Equestrian Camping near Pardeeville, WI

Equestrian Camping Reviews near Pardeeville, WI

44 Reviews of 8 Pardeeville Campgrounds

• 

  Matt N.

  Guide

  Apr. 19, 2021

  Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground

  Fun state park

  A nice state park. Clean bathrooms with showers. Good sized site with nice privacy. Good hiking around the lake and mostly dog friendly. Nice play ground with horse she pits.

• 

  Brian H.

  Guide

  Aug. 1, 2021

  Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground

  Disappointed

  The Pros: campsites were spread out and did have nice natural separation. Lot of big biting horse flies, but hey, we are in the woods next to a lake…

  Cons: vault toilets cleaned but not maintained. Saw 2 (including ours) with non functioning lighting. Hand sanitizers where empty the whole stay. Shower house was older and not cleaned. No ventilation. And sealed windows made it a dank steam room.

  Beach was closed due to excessive algae. Wish they mentioned that on their website.

  Was a little confusing finding the campground when we first arrived.

• 

  Amy G.

  Legend

  Oct. 7, 2018

  White Mound County Campground

  Very pretty...very quiet...very clean...incredibly nice campground

  We 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.

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• 

  Josh F.

  Legend

  Aug. 29, 2020

  Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground

  Close to Madison, not much else going for it

  This state park is conveniently close to Madison, Wisconsin. It has some decent sites, and while I didn't actually stay in this park overnight, my visit and drive through the entire park revealed that there isn't much going for it. The beach isn't particularly nice and the lake looked pretty weedy; maybe not a surprise for late August, the lake might be much nicer early in the season.

  In my opinion, after driving through all of the campsite loops, the following sites would be nice camping, they are shady and have a low probability of flooding during the rain. I also selected sites that had the most privacy.

  81

  82

  83

  96

  62, has a cement pad for the table but it is close to other sites

  66

  76, high ground with semi-private site and quite large

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• J

  Jen E.

  Guide

  Sep. 1, 2016

  Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground

  Nice family campground, big private sites, but beach closed due to algae

  We loved this campground. Just a quick 2 hour drive from our home in Chicago, with large wooded sites for privacy. Clean bathrooms. The lake was "closed" in late summer due to algae blooms, which was disappointing, but we were able to drive a short distance to access water in other places. Close proximity to Madison was also fun.

• 

  Lisa S.

  Guide

  Jul. 29, 2019

  Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground

  Ranger Review: Wenzel Blue Jay 25 Sleeping bag at Lake Kegonsa State Park

  What do you do when you want to camp but don’t have much time off from work? Camp near your work! That’s just what we did at Lake Kegonsa in Stoughton WI. Here we will review this wonderful state park just outside the capital city of Madison but far enough away to feel like you’ve actually gone somewhere remote.

  The campgrounds are split up between regular and group camping. The group camping site was down the road from regular camping and consisted of a big parking lot, toilet facilities, recreation areas, and a large open area for 2 groups to camp. It was far enough away that if a group was partying late into the night it wouldn’t disturb the regular campers.

  Both campgrounds shared a “shower house” complete with 3 shower units and about a half dozen toilets and 3 sinks(at least on the“female” side). There were also handicap private rooms with toilet and shower bundled together. Facilities were clean enough and toilet paper seemed to always be stocked. My husband had reported that he only needed to press the shower button twice for hot water to start flowing. I however had to press it about 7 times. I think it really depends on when the shower was last used. Takes a while for the hot water to reach your stall. Showers stayed on for about 20 seconds before you needed to push the button again. The shower heads could all use a little TLC but they were functional. Wearing shower shoes is recommended. There were NO soap dispensers so make sure you bring your own toiletries.

  Adjacent to the shower house was a nice wooded picnic area with playground equipment for the kids. There was also a trail path the lead down the lake. You could also find the firewood station here but we never were able to catch the people selling the firewood at the station. They always seemed to be driving through the campground to make their sales. This seems like a nice service since you don’t have to haul the wood in your own vehicle but when we wanted wood there was nobody to be found. We ended up going about a half mile down the road to purchase wood from a house that had it bundled up in a self serve stand. Wood here was only$5 a bundle and was full of hardwood and a much better deal than the campground wood. Bonus: They invite you to recycle the orange plastic bags by returning them to the stand on your way out.

  We reserved one of the many  “double sites” the campground offers as we were camping with our daughter and needed to setup two tents and have enough room for 3 vehicles. The double sites include two picnic tables as well. We easily had enough room for two tents, 1 screen room, 1 shower room, a large truck, SUV and a car. We were in sites#13 and couldn’t be happier with our choice. I had done a drive through before reserving the site on the state camping website so I knew which ones would work for us. Site #18 would have worked as well. There are 96 sites to choose from in all and even on the weekend there were still a few open spots. Lots of spots can handle RVs and there were drive through sites so you don’t have to back in if that’s beyond your skill set. A third of the sites offered electricity and there was a dump station near by. Water spigots and pit toilets were spread out to make them convenient from almost any site. I've included some pictures of other campsites so you can get a feel for what to expect.

  One of my requirements when camping is some level of privacy between sites and the majority of sites in this campground provide that. Its heavily wooded, sites are nicely spaced and we weren’t bothered by the camp hosts at all. We stayed 3 nights but did not have 1 visit from the hosts even to clean out the fire pit. By the end our pit was full of ashes! Our fire grate was a little beat up and did not have a smooth surface like I saw at some of the other sites but it did the job. I was able to put a pot of water on to boil when needed and it was relatively stable.

