Best Tent Camping near Monticello, WI

I did not stay here, but I spend some time walking through to get a feel for the place.

This is primarily an RV/mobile home campground, but there are some nicely tucked away tent camp sites that I'll recommend later in this review. Gravel roads connect the three loops and the landscaping is well kept and maintained. The campground sells ice, firewood and rents boats.

There is a very clean bathroom and bathhouse, freshwater for campers, and some electric tent campsites. The property is basically terraced along a slope down to the lake, with the RV and mobile home sites closer to the lake. The tent sites are above it all with decent views of the lake below (and the RVs). 

The Galapagos tent campsite is elevated and a short distance from the loop road, and has a nice view of the lake. The Box Turtle site is also a bit elevated above the main driveway as is Snapper 7, though I am not sure where you are supposed to put your tent in that site.

Now, Snapper 4, 5,6 and 7 would be nice for group camping because they are all very close to one another and a bit more private, set away from the rest of the campsites. There are lots of electrical sites for campers and RVs, most of which look like they are quite permanently in place.

I did not stay at this campground, but drove through it to see the place. I was looking for tent campsites and if there are any, they were under the tires of an RV. There are lots of things to do here, but tent camping is not one of them. I have nothing bad or good to say about the place, just letting tent campers know that this might not be the place for them.

This is a relatively small, private campground mostly for RVs though there are some very nice sites that would be lovely for tents. There are a dozen tent sites that back up to a very charming river, each one has a picnic table and fire pit. The view of the river from these sites is lovely. Adding to the waterworks, there is a cute pond with a charming fountain in the center of the RV sites, and a nice horseshoes pit. There are a number of RV sites with full hookups. 

I spoke with the owner and they did not have tent camping in 2020. They were worried about people in too close proximity in the restroom. In 2020 they only allowed RVs that had their own restroom facilities. The owner told me that maybe there will be tent camping in 2021.

We visited this spot last summer as a place to stay for 1 night on our way farther north.

We really enjoy tent camping and prefer walk-in/hike in sites so we can have some privacy away from other campers. The campsites were decently dispersed and the ground was nice and grassy so it was pretty comfortable.

We always want more space between campsites, but I think the privacy level was fine. The tent sites are right off the parking lot where the boat ramp is so maybe on a busy weekend it would be a little loud, but overall a nice night for us!

We left in the morning to continue our drive so we didn’t spend much time checking out the hiking trails.

We did however go checkout the beach which wasn’t much to write home about. If I remember correctly, we had to pay a fee to enter. Always happy to support a state park. We just figured since we were already paying to camp there, it wouldn’t cost extra. I’m pretty sure we paid an admission fee and didn’t stay for long. It was across the way and requires a drive instead of a hike to get there.

This is a great state park not too far from Chicago. Has a lot of rv sites and dedicated tent site close to the lake.

We tent camped in the staghorn section, less packed that the other options. Nice place, bathroom and showers were decent. Lot of trails, rentals of kayak, great for dogs and kids. Meijer is also close by in case you forget anything.

Tent sites are in hickory hills area. Easy walk to showers/toilets over across from site 100. Tent sites are much more shaded and private than electric sites. We were traveling with another family so had two sites. If you have two parties I'd recommend sites 27 and 31 which have a little private path and potentially 53 and 5 which also appeared to have a path between them. Our sites 47 and 53 were big and shaded but not very flat for sleeping. Boat launch very close if you bring your own kayaks or canoes. There are also some for rent at the other end of the park. Park and ice at concessions.

Nice quiet place to get away. Large lake for boating and fishing. Sights are good sized for campers and pop-ups. Tent sites are a little sloped. Easy trails around the lake.

Great state park for a family camping vacation, tons of stuff to do. Lakes, trails, kayaking, boating, paddle boarding, fishing. Hidden gem of Wisconsin. The campsites are pretty private, nestled in trees. Some shaded, some have sun and shade. They even have horse sites, so you can bring your horse, and stroll through the park horseback riding. Vault toilets, and regular toilets with ok showers. Water faucets scattered around for easy water access. Twin Valley has tent sites and RV/electric sites.

