Best Tent Camping near Nekoosa, WI

Very wooded campsites, which allowed for some privacy, but you will still see your neighbors. The campground was pretty and very well kept by all standards. It is one of the 3 campgrounds of the Black River State Forest, but this one appealed to us because of its location to the town and to the highway. Its a very nicely spread out campground that had a lot to offer. When you first pull in you are directed to the pay kiosk/office park. Note that you can't pay right now due to the virus, so you will need to have a sticker on your car ahead of it. 

As for the sites. They can be large or small depending on where you choose. The majority are for tent camping and not larger RVs so if you have a bigger RV make sure you are looking ahead at the size of the pad. We saw a variety of people in different rigs from medium winnebagos and airstreams to small tear drops. Some sites are electric and that is where the campground was full. The tent sites were nice and we could get our scamp into one of those fairly easily. The nice thing is the trees...they provide great shade and also allow you to hang your hammock up if you choose. We did see warnings of ticks so just be cautious. 

The showers were very nice and looked to be housed in a new shower house. They were working on the water heater when we stopped so the cold water was all they had, but that was fine as it was a hot day. The toilets around the campground are pit, but they are more than just an outhouse so you are safe. 

One random thing was the firewood was the cheapest I have ever seen it at any state park. Nice to see them offering up a good deal on what nature provides!

I camped here last summer and wasn't impressed at how close the camp sites were. We camped in a tent and there were several RV's nearby. Additionally when we went to hike around the area we couldn't seem to escape the sounds of the nearby highway. Aside from that the bluffs were beautiful and really fun to climb!

A basic state park, mostly for tent camping. Clean bathrooms with showers. Pretty quiet and lots of trees. The first time we stayed they had a terrible gypsy moth infestation that had denuded all the deciduous trees. There was a carpet of caterpillars on the ground as well as caterpillar poop falling from above. Not as bad as it sounds. Ok, it was.... It proximity to The Wisconsin Dells is one of the attractions to this campground as it is about 5 miles north of town. An inexpensive way to stay near an expensive destination.

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.

There is not a lot of frill with this campground, but the sites are nice and secluded from one another with great foliage and tree cover. We came during a downpour but were able to move our camper into the trees to keep us a bit drier. It is a smaller campground that is a little bit further away from the craziness of the dells. 

The closer you get to the interstate the louder it gets and one of the loops backs right up to the interstate. So be aware if you are booking the loop it will be a constant hum. 

The shower building and pit toilets were kept clean and clearly marked when they would be cleaned during the day. I was surprised that they were being cleaned at 530 am as well as another time in the afternoon. 

Most of the campground is ideal for tent campground and smaller RVs.

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.

I had read about this being a really nice, quiet campground for tent camping, and though I was not ready to stop for the night (on my way to a wedding up north), I did get off the highway and drive through it.  Honestly, I wanted to stay!

It was not a huge campground, and facilities were basic (I guess they call that primitive), but each campsite was generous in size, well separated from the next site and nicely landscaped by nature's appointment of trees and shrubs.  It was clean, well-kept, and enticing.

 I wanted to take a picture of one of the attractive sites, but couldn't decide which one!  The small lake was so peaceful, and there was some new-looking children's play equipment, as well as some benches perfect for reading or eating on its banks.   I only saw one campsite occupied with a tent, and one small camping trailer elsewhere, which may have simply been stored there.  It was Friday afternoon in early June.  I would have expected to see more activity there.  Perhaps, as some have mentioned, there is an abundance of mosquitoes and other insects from the river (which I was unaware of) that disuades people, I don't know.  I didn't notice any when I sat by the lake.

The author of the camping book through which I had found it also said he had found the place quite charming, and he did not understand why it was so little occupied.  He, apparently had spent the night there.  I'd like to stay there next time I am driving north on 94.

I gave it 4 stars even though I have not stayed there, because it has much of what I want in a campground, and which is getting harder for nature-loving tent campers to find--simple, quiet beauty.  I took off the extra star only because I haven't actually stayed there, and want to give East Fork a chance to live up to even more!

We stayed in site #59 for memorial day weekend. 

The campground is pretty close to the freeway, but you can avoid the noise if you stay on the opposite side. The freeway travels along the outer ring of campsites in the #70's.  I included a google maps picture of where the freeway is in relation to the campground. We tent camped at campsite 59 and it was just a bit loud, if it was louder I would maybe not have enjoyed our stay. After a couple minutes, it just became background noise and we didn't really notice it. If you are looking for the absolute farthest sites from the freeway, they would probably be anything in or near the sites in the 20's. 

Our campsite was very nice and spacious. It was well shaded near the firepit and mostly hidden from next-door neighbors. The site is just across the road on a diagonal from some vault toilets. The toilets were surprisingly very nice, always clean and no smells. However there were a lot of mosquitos in this park. So many that we drove to Walmart and picked up some 2 Thermacell Patio Shield Mosquito Repeller, they actually worked great. 

