Looking to go glamping near Pleasant Prairie and enjoy a rustic retreat into nature? Glamping near Pleasant Prairie, WI is a great way to go camping with the tastes of home. Glamping offers quick access to one or more of Pleasant Prairie's most popular destinations.
Ottawa Lake’s campground is located in the southern unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest, situated within half an hour’s drive from Milwaukee. Wisconsin campers of all ages love these grounds thanks to lakefront sites, modern facilities, and access to trails for hikers of every experience level. South Kettle Moraine is also home to over 160 miles of trails, including 87 miles open to horse use. Connect to the Ice Age Scenic Trail and various others within the John Muir and Emma Carlin trail systems.
Don’t forget to bring your rods when camping at Ottawa Lake! You’ll want to take full advantage of the boat dock and fishing pier where you can catch panfish, walleye, muskie, trout, bass, and northern pike – then you can grill them up at your campsite. Keep in mind, motorboats are not permitted on this small lake, which allows for peaceful wading and quieter camping all around.
Though Ottawa Lake is open year-round, it is recommended to check the weather in Dousman and Whitewater before planning trips in the colder months, as freezing temperatures and snow are common. Cold-weather campers who are willing to brave the Wisconsin winter will enjoy snowmobile trails, ice fishing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. No matter when you visit, Ottawa Lake will leave you satisfied.
Fish Lake Beach is one of the largest, privately owned campgrounds in Illinois, with 580 seasonal sites occupying the majority of the 113-acre property along with 60 overnight campsites. Fish Lake Beach has been family owned and operated for over eight amazing decades. Our brief story in pictures and how we got started is just below. Fish Lake Beach has become a camping tradition or a home-away-from-home for generations of families. We take pleasure in providing a friendly and fun experience.
$43 - $73 / night
Thomas Woods Campground is in the Marengo Ridge Conservation Area and part of the McHenry County Conservation District. Spend a night in nature! We offer camping opportunities for groups and individuals. The District has five group campgrounds located throughout the county, one over night cyclist camping location, and one campground for individuals and families which accommodates both tents and RVs.
$20 - $35 / night
Enjoy a peaceful camping experience in a friendly and quiet country setting, with long, pull-through RV sites, shaded tent sites, rustic and deluxe camping cabins, and even fully equipped travel trailers for rent. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available throughout the park. There is a lot to do for families! Check out the Gem Mining, Jump Pad, Gagaball, Minigolf, Frisbee Golf, Polipong and huge playground! Join us for hay-wagon rides, face painting, flashlight candy hunt and more on weekends. Have fun at Onesti's Wild West Town next door, visit the Illinois Railway museum, Santa's Village Azoosment Park, Six Flags Great America and cool off at Magic Waters near Rockford or in our own crystal clear pool. Take the "Metra" train from nearby Crystal Lake or Woodstock to visit Chicago for sightseeing, festivals, and tours. We are also a convenient distance to the Woodfield Mall, Prime Outlet Discount Mall, and the Grand Victoria Riverboat Casino. Various local restaurants are within minutes. {Additional Info}: 2 Deluxe Studio Cabins with patios are set up next to each other in the RV park to facilitate families, that like to camp close to each other. All of our rustic cabins are equipped with an A/C unit. You will find us approximately 55 miles from downtown Chicago, 4.5 miles to I-90, in a rural setting of northwestern Illinois. Open from mid-April through mid-October. Gated campground 24hrs a day (after hour arrivals need a reservation) Dogs are allowed, but breed restrictions apply.
Snug Harbor is the place to be for Campgrounds in Wisconsin. At Snug Harbor you’ll find excellent fishing, boating and swimming on a private, clean, sandy beach.
Our campgrounds offer three different options for today’s camping enthusiasts: Tent Sites, RV Sites, and Manufactured Housing. We have all the modern conveniences while allowing you to relax and enjoy majestic views from every site. Amenities include full hookup, laundromat, ice, firewood, bait, candy, and some fishing supplies. Rent one of our rowboats or canoes for a relaxing day on the lake, or join in a pick-up game of volleyball or horseshoes. Additionally, our RV sites have 30 and 50 AMP electric service and full sewer hookups.