Camped here in a camper van. Very quiet (mid week in September). Very well maintained trails. Most sites are spacious, shady. I did not check out the tent sites, but the one I did see was really nice. A bit of highway noise, certainly nothing bad.

Been going here every year with friends for over a decade. Nice size tent sites, great beaches with some nice amenities, like SUP and boat rentals, snack bar, fishing, etc. Awesome camp store and the hiking is fantastic. Gets busy because of its location to UW, and because it's awesome. ;)

We tent camped in the quartzite campground. Overall a pretty much wide open campground with virtually zero privacy so if you’re looking for that, look elsewhere. With that said, we enjoyed our stay as the sites along the perimeter are a little more private being along the tree line and decent space between each site. The park itself is beautiful and look forward to coming back

The trails and the views at this park are phenomenal. Find pictures of the campsites if possible, because some of the sites get a LOT of sun, and as we tent camp, it can be unbearable for our children. (We’ve camped with them yearly here since our littlest was 2, and that was the year we got a not so shaded site. Lesson learned.)

Open pad sites for tent camping under tree canopy, great hiking over looking swimming and boating lake.  Requires WI St Park pass to get in plus camping fees.   Has both vault and flush toilets w showers.  Close to town for other activities, near Wi Dells Water park 21 ,miles not a bad drive. 

Part of the ice age trail system maintained hiking trails are great.

I can not tell you how many times I’ve been here. My son lives within seconds of here so it is very convenient. They gave on site bathrooms and showers. Electric, water and sewer hookups. They also have tent sites. This season there will be née owners so I hope they keep some of the annual activities.

Big state park up in the north end of the state. Campground is fun but if you're looking for privacy you won't find it here. This place is packed with campsites on top of each other. It's like a mini city of tent camping. The RV sites were on top of each other too. Facilities were gross. Lot of litter. The hiking trails were nice. Not labeled too well but they were decent. Has a camp store.

My friends and I camp here often as it is close to Madison, yet far enough away to be more secluded. The sites are are better than some of the state park sites with tent sites offering more privacy than the electric ones. There is plenty of hiking trails around the park with some great rock formations to explore. There is also swimming areas, concessions and a very helpful staff.

Will likely not be back to camp here again. Very crowded with loud and obnoxious campers, dogs off leash, music and lights on late at night, etc. No privacy between sites down in Hickory Hills and no personal space. Did i mention basically every tent site down here is on an incline?? Just not my kind of scene.

Did have decent TMobile service and the showers and pit toilets were clean and useable. Albeit rundown.

Devil's Lake is one of my all time favorite state parks, and holds many fond memories for me. I have led youth camping trips here, gone on group trips with friends, and my now husband proposed to me here. I love love love Devil's Lake!

As far as tent camping, I don't love the campsites. There is very little privacy between sites, it is always packed, and there is lots of noise. The first night I stayed here, the group across from us kept us up until 2 am!

However, Devil's Lake is truly a fantastic place - we stayed for several days and had a blast in spite of the poor sleep.

May family tent camped here for the first time this year, 2020. The site (514) was spacious enough for a 10 person, and a 6 person tent. There were enough trees to mostly block out your neighbors, and it’s up on a slight hill so if it does rain the water would drain away from your tent(s).

The state park itself has several trails with varying degrees of difficulty. My son and I opted to take the 4 mile loop around the lake that included the 900 foot assent, and crown back down the face of the ‘mountain’?? The landscape surrounding Devils Lake is gorgeous, and the lake is large, and offers plenty of things to do.

Unfortunately during these COVID-19 times the boat rental was not open, but there was plenty of beach to hang out on.

We will definitely be heading back next year.

I came here at the beginning of October for 2 nights tent camping, site 20, with some friends. Our fire pits grill grate was mostly smashed and didn't hold a skillet while other sites had nice grates on a swivel. Plenty of space apart from other sites and fun, hilly hiking trails nearby. The lake is beautiful and we fished a bit from the dock, didn't catch anything. Nice views of the leaves changing. Very limited cell service which was welcomed. Bathrooms were kinda rough and the showers were on a different side of the park.

We reserved our campsite online and paid for a parking sticker at the park office but since no one was there we left the money in the pay box with our receipt. Same with firewood.