park.
There is a lot of traffic during the day from park visitors. The evening is mostly quiet, but with traffic noise from the outside of the park streets and occasional loud vehicles that can be disruptive. Morning was largely quiet as well.
The campsites themselves are small — if you have a camper there’s not much room outside. Even the tent spaces are small.
There are no open fires allowed - which didn’t bother us given it was just an overnight stop. You can use grills etc though.
Being a city park it is quite well lit - which has its pros and cons. The back left corner where the nonelectric tent sites are seems to be one of the less bright areas. We slept fine with the rain cover off.
There is a 2 day minimum for online reservations. That’s not required for walk up self registration so you can do one day as a walk up. Self registration has a 3 day maximum.
There is a bathroom/shower for the campers. As a walk up registrant you will have to contact the phone number on the board to get the code. Not sure if online registrations get it in the email. There are other bathrooms (no showers) that are not locked that are a further walk into the park though.
Overall it was a nice place to stay over spending $100+ for a hotel room on a quick overnight on our way further north.
GuideNeeded a place to stay in northern Wisconsin for a week and this campground was available. Great place for kids, right on Pelican Lake for fishing and boating, and nice friendly staff. VERY clean!
Camping near Merrill, Wisconsin, offers a great mix of outdoor fun and relaxation. With beautiful campgrounds and plenty of activities, it’s a perfect spot for families, friends, and solo adventurers alike.
Camping near Merrill, Wisconsin, is a fantastic way to enjoy the great outdoors, whether you're with family or friends. With so many options, you’re sure to find the perfect spot for your next adventure!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Merrill, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Merrill, WI is Council Grounds State Park with a 4.5-star rating from 13 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Merrill, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 60 dog-friendly camping locations near Merrill, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
