Do you love the outdoors and horses? If you're looking for a rustic but comfortable experience, horse camping in Montello is the way to go. Equestrian camping is the best way to experience nature. Find our top-rated horse campsites from other campers like you. Plan the perfect trip in minutes.
Merry Mac Campground is a family friendly campground nestled between the South shore of Devil’s Lake and Lake Wisconsin. This 40 acre facility offers activities for all age groups: swimming pool, beach, swimming pond with water inflatables, jumping pillow, dunk tank, miniature golf, playground, sand volleyball, basketball, gagaball pit, trykes and bikes, friendly camp store surrounded by Mother Nature’s beauty!
$35 / night
We have 54 RV & Tent Sites, all with water and 30 amp electric. Select sites have 50 amp service. Our extra large camping sites are nestled in our beautiful oak forest which offers plenty of shade and privacy. We also offer double sites for groups who want to come camping together.
We are located on 90 acres of scenic rustic countryside near Amherst Wisconsin. In addition to traditional camping activities we offer daily horseback riding trail rides and all kinds of family fun. There's no place like Wild West Campground. Get ready for an unforgettable camping and horseback riding experience. Camping is a great way to spend a few days with us on our working 1850's horse ranch! Bring your RV, camper or tent and live the life of a modern cowboy!
$35 - $50 / night
$50 - $65 / night
$60 / night
The vision for McCarthy Youth and Conservation Park began in 1974 with a donation of 180 acres of land that was owned by Russell and Ella McCarthy. The McCarthys’ primary goal was for the park to become“a place where kids from the city could learn about nature.” The park offers a group camp, hiking, cross-country skiing, equestrian trails and camping, picnic opportunities, and a beautiful prairie/wetland restoration.
There are two separate group camps at McCarthy.
McCarthy Group Campsite
Group Camp area for up to 50 people situated on top of wooded glacial drumlin adjacent to Maunesha River. Connection to hiking trails. Scattered level wooded camping areas. Located~ 1 mile from the park entrance through a gated access road– road is part of the hiking trail system. Ranger will open gate. No potable water at this time Vault(pit) toilet Picnic tables Campfire ring No electricity No shelter Vehicle parking in parking lot at base of the hill below the Group Camp site
McCarthy Equestrian Group Campsite
Located~.6 miles from the park entrance access through road gate– road is part of the hiking trail system. Ranger will open gate. Camping setup for self-contained camping units No potable water at this time Your group may rent a portable toilet(from a vendor of your choice) if needed. Picnic tables. Hitching posts. Campfire rings. No electricity. No shelter. Vehicle parking in parking lot at base of the hill below the group camp site
Reserve a campsite online here: https://web2.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/widanectywt.wsc/splash.html
Check opening and closing dates here: https://www.danecountyparks.com/about/Parks-Opening-Closing-Schedule
See campground rules here: https://www.danecountyparks.com/about/rules
$65 / night
Traveler
Campground is adequate, it has a functioning shower house and private spots. I used a primitive campsite and it cost me $30 ($15 if your from WI). That was on top of the $11 non resident park entrance fee. So $41 for a primitive tent site, $47.50 if you count the bundle of firewood I bought from them. So yeah, keep that in mind if coming here as a non resident. I’m sure there are cheaper places nearby.
Scout
This was quiet and peaceful. When we needed our fire pit cleaned out theg came pretty quickly. Being able to watch the horses was very calming. We would recomend this place to others and we would go back.
GuideLoved this park and will return again! I stayed at site 38 which had good privacy on one side, the other site was a little more exposed. Research your spot before booking as some are wide open and others have privacy. There are 100+ site at this park and two shower houses. The shower houses could use some work, however, the hot water was on point! Lots of trails and beach access. Great for bikes and kayaks. This is an older park, with some partying, but I’ll be back. Had a great time.
ScoutGood
TravelerNot our typical type of campground but absolutely no complaints. Very friendly atmosphere and more comfortable sized sites than we expected considering what we typically look for. All amenities are very nice.