Campsite rentals include sewer hookup. Reservations are recommended. Boat slips are available for a fee. We offer affordable rates for RVs and tent campers. We also have reasonable rates for pier rental, visitors, and our four-legged friends.
$15 - $45 / night
Scout
If your in Wisconsin this is a must stay! Beautiful campground (Ottawa Lake campsites) Great Lake, hiking to see the natural springs which is the coolest!! Drank fresh spring water!
Guide
I’ve been here two other weekends. Generally quiet and many of the tent spots are spaced out enough to provide privacy and quiet. Firewood is cheap on-site and delivered to your site on demand. Love this spot for proximity to my home so I can get out more frequently than a longer drive into Wisconsin and other more popular camping locales.
GuidePerfect for a couple days in the woods. Like most of Wisconsins' parks and forests, Ottawa lake is no different. Offers clean and quiet settings and facilities,. Close enough to metropolitan areas but not too close. All have feeling of being in the north woods with out the travel. Busiest days are after memorial day weekend and to labor day weekend.
ScoutMade my first visit to Ottawa Lake on a mid-March weekend. The facilities were still under their winter setup (only vault toilet, no shower available, pay in an envelope). It was a very nice campsite that I stayed at. The grounds were quiet, however there were only a handful of people staying there at the time. The sites look to have enough space between the to make you feel a little more spread out and not sitting on top of each other. It got cold (cloudless late winter nights in Wisconsin can do that), but nothing you can’t prepare for. The proximity to the Ice Age Trail is a bonus, because it made for an easy activity without much fuss. Will visit again when warmer.
Ranger
I love everything about this park except the beach, so it didn’t get a 5 star. We stayed at site 98- just barely big enough to fit our travel trailer in and right next to the showers and bathrooms. Not a great location, but fine. Took a walk around and found plenty of other large, private shaded electric sites. If we came here again I would go for a site away from the bathroom. The tent sites looks fantastic- large and private. Plenty of hiking trails here, a decent playground, and tons of large fields to picnic in. Park has a Facebook page where they post activities. Friday night we saw a presentation on the cranes of Wisconsin, and Saturday morning we did a parkwide scavenger hunt. All fun for the family. We would definitely camp here again. The beach is across the very busy road, and has about 10 ft of sand before the road. Fine for a dip, but not relaxing. Very crowded. Other beaches are nearby but not free. Town of Lake Geneva is very cute in an upscale tourist way. Our kid found the museum a lot of fun.
LegendThis is one of the most popular State Parks in Wisconsin because it's on Lake Geneva. In fact, it's the only state park within town's limits. This area has always been a summer getaway, so reservations are hard to get. We went in October, so it was much easier, but the weather was unpredictable.
The lake is famous for it's mansions, summer homes and the trail which goes around the entire perimeter and is open to the public, no matter how many property lines it crosses.
The park is on the lake, 2 miles south of downtown. So, a 40 min walk, 11 by bike, though there are hills on both routes. The park has a long strip of beach that almost seems like a shoulder to the main road. There's a fishing lagoon with a bait vending machine. The campsites and trails are further back, and out of the wind.
The sites are generally spacious, some are oddly shaped. The further back you go on the main loop though, actually brings you closer to town. You can hear events taking place at the High School even though it looks like you're in the woods.
The main restroom and shower facility is brand new and spotless.
Too many things to see and do in the area to list here but I'd point out the Boat House Bar & Grill is right next to the entrance. It has a big patio and is dog friendly. Easy walking distance from the campground. Good food at a good price.
Outside of town, Lake Geneva County Meats is a butcher shop and more with a terrific selection and variety of brats (among other things) and can supply all your cookout needs. Also, check out Royal Oaks farm & Orchard. In season, they have the greatest variety of apples we've ever seen. Better still, they are well labeled telling which types are best for what use. Of course, donuts and cider too.
LegendCampground Review
I've been to Ottawa Lake many times before, and really appreciate the spaciousness of the sites. There are a great mix of options for campsite ranging from almost full sun on the natural Wisconsin prairie or nicely shaded woodsy campsites.
There are many options for hiking since this campground is part of Kettle Moraine State Park.