All in all, I was a bit nervous that camping in the dells was going to be undesirable, but it ended up being a great weekend. We really enjoyed that you can drive anywhere in downtown dells in less than 10 minutes. I was shocked that the strip was so close to the campground because after getting off the freeway and to get to the park, you felt like you were almost in the middle of no where.

My husband and I picked this park because of it's friendliness towards kids. We took our 2 9 year old nieces on their first tent camping adventure. We chose site 28 because it was a walk in site and on the water. When we arrived and checked in we grabbed one of their pre-loaded GPS units for Geocaching; It's something the park offers for free. They give you a bag, GPS and information book on all the Geocaching sites. We drove to the site and started loading up the cart to walk in. We walked past a very open campsite that was right next to ours, could be bad if you have loud neighbors but ours were great. There are 2 other sites in this location but far enough away and they don't walk past your site to get to them. The site was spacious and has a great fire pit for cooking. There is a small trail leading to the water with an extremely small beach front but it was enough to keep the girls entertained. Set up camp and started our geocaching fun. We hiked to the kids fishing pond & the tower. Trails are easy and well groomed. Following hiking we made our way to the beach; unfortunately, the algae was in bloom so the water was caked green! However, it doesn't do any harm so we made our way out into the more clear portion of the water and had a blast! The beach area has showers and a great area to have a picnic. The evening presented itself with an amazing sunset from our beach and lots of crickets chirping. It made for a peaceful night. In the morning we took the girls fishing off the dock and then over to the kids pond; the park also offers free poles and tackle. We ventured into the campground area for fresh water. From what we saw the sites were spacious and fairly private. The shower area was well maintained and is also accessible for anyone with disabilities. We will be coming back to this park; it was great! We didn't run into any issues with mosquitoes or other bugs while there.

This is a diamond in the rough - exactly what we wanted on our journey.  Our criteria - less than $100, pet friendly and rustic. 

This is a sawmill that has it all - they run the mill when needed, but also have primitive cabins (where we stayed), full cabins with in house bath, electric RV/tent camping and more. Even wood fired pizzas with homemade crust most nights of the week and sometimes live music!

We were in cabin #3 - rustic.  Yes - it did have heat!  A little ceramic heater had it so toasty when it was 30 degrees outside we actually turned it off - so it's sure to please on chilly nights.  The interior was amazing - lumber that I'm sure came from the mill and ceiling planks that were gorgeous - left over planks from many years ago, stored in a shed and re-purposed for the cabin. The bed was very comfortable with clean sheets and squishy (in a good way) pillows. A small covered front porch and we just parked in front.

Bathroom - if you are in a cabin without a bath, it's very nearby. One of the largest, cleanest bathrooms I've seen.  He built it himself. Women's had 2 sinks with a large vanity area, about 3 stalls (very large - you don't have to squish into them) and two very large shower stalls with full doors - not shower curtains. Heated as well.

Pets - easy pet policy. Just let the owner know and it's no problem as long as you are responsible, pick up after them and leash them when necessary.  Just a small charge for them and they were very welcomed here.

He even has event space indoors (heated) and outdoors for weddings and such.  And hiking trails (6 miles) if you choose to take on the outdoors.

The owner plans on adding saunas and a hot tub in the near future - so this would be the place to drop for a while if you want something out of the norm, peaceful, rustic and relaxing. It's off the main road, behind a field in Amish Country.  Lovely place to stay for the night. Very quiet.

Camping the in Wisconsin Dells area is always a challenge because there are such big crowds in the summer heading to the waterparks. If you are looking to stay in your camper while enjoying the Wisconsin Dells tourism, this KOA is fine. The lots are very small, but overall paved and level so you will have a quick set up. You are on top of your neighbor and your fire pit is close (too close) to all your stuff. There is a pool, but is was crazy crowded with obnoxious campers. If you have a camper (travel trailer, motorhome, pop-up) you should have everything you need for an in-town stay at the Dells. If you're in a tent, I wouldn't chose this campground and would stay further away from the main strip.

This park gives the option of both tent and camper sites. Many of the sites are separated from others by some space and numerous trees, tucked back away in the pine forest. The secluded nature gives it the feel of a National Park with beautiful stretches of pine and rocky ledges. Most sites are quiet, with only the slightest hum of the interstate in the background (although a couple may be loud, so beware which site you book). Staff is friendly and helpful, firewood is available at the park. Many pit toilets are available, as well as running water/showers. Playgrounds are also in the park, a pet area, water fill up station, some trails (nothing much for hiking). Very very close to the Dells as well! Mosquitoes are terrible during the summer, but that’s to be expected anywhere in Wisconsin.