Ontario, WI is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Ontario, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Find the best campgrounds near Ontario, WI. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
Water Enthusiasts, hunters, hikers, and anyone who enjoys the outdoors will find solace in Buckhorn State Park. Situated within the heart of Southern Wisconsin, this park and an adjacent wildlife reserve showcases over 9,000 acres of unspoiled midwestern wilderness. At the end of the Wisconsin and Yellow Rivers, this park is famous for the large man-made reservoir it occupies. The intensity of nature here is staggering. The park prominently exhibits dense, green wetland forests, exposed prairies, and sand-swept dunes. The sandy landscape found in certain areas are the result of glacial erosion and sand deposits left after the last global Ice Age.
Westward expansion caused massive amounts of damage to the surrounding region. Before European settlers came, the region housed over 4.1 million acres of barren pine and oak forests. Today, less than 10,000 acres remain standing; a stark contrast to the once thriving wonderland. Thankfully much of this acreage is now protected, and serves as a hugely popular area for tourists and visitors to recreate year-round.
The park is most famously known for its large wetland flowage, owing to the poor soil conditions of the region. Subsequently, kayakers and small-craft boaters visit to spot flora and fauna not found anywhere else in the state. The flowage fills just enough every year to accommodate and protect a number of endangered species, including the Karner Blue Butterfly, and the state-threatened Osprey.
Aside from bird watching and unparalleled views of wetland nature, the park also offers up a 300 foot sand beach complete with volleyball nets, picnic shelters, horseshoe pits, and recreation areas perfect to recreate under the sun. Outside of the beach, fishing is one of the most popular attractions, as the slough houses delicious Bluegill, Salmon, and Wisconsin Trout.
Camping in Buckhorn State park is similar to many other state parks. There’s a handful of rustic sites facing west that line the length of the wetland overflow. This is perfect for catching multicolored sunsets that pain nearby water surfaces hues of pink, orange, red, and purple. On the opposite eastern end of the park lies campsites perfect for catching the sunrise, if you’d prefer. There is also a cabin available for reserve, and various bird-blinds for use placed strategically throughout the park. You’ll need a vehicle admission sticker to end, and all Wisconsin Camping and Fishing fees apply.
Quartzite campground in Devil’s Lake State Park offers camping options for visitors, with both electric and non-electric sites available. This campground, which was once a 9-hole golf course, has mostly open and grassy areas, with a mix of trees scattered throughout. Although many campsites have limited shade or are located on the perimeter near surrounding woods, Quartzite Campground is a great choice for those with large RVs due to the open and spacious nature of many of its sites. The campground is equipped with a playground, a modern shower building, and a dump station. Located on County Road DL, Quartzite Campground can be accessed directly, making it easy to avoid heavy summer traffic when entering or exiting the campground. There is also an access road leading up to the park’s Nature Center, as well as the main day-use picnic area and beach. While the distance to the beach is walkable at about a quarter mile, visitors should note that there is a steep hill between the campground and the day-use area.
It’s important to keep in mind that sites 1-10 are now available only by reservation, and no longer on a first-come-first-served basis.
$27 - $129 / night
Pine View Campground on Fort McCoy is open to the public. Stay with us year round in a cabin. Discover the outdoors and scenic Fort McCoy. Campsites are available May - November. Pine View offers all the conveniences in a clean, pleasant campground.
From website: Camping at Devil’s Lake State Park is extremely popular. Plan ahead, explore your options and make your camping or other lodging reservations well before you arrive. Devil’s Lake State Park has three campgrounds with a total of 423 sites that each accommodate a family (One to six individuals). There are no longer any first-come-first-serve campsites offered at the park. There are also nine group campsites that can accommodate a total of 240 campers. Group campsites are on the south side. Each campground has different qualities that have made each of them popular with annual campers. There are no campgrounds near or on the shoreline of Devil’s Lake itself. Only the Quartzite campground is open for winter camping.
Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort is one of the premier Wisconsin camping destinations! Stay with us for your family vacation, or maybe for just one or two nights to escape the stresses of everyday life. Neshonoc Lakeside offers activities for everyone, whether it's a relaxing day at the beach, fun in the sun by the pool, a spirited game of horseshoes, volleyball, boating or a relaxing day of fishing on the lake. So Stay a day, week, month or the entire season. Book your RV site, tent site or cabin today! Whether you're planning a retreat for the whole family, a group of friends or a getaway for two, there's no shortage of unique activities to explore at Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort. Plan activities upon arrival or visit this page before your departure to plan ahead. Looking for more? Our friendly staff can fill you in on all of the great ways to make your stay a memorable experience.