The beach is pretty large and swimming is excellent. They've been restoring part of the beach in the last few years and it is looking great. The population of sandhill cranes in this area seems to be growing, as we saw a few pairs of them while camping here as well.
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, this time I got to test the Primus Essential Stove (1.3L).
I've got plenty of experience with camping and backpacking stoves, ranging from DIY beer can alcohol stoves up to Coleman Duel Fuel Powerhouse classic camp stove.
What's great
What's not great
The verdict
Overall, it is a nice kit and I will be lending it to some friends to an upcoming backpacking trip.
Scout
Large sites with plenty of room to spread out. Plenty of birds and other wildlife for the kids to see. No alcohol is allowed so it made for a great family weekend. Short walk to bathhouse. Pit toilet for emergencies.
TravelerChecked in Friday afternoon. Things were busy in the office, but the staff was friendly and apologetic about the wait. Campsite is nice, we're pretty close to our neighbors but not as bad as other places I've been. Walking distance to a fishing dock! The camp store by the boat launch has fire wood, live bait, food, and other supplies.
ScoutStaff are very friendly, sites are well maintained and most of them are spread apart.
GuideWe stayed here for a week over the summer in 2021. We had a back-in site on the north side of the campground. We had 50 amp, but no water/sewer, although there was a water spigot next to our site that we could use to fill up jugs of water. The dump station was near the entrance to the camping loop and had potable water. It was also very busy and we had to wait when filling up and again when dumping. The campground was really busy during the weekend, but cleared out Sunday and we nearly had the whole loop to ourselves during the week. The park has many trails, which were nice.
LegendThese sites share an electric box. Some spaces the box is further than 30 feet from the pad. A lot of the spaces are also crowded together. Recommend sites 23 to 46 for spacing and electric distance. We originally booked 96 but could not extend our slide because of large trees on either side of the pad and then the electric was about 50 feet away. Moved to 50 one of the nicest spots. Staff is friendly and bathrooms were clean. There are a large amount of trails to hike and you can walk to Turner Lake from the Honeysuckle Hollow campground. There is not a lot of grass around the campsites and lots of places have over grown weeds. DO NOT FORGET your bug spray the files are huge. The upside of lots of bugs are lots of bird watching. Many pretty varieties. We did not encounter any COVID restrictions, bath and shower house and camp store were all open.
LegendVery impressed with this state park! It was huge, almost 3 miles just to our site! The showers were clean. The spots were large and wooded with nice fire ring set ups. The staff was very helpful answering any questions and giving recommendations. We stayed on a primitive/wilderness site for $12 with no electric. They will allow anyone on these sites-we even saw huge RV'S and 5th wheels on primitive sites.
There are amazing trails through park for people to hike, bike, or ride horse on.
Spring Grove is a tiny town nearby with a little corner bar called “The Grove”. They serve amazing food with great service. Very clean! I recommend checking it out if you’re looking for some good food.
ScoutThis is a great campground. The bathroom facilities have a bit to be desired but still very functional. If you like to kayak or canoe this is a great place to be. There is a water way fee per kayak or canoe per year but it is well worth it. The camp sites are spaced apart at a good distance to lend you some privacy. We love coming here every year.
TravelerThis is our go-to state park when I need to get out of Chicago for the afternoon. We camped here once as a starter trip with our two kids, since it was easy enough to go home if it all went south.
Non-electric sites in the loop on the small fishing pond were relatively quiet, well shaded, with decent screening between sites. Easy walk to bath house adjacent the electric sites, which were jammed with RVs.
Nice easy hiking/biking trails. Boat rentals. Stocked concesion building.
Our kids, 4&8, really like it here. Nothing too hard or scary for my little city kiddos.
TravelerElectric site 7/5-7/7. Campground gets quiet at night. So many campground hosts around I don’t think they would let it be loud past quiet hours. First night the concession closed early so weren’t able to get firewood and had to go to the closest gas station. We could not figure out the problem but I’ve never had such a hard time keeping a fire lit with the wood from the concessions and gas station. Did some fishing, just caught some bluegill. We walked around a lot and did some kayaking. Shower houses were pretty gross in tent loops. We still had a great weekend.