  The campground is somewhat close to the interstate and rural highway roads so there is some traffic noise but relatively quiet by night time. What was NOT quiet on Thursday night was the freight train that came through around midnight and then again at 2 am. The first train only blew its horn a few short times. The second train acted like someone was laying on the tracks and was a little excessive for 3 am! Luckily we did not hear trains Friday night(or we slept through them) and we only heard 1 on Saturday night. The park is adjacent to more than one crossing so if this will disturb you I recommend finding another place to camp.

  The park includes a beach and boat launch to help you enjoy Lake Kegonsa. It was also pet friendly with pet trails and a pet beach of their own. There were signs posted to keep pets on a leash when not in the water but people were not following that rule. Nor were they following the rules on the“people beach” which posted no pets but yet there they were. The beach area was very small but it was enough for the kids to enjoy or to get your paddle board or kayak out on the lake. Keep your eyes out for the “bonus swings” found throughout the park. My daughter and I enjoyed swinging on one near the beach and my husband and I enjoyed one near the shower houses.

  There were also multiple trails scattered throughout the park. Everything from a quick half mile trek to loops that allow you to put on a couple of miles. Even though it had been raining prior to our visit the trails were not mud pits. Trails were well groomed and enjoyable. And we escaped without a million mosquito bites but were mildly bothered by gnats. We did spray our campsite with a backyard fogger and this may have helped because other reviews tell tales of being eaten alive. We did not see much wildlife so if that is what you’re after its best to pick a more remote location.

  Overall I enjoyed the park and would visit again if I had to be in the area. The only standout negative was the trains. Any site you pick should be a winner and contribute to a great camping experience.

  As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, and on this trip I tested the Wenzel Blue Jay 25 Degree sleeping bags.

  My husband and I are outdoor enthusiasts and have slowly collected our gear over the years. Some quality items have lasted the test of time and other items have fallen apart rather quickly. One of the items we are still lucky to have are our sleeping bags that we purchased for our first camping trip over 20+ years ago. Unfortunately, those bags were made for the extreme cold Wisconsin is famous for. They work well in early spring and fall and have held up to many years of use….. but we find we can’t possibly use them for summer camping. We have taken to unzipping one bag and using it as a mattress cover and simply using sheets or light blankets on top.

  So when we received our invite from Wenzel to review some of their equipment it was an easy choice to go with their Blue Jay 25 Degree sleeping bags. This weight seems perfect to handle a cold summer night and just what we need to round out our sleeping bag weather choices.

  Wenzel shipped the bags fast and they were packaged individually and arrived intact. I love the fact that they came with their own stuff sacks. It was easy to unroll and reroll the bags and fit them back in the sack. That is something our colder bags don’t have. We have to roll them and tie with an attached string and store them in giant trash bags. I like this design much better. These bags are also more lightweight so they take up much less room than our old bags. This has become very important as we recently gave up our mini van and now have a midsized SUV. Space is now a premium and these fit the bill.

  The fabrics are quality and everything seems well stitched together. I don’t feel like its going to unravel and let the filling bunch up unevenly. The flannel lining is soft and handled moisture well. The embroidered logo on the bag was a nice touch. The zippers on any equipment are usually where things go wrong first but these seem well made and easy to open and close. And the bag unzips fully if we wanted to use it as a blanket making it very versatile. The weight of the fill was perfect for this early summer camping trip. Not too hot yet kept us warm enough when temps dipped into the upper 40s. I’d say it was the perfect summer weight for a sleeping bag in our area.

  The price point was very competitive and makes these bags a great value for the quality product you get. I look forward to having these bags on all our summer trips from now on. I also look forward to shopping Wenzel again when considering a camping gear purchase. To easily find this bag just follow this link:  https://wenzelco.com/blue-jay-25/

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• 

  Art S.

  Legend

  Jul. 20, 2023

  Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground

  Nice state park near enough to the main road

  These sites are separated by plenty of vegetation giving you good privacy. Water and restrooms are nicely distributed. The garbage bin is on the way out of the campground. The office was empty when we arrived. The way to get a site is through their website or calling. We didn’t have enough service for the website so we talked with a helpful agent. We didn’t have much time to explore the campground but we did have a nice walk around the outer loop of sites. This is near the main highway and a nice place to camp.

• 

  David Q.

  Scout

  Sep. 9, 2017

  Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground

  Great camping site!!

  Campsites are nice and neat with bathrooms close by!

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  Sep. 11, 2016

  Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground

  Lake Kegonsa State Park is not worth the money.

  I have to admit, I had high expectations when I arrived at Lake Kegonsa State Park. Unfortunately it did not meet expectations. There were more mosquitos in that park than the entire State of Minnesota. I did not even cook dinner because I was on the menu for all of the other insects.

  I ate some granola bars in my car before quickly setting up my tent and going to bed. That wasn't all of my troubles. The park is right next to a railroad track, and around midnight and five in the morning a train came rolling through blowing its whistle and shaking the ground. This is no exaggeration.

  The lake was peaceful in the morning and there were several people out on their boats fishing. I did hear earlier in the summer the lake was closed due to algae, but it was open when I was there.

  To add insult to injury, if you are from out of state, it costs $11.00 for a one-day vehicle pass, and the non-electric tent sites cost $25.00. This is highway robbery. You couldn't pay me to camp there in the future. I wish I could get my money back!

  P.S. My phone died so I was only able to get one picture of the lake. Sorry.

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