Goose Island Campground is located on Hwy. 35, 3 miles South of La Crosse. Located on the backwaters of the Mississippi, this large campground offers excellent fishing and beautiful sunsets. Our camping season begins April 15th and continues through October 30th. Reservations are accepted at Goose Island beginning on the first working business day of the year. To place a reservation, please use the online system or call the campground at 608-788-7018. A fee is charged and you will also be required to pay a deposit. Credit cards are accepted.
$22 - $34 / night
When you’re traveling and looking for a home away from home, peaceful and wooded, in an area where fun is a vacation theme, you’ll find the KOA campgrounds in Wisconsin ready. Settle into a site just right for you with accommodations for all RV sizes and camping styles. Then, explore the Dells for a summer adventure you’ll never forget!
Water Enthusiasts, hunters, hikers, and anyone who enjoys the outdoors will find solace in Buckhorn State Park. Situated within the heart of Southern Wisconsin, this park and an adjacent wildlife reserve showcases over 9,000 acres of unspoiled midwestern wilderness. At the end of the Wisconsin and Yellow Rivers, this park is famous for the large man-made reservoir it occupies. The intensity of nature here is staggering. The park prominently exhibits dense, green wetland forests, exposed prairies, and sand-swept dunes. The sandy landscape found in certain areas are the result of glacial erosion and sand deposits left after the last global Ice Age.
Westward expansion caused massive amounts of damage to the surrounding region. Before European settlers came, the region housed over 4.1 million acres of barren pine and oak forests. Today, less than 10,000 acres remain standing; a stark contrast to the once thriving wonderland. Thankfully much of this acreage is now protected, and serves as a hugely popular area for tourists and visitors to recreate year-round.
The park is most famously known for its large wetland flowage, owing to the poor soil conditions of the region. Subsequently, kayakers and small-craft boaters visit to spot flora and fauna not found anywhere else in the state. The flowage fills just enough every year to accommodate and protect a number of endangered species, including the Karner Blue Butterfly, and the state-threatened Osprey.
Aside from bird watching and unparalleled views of wetland nature, the park also offers up a 300 foot sand beach complete with volleyball nets, picnic shelters, horseshoe pits, and recreation areas perfect to recreate under the sun. Outside of the beach, fishing is one of the most popular attractions, as the slough houses delicious Bluegill, Salmon, and Wisconsin Trout.
Camping in Buckhorn State park is similar to many other state parks. There’s a handful of rustic sites facing west that line the length of the wetland overflow. This is perfect for catching multicolored sunsets that pain nearby water surfaces hues of pink, orange, red, and purple. On the opposite eastern end of the park lies campsites perfect for catching the sunrise, if you’d prefer. There is also a cabin available for reserve, and various bird-blinds for use placed strategically throughout the park. You’ll need a vehicle admission sticker to end, and all Wisconsin Camping and Fishing fees apply.
Quartzite campground in Devil’s Lake State Park offers camping options for visitors, with both electric and non-electric sites available. This campground, which was once a 9-hole golf course, has mostly open and grassy areas, with a mix of trees scattered throughout. Although many campsites have limited shade or are located on the perimeter near surrounding woods, Quartzite Campground is a great choice for those with large RVs due to the open and spacious nature of many of its sites. The campground is equipped with a playground, a modern shower building, and a dump station. Located on County Road DL, Quartzite Campground can be accessed directly, making it easy to avoid heavy summer traffic when entering or exiting the campground. There is also an access road leading up to the park’s Nature Center, as well as the main day-use picnic area and beach. While the distance to the beach is walkable at about a quarter mile, visitors should note that there is a steep hill between the campground and the day-use area.
It’s important to keep in mind that sites 1-10 are now available only by reservation, and no longer on a first-come-first-served basis.
Pine View Campground on Fort McCoy is open to the public. Stay with us year round in a cabin. Discover the outdoors and scenic Fort McCoy. Campsites are available May - November. Pine View offers all the conveniences in a clean, pleasant campground.
From website: Camping at Devil’s Lake State Park is extremely popular. Plan ahead, explore your options and make your camping or other lodging reservations well before you arrive. Devil’s Lake State Park has three campgrounds with a total of 423 sites that each accommodate a family (One to six individuals). There are no longer any first-come-first-serve campsites offered at the park. There are also nine group campsites that can accommodate a total of 240 campers. Group campsites are on the south side. Each campground has different qualities that have made each of them popular with annual campers. There are no campgrounds near or on the shoreline of Devil’s Lake itself. Only the Quartzite campground is open for winter camping.
Ranger
Yukon Trails Campground offers a charming woodland escape with cozy sites nestled among tall pines. The family-friendly atmosphere includes activities like mini golf, a playground, and seasonal events, making it ideal for campers with kids. The sites are well-maintained, though some may find them a bit tight for larger rigs. With friendly staff and proximity to the Wisconsin Dells, it’s a convenient spot for both relaxation and adventure.