TravelerIce cream 🍦 Shop in hot Dog 🌭
RangerI credit this state park as the park that introduced me to the Ice Age hiking trail. I was checking out the park and its trails and found a yellow blaze (trail marker).. the beauty of this trail is amazing! The park is well maintained, spacious and offers many quality campsites as well. I would highly recommend this to anyone, especially families.
Traveler
My family and I love the yurts and the giant pool/ pond. The park model rentals are nice now that my grandma is getting older. 4 stars simply because everything has a price and it's not included in tge total.
GuideWe camped in the family campground with our 17 foot Casita travel trailer. Large private site surrounded by trees, with several options for positioning the trailer. The nearby chain of small lakes connected by narrows is ideal for kayaking. Lots of level paved roads for cycling, and wooded trails for hiking. Clean restrooms with showers.
Traveler
As this place didn’t have much for reviews I wasn’t sure what to think but it’s a great location with good service. I thought the stay price was reasonable and there are lots of options for sites and bathrooms. It was quiet and beautiful location with a nice owner.
TravelerI had an outside loop site. The inside loop is open and sites seem close. Lake is nice for swimming and recreating. Had fun with my son on this trip.
TravelerWe only stayed a few nights, chose a pull thru site. The staff is great, the pool is brand new! They have a huge pond with inflatables. It’s located right by Devils lake. Firewood for sale, great wifi, clean bathhouses/rooms
GuidePlenty of things to do here to keep the kids engaged and busy very clean Campground the campsites are well-kept swimming Pond was clean and plenty of fun things to climb on and slide down. We will definitely return to this Campground
Ranger
This is a beautiful site, and I would give more stars. But, there was no camp host, no one at the office to check in when we arrived, no one cleaning the bathrooms, and no one enforcing the 10pm quiet hour rule. I don’t mind the pit toilets, but at least clean the building. And at least have enough light in the building so one can see at night. If none of those things make a difference to you, then enjoy camping here!
GuideYou name it I’m sure you can find it at Hartman Creek. From swimming area fishing hiking trails. My favorite camping ground even when was a kid.
ScoutThis is good, clean campsite. You kids will have fun here. There is lot to do. Mostly RV sites.
TravelerI just stayed at this campground this weekend and it was a blast! The campsite we had was decently size and felt very private with all the trees surrounding us! The hiking is great and it was a short walk to the beach, it was also a short car ride to the chain of lakes!
ScoutA wonderful little get away for our group. Plenty of activities for the children and spacious sites!
RangerCamped here many times, there are 3 lakes w in campground, a beach lake w pavilion n bathrooms, there is a fishing pier w walk bike trail around lake, bike or drive to any of the lakes n beach, all non motorized, can rent kayaks n canoes, pan fish n bass, restrooms, vault and flush, free showers, host on site, patrolled by dnr n no loud noise so its a peaceful park. W in boundaries of park is Marl lake used to be mined for its sand to make motor for bricks, very deep, n cold, excellent snorkeling, it has a dock to jump off of,connects to a few lakes that are part of Waupaca water ways park and walk to this lake. Walking trails around lakes w in park. firewood n ice available.
Must have state park pass plus camping fees.
TravelerThis Beach is perfect, horse trails, biking trails. Right along the ice age trail!
ScoutI’ve been going here since I was a kid. Waupaca offers so many beautiful lakes to explore and Hartman has some beautiful trails to hike on! It does get busy in the summer, but fall or during the week is a perfect time to go!
LegendWe got there late in the evening, but the check in/self pay process was very simple and straight forward. Fees were incredibly reasonable for such a nice campground, and it was very quiet, even though there were lots of people enjoying this campground. Lovely atmosphere!
We arrived late, so we had to self pay. But all that paperwork and payment took place inside a little heated shelter house of sorts. Bonus! Most of the time, the pay envelopes are outside and you have to duck into your car, fill it out, and dart back into the dark to the drop box. There was even a campground map showing which spaces were taken and available (at the time the attendant went home for the day). This was nice, but the space we thought was open had been taken by someone moments before. So not fool proof, but a decent guide for those arriving after dark. We still found another space and made it our home for the night. Not to mention, they had one of the best maps I've ever seen!
Fees:
$5 per adult
$5 per car or vehicle
$5 if you didn't have a park sticker
$5 if you made the reservation online or by phone.