GuideThe sites are more open and closer together than I care for but the park is nice
GuideWe stayed in Honeysuckle Hollow for a night. Not many people were there that night, as it thunder stormed. However site was well kept and concession stand available by the boat dock with everything you might need.
GuideWe were camping here right in the middle of fall. The leaves were changing and our site was near the lake. Awesome family friendly spot. Adult beverages must be in a solo cup. Good for RV and tent camping. The bathroom isn’t too far of a walk from any site.
GuideIt’s a really nice site, but the running water bathrooms were not cleaned regularly and the pit toilets were almost overflowing on a Thursday. The site was also filled with garbage when we arrived.
Guide*** reviewing as a baby/toddler camp family on the go :-) we chose the loop 11 was on because it was close to the path to the playgrounds and lakes plus bathrooms… avoid the first 2 sites from either end as the ones closest to the main loop aren’t very deep. Closer to the center of this row is best.
Pros- easy pull in sites and lots of walk-in availability. Sites are almost all flat thankfully, so no weird slopes to sleep on and easy for babies/toddlers to stay safe. Also seemed pretty respectful in the evenings with people toning down the noise.
Lots of electric sites, deep enough for 2 tents, 2 cars (although close to neighbors and no trees between sites), picnic table and fire pit.
Bathroom shower houses were decent (we usually just have toddler use her travel potty, but this one was fine).
Multiple playgrounds, access to launch sites for kayaks, little store to buy ice cream or snacks.
Cons - SO many ticks. With a baby crawling that needed to be set free, we were constantly doing checks. Luckily our screen house pop up on a tarp that was sprayed ahead for tick repellent plus a blanket on top of that did the trick, but they literally fall out of the trees into people! Plan for toddlers and babies to have a contained covered screen house and have them wear hats or a wagon shade on walks so nothing lands in their hair.
Also - the raccoons at night here are no joke. The second it’s dusky, they come scavenging for absolutely anything food has touched. So basically, eat dinner and do s’mores early, then everything must be packed into cars for the night and all surfaces wiped down.
Guide
There is so much to do at this campground. Horseback riding, archery, hiking, boating, fishing. There is also a park for the kids in several areas. Not far from town in case you need to go to the store and there is also a bait/shop store on premises. You can rent boats and kayaks too! The bathrooms/showers are always clean and have hot water. The only downfall that I can see is that they are not consistent with cleaning the outhouses.
ScoutThe channels are always swell. People always respectful with their boats. Very beautiful place to live.
ScoutBiggest drawback was the road noise. You can hear whatever highway is nearby pretty clearly and constantly.
But if you’re not looking for something super remote then it’s fine! My site had room for 2 tents and was close to the road but still felt tucked away.
The fire pit is actually more like a grill which was cool and great for cooking. You can move the grill to have just a fire. Plus the grocery store is only a quick 15 minute drive away if you forget anything!
People were playing music loudly at night which was annoying.
Would have been super peaceful if it weren’t for the roadnoise (which the campground can’t do anything about of course!) and the camper noise.
Best suited for folks just looking to just play outdoors and not for anyone looking for a peaceful escape to nature.
GuideSpots are mostly wide open to the road but separated enough to feel private (until drivers/walkers come through). Site had gravel and roots so tent spot took some searching and clearing to find. While pretty busy it still felt private and quiet aside from nearby sites playing music most of the day and early night. Nothing too rowdy especially since no alcohol is allowed.
TravelerI love to kayak through here because I don’t need to paddle through the river unless I’m feeling competitive. I enjoy this route for the wildlife and nature scenery. I’ve seen beavers, minks, ferrets, and sand cranes on my two trips so far.
TravelerThere is nowhere to swim here, they have multiple camp sites, a couple of group sites and a few cabins to rent. There is a concession area, however it is a moderate hike to get to from the campground area. This campground would be best for those who want to spend their time fishing, kayaking, or paddle boarding as it is connected to the fox river.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Pleasant Prairie, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Pleasant Prairie, WI is Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park with a 3.9-star rating from 14 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Pleasant Prairie, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 glamping camping locations near Pleasant Prairie, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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