Check out the local state parks while you’re here and consider doing a cruise down the Wisconsin River.
Guide
A great place for a weekend camping trip. We had an excellent spot (35). One of the only sites with grass. Great hiking and trout fishing.
Guide
Bike trail access. River runs through it. Tons of oak trees. Lots of playgrounds. Clean rest rooms with showers. Decent cell coverage.
Scout
I went in 2 weekdays in early October and it was very quiet and calm. Nice facilities and campsites.
Guide
We had a wonderful time on our visit. The facilities were clean, well maintained, and fully stocked! Super nice and helpful staff. Beautiful fall foliage. Some of the walk in campsites are a far walk from the parking. So, if you simply want car camping, make sure you pick an appropriate site!
Traveler
Sites are basic with water, pit toilets, tables and fire rings. I originally planned to stay here but came across the non-resident charges (my state does not do this). I made reservations at the Village of Norwalk and the town of Hillsboro instead. Both have City parks with free tent camping. Norwalk even has showers and RV spots. I've added both to The Dyrt library.
Traveler
Great place with plenty to do. Fishing, kayaking, beach, flush toilets, hot CLEAN showers!!
Traveler
Nice little campground. Friendly owners. The campground is clean and quiet.
RangerVery nice QUIET park! RV Campsites are gravel with fire ring and picnic table. The sites are fairly level. There is also a cabin to rent. Many electric sites.
Very nice hiking trails, make sure to check the map to plan easy hike up and steep hike downhill! Beautiful vistas on the Switchback trail.
The Mossy Seep trail has interesting plants and unique growth.
Big Spring Trail boarders the campground, easy walk to see the Spring. Tried to dip feet in the water but couldn’t leave them in the COLD water for long! Water is crystal clear and flowing fast.
Bathroom (men’s) if functional, has running water at the sinks and showers work well.
NO PHONE SERVICE which we appreciated.
The Restaurant “Good Times” is 4 miles away and has good food and service. Also a grocery store in town in case you need more supplies.
Leaves are just starting to change in September.
Scout
The park is very easy to get to right off the highway. We were greeted by a beautiful meadow with a very well maintained gravel road, stopped by the info station and bought wood and a parking pass (pass is required and is 7$ for one day, easy online purchase). The sites are a bit of a ways into the park but with that maintained road it was very easy. The facilities are great. Very clean bathroom with nice showers (cold water then warmed up). The campground was quiet but there were still a good amount of people staying as well. We stayed just one night and were very happy with this area! Really pretty
GuideSite 29 is lovely - it's situated directly on the shoreline with a tiny slice of beach. The weather was excellent and with enough wind to quell the bugs. There was an eagle fishing in the bay with us. Plenty of hiking, canoeing, and kayaking opportunities inside the park, too.
There is a bar and grill across the river with a live cover band on Friday night that could be heard loud and clear. Their setlist was pretty much identical to the 'Songs that Excite the White Folks' playlist on Spotify. We didn't mind it - it was amusing. They respectfully ended their set at 10pm sharp, so no big deal.
Only one of the showers had warm water in the nearby bathhouse, but we were grateful for it. There is nice, dry wood for fires and ice situated at the entrance to the park. There is also a cute little general store just outside of the park that is well-stocked with necessities. It's next to a food truck with a chef who proudly shared that he's from Chicago and serves up homemade gyros off the spit. 100% I'm getting one next time I'm in the area.
Our last day was kind of rough, though. A pontoon full of belligerent, drunken strangers blasting modern armpit country music pulled up to our site, parked their boat, got out, and made themselves at home in our campsite and proceeded to have a party. They blocked our entire beach access with their big fat pontoon so we couldn't use it at all. They got especially shrill when I suggested they park on an equally nice and secluded beach a mere 100 ft to the north that wasn't someone's campsite. They said too bad, they do it every weekend and that they're on public property. I'm pretty sure that's not how campsites work and what they were doing is trespassing, but I digress. Anyhow, one of the men started shouting some weird, irrelevant, cultish political nonsense that was probably intended to be offensive (while his unfortunate teenage son looked like he was about to keel over from cringe wishing his dad would keep his embarrassing opinions to himself). The irony of their 'don't tread on me' slogan was lost on them - they should just have a Jolly Roger mounted on their pontoon.
It's obnoxious that these folks make a habit of colonizing occupied sites instead of reserving them like everyone else, but for us, this was an isolated incident. Everyone else we encountered on the trip was delightful and gracious.
Anyhow, we decided to pack up a few hours early and head to Wisconsin Dells instead and we had a blast there, too.