$5 for electric
Soooo...if you had 2 adults, one car and needed electric, then it would be $20. And so forth...
This place is so quiet! The campground was very full that night, but we heard almost nothing from people at all. Just a little chatter from a couple guys nearby, but at a very respectful level. We actually got to enjoy the night sounds of pitter patter rain and the occasional owl in the distance. No road noise.
The sites are spread out enough to make this peaceful and private, but close enough to make the campground functional and cozy. Electric sites (designated with an "E" beside the number) were scattered with non electric sites. Electrics were more plentiful, though. Tent sites were also available, if you like. They were grouped together in a different area. Our closest neighbors site was within view of the fire ring, but no one was there this night. The sites were deep, so you could pull in and nestle in the trees, even if you had a neighbor, and it was more private. There was a nice picnic table near the fire ring, which was quite nice for a fire, but no grate for cooking on. The pad we pulled into was fairly level and covered in pea gravel. We were using our teardrop trailer this night instead of a tent.
There were bathrooms scattered around with very clean pit-type toilets, and there were multiple toilets in "mens" and "women's" rooms. There was also a shower house with pay showers, but prices were very reasonable. I think it was 25 cents for 5 minutes, and the more quarters you put in, the more time you got. There was also a row of sinks and mirrors under a sheltered roof as well as a pay washer and dryer, something I've never seen before at a campground.
Beyond the other lovely amenities, they had picnic tables everywhere, drinking water spigots, fire pits at every site and a playground for the kids.
Overall, definitely one of the more perfect places to camp. And if you had extra time, there was a lake at the other end of the park. And equestrian trails and an equestrian camp, but it was closed because of mud.
Located in gorgeous Amish country, the drive back to the interstate to head north again was incredibly enjoyable and a great way to end a great camping adventure.
GuideSuper fun campground with so much to do! Lots of games for all up by lodge. DJ dance party on the deck at night. Lake full of all kinds of floats the kids can climb and jump on. Clean pool to cool off in. Sand volleyball, ga ga ball, huge park. Has so many different accomadtions to choose from! Clean bathrooms & laundry facilities. Lots of planned activities on weekends. We stayed during water wars and the kids had a blast!! Will definitely be returning!
GuideThis park is overly crowded with campsites. There’s not much privacy between the sites. It is very noisy loud and you hear all the conversations from other campsites. They also seem to attract young party crowd and it’s loud through most of the night. The ground was difficult to put tent stakes in as it was very hard. There is great hiking as the Ice Age Trail is part of this park. They do have events for kids on the weekends and some great playground so would be great for families!
TravelerWe have always been lucky to book secluded sites. Enjoy bringing the family’s bikes and love the single trail bike paths through the woods. Has a nice small lake to bring your own kayaks and SUPs or rent on site.
TravelerA gorgeous family friendly campground! Our site was located overlooking Allen Lake, right in the tall pines. It was a great location, enough trees for kids to hang hammocks for a little relaxation.
Bathrooms with showers available and in good condition. Pit toilets located nearby as well.
Allen Lake has a fishing pier that the kids loved fishing from. Good catches early in the morning!
Hartman Creek is a nice small lake, with no wake. There is now a rental building available with kayaks, paddle boats, SUP, etc to rent. We rented kayaks for an hour and a very reasonable price. Small lake so we were able to explore— saw about 3 dozen turtles which was super fun for the kids.
There are hiking trails available and also paved trails for bike riding, walking, etc.
We loved the quietness at night. Not entirely sure, but I believe there is a quite policy after 10pm. Gorgeous to look up and see the amazing stars at night.
I went here all the time as a kid and this was my first time back taking kids. We will be back again!
ScoutI’ve been here many times and it’s one of my favorites. The campsites are tucked away and private. There are bathrooms and a small playground. The lake is gorgeous and clean. The only downfall is the lake is spring-fed so it’s a bit cold for swimming.
Horse camping in Wisconsin offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and equestrian-friendly amenities, perfect for those looking to explore the great outdoors with their horses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Montello, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Montello, WI is Hartman Creek State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 20 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Montello, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 equestrian camping locations near Montello, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
