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Best Tent Camping near Pleasant Prairie, WI

481 Reviews

Tent camping near Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin provides access to several distinct campgrounds within a short drive. Melody Park Campground in Twin Lakes offers tent-only sites from May 1 to October 15, providing a seasonal option for campers. For those seeking a more secluded experience, KMSF Shelter 1 Backpack Site offers primitive tent camping with walk-in access, while Snug Harbor Inn Campground on Turtle Lake features elevated tent sites with lake views. These tent campgrounds are situated within 30-45 minutes of Pleasant Prairie, making them accessible options for weekend getaways.

The tent camping experience varies significantly between locations. At Snug Harbor, tent sites are positioned on the upper tier of a terraced property, providing views overlooking Turtle Lake. The campground offers amenities including drinking water, clean bathrooms with showers, and picnic tables at each site. In contrast, KMSF Shelter 1 Backpack Site provides a true backcountry tent camping experience with basic facilities. This site features an outhouse, fire pit, picnic table, and bench. No drinking water is available, and campers must collect their own firewood from the surrounding area. The primitive nature of this site requires proper preparation, including bringing all necessary water and supplies.

Walk-in tent sites at KMSF Shelter 1 offer privacy and seclusion that's increasingly rare in the region. According to a recent visitor, "There is a decent walk and terrain to get to the site. It's very secluded for privacy." The site includes an open shelter where campers can set up tents if desired. Another camper noted that the Galapagos tent site at Snug Harbor "is elevated and a short distance from the loop road, and has a nice view of the lake." For group tent camping, the Snapper sites (4-7) at Snug Harbor are positioned close together and offer more privacy, set away from other campsites. These tent-specific areas provide a more authentic outdoor experience compared to the predominantly RV sections of the campground.

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Best Tent Sites Near Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (3)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Pleasant Prairie, WI

481 Reviews of 3 Pleasant Prairie Campgrounds

  • D
    Aug. 3, 2025

    Paul Wolff Campground

    No showers

    We would gladly stay here again!

    Great campsite with the best staff ever! The sites are clean and very well maintained. We loved the staff patrolling the grounds. The trail system is great for walking the dogs. And I even grew to like the no alcohol in the preserve rule.

    The vault toilets are clean but smell like vault toilets at 95 degrees. There is one very clean flush toilet building but no showers. They don't advertise showers, but this is the newest and nicest campsite I have seen without showers. There is some shade, but you have to search for it.

  • Marisa A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 16, 2020

    Paul Wolff Campground

    Great value Chicago suburb campsite

    I've camped here four different occasions this 2020 covid-19 year. The staff are super nice and the campground has great social distancing rules in place for the check-in shack and bathrooms. It is a super clean campground with multiple hosts and forest preserve staff. There are a large number of RV pads overlooking the prairie and a few along a grove of trees. I was lucky once to see the equestrian area full of campers with their horses. There are 9 walk-in tent sites about 10-20 yards from parking (the two at the end p7 and p9 are connected for groups that know each other). There are multiple ada sites and two "walk-in/ie roll-in" site in the tent-only area. It's a good mix of young people, retired people, and families. I've seen weekends with mainly RVs and one weekend with a quarter of the drive-in sites being tents. The most shaded sites are p1,3,5,7 and 9. Many of the sites in the middle are wide open with little shade but nice summer breezes. Prices are a great deal if you live in Kane county but still worth the trip if you live in another county. Firewood is $7 for about .75 cu ft (what you can fit in a milk crate.) There are a few trails and I've seen lots of butterflies, gold finches, hawks, deer, flocks of giant sandhill cranes, rabbits, ground squirrels, and of course actual squirrels. Lots of people (including me) bring their leashed dogs. The other campers have been polite and friendly. I wish there was more distance between sites in the water/electrical loops for more privacy, but I'd go every weekend if I lived in Kane county because it would be worth the resident price even tho there are so many RVs. Because there is electrical it is a peaceful campground with no generator noise.

  • GoWhereYouAreDraw N.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 12, 2020

    Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    Well maintained and clean

    Very 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.

  • Josh F.
    Dec. 3, 2020

    Hebron Campground