Scout
My wife and I went there for the weekend and it was great. Clean and spacious sites. The bathrooms were even clean. They also provided free showers. The wood was a reasonable price and easily available at any time of the day. It was also pet friendly. I do wish that they hadn't cleared away so many trees. A little more shade would have been nice since we were in a tent. But other than that was was perfect.
TravelerBeautiful area with very nice trails. 20-30 mins to Winona, 20 mins to La Crosse. Not a huge site selection, but very nice sites. My wife and I try to go there as much as we can!
TravelerLarge campground with many amenities. Playground for kids and a very nice dog park. Right off the river. Will definitely be back!
Scout
My girlfriend and I have visited here and stayed here a few times they have many campsites for all types they have a separate campsite just for the RVs they have the main camp area where if you like to be around people you can and then they have the new expansion where it is more excluded they have and continue to make upgrades to the campground such as more electric and water at all their sites they also have put in new bathrooms and shower houses around their campground if you have any questions you should see Lisa in the office she is great
Scout
Quiet, all drive-thrus, reasonable rates, very close to the dells, clean bathhouse.
We enjoyed our stay close to everything. Walmart and major shopping within a half a mile. pet friendly. I would recommend this campground
Guide
I have stayed at this campground three times in the last decade or so.
Pros:
- Excellent location if you're looking to recreate on the Wisconsin River or visit the American Players Theater across the way.
- Interesting history about the Shot Tower on site.
- Nice little hiking trails.
Cons:
- Every time I've visited we've dealt with lots of mosquitos, but nothing comes close to our most recent visit! It was a mosquito massacre. So terrible that after coating ourselves in DEET and eating dinner there the first night, we actually booked another campsite about a half hour away (Brigham County Park - a gem!) and abandoned this site altogether.
- Vault toilets were fragrant.
Traveler
Definitely recommend for a seasonal home away from home
TravelerGreat Place; Central to many key places with very low rates. Clean and Friendly Next to a huge restaurant and bar that have the lowest prices for above average food. Definitely recommend. Overnight sites easy to get into and large sites.
Scout
We spent 2 nights at this park and enjoyed our stay. The sites are well spaced and well separated by trees. The potable water has high nitrate levels so we had to buy drinking water as filters don’t remove nitrates.
Scout
We loved the amenities, sites, and staff. Everything was great. Even seasonal sites were well kept. We will definitely be back
Traveler
We were at site #9, great spot for tent. There were only trees behind us and our neighbors were far enough way we had privacy. There was no electricity, but we charged our phones and my son’s iPad at the ranger station. There was no running water so bring sanitizer. The swimming pond was great and not rocky. The hikes were good but lots of mosquitoes which made it hard to enjoy. Wish there was more to do in the area. No showers and no electricity in the bathroom near our site.
Traveler
Very cool secluded walk in sites, pet friendly, awesome trails.
Traveler
Just a handful of pretty decent sized sites. There's a shelter area and some nice little hiking trails. Just outside of New Lisbon if you need anything.
Traveler
We actually stayed in a deluxe cabin at this campground, while our friends were in a camper. The deluxe cabins were $300 a night, very poor air circulation and constantly felt wet. Toilets were impossible to flush and were backing up every time a shower was taken.
Our friends have a 40' camper and could barely fit in the space provided. There was no space to hang out as their camper took up the entire space. If we wanted to start a fire, we couldn't because their fire pit (more like a rusted out ring) was directly under a tree.
Customer service was horrible - manager basically told us it wasn't their problem and wouldn't help the situation. We will not return.
Traveler
This is a great destination RV park if you are looking for a family getaway or just a quiet trip for two. There is plenty to do at the park including a cool swimming pond with inflatables, live music most weekends, corn hole tournaments, Friday fish fry, and much more. My wife and I have a special needs adult son that they welcomed and fully accommodate. The park is clean and the staff are friendly and helpful. Sparta (Walmart plus other shops) is less than ten minutes away. The park is near an Amish community giving the region a great country feel.
Scout
Beautiful facility but the traffic noise was atrocious.
Camping near Ontario, Wisconsin, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Whether you're pitching a tent or rolling in with an RV, there are plenty of campgrounds to explore.
Camping near Ontario, Wisconsin, has something for everyone, from families to seasoned RVers. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Ontario, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, Ontario, WI offers a wide range of camping options, with 172 campgrounds and RV parks near Ontario, WI and 2 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Ontario, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Ontario, WI is Wildcat Mountain State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 19 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Ontario, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 2 free dispersed camping spots near Ontario, WI.
What parks are near Ontario, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 4 parks near Ontario, WI that allow camping, notably Eau Galle Lake and Coralville Lake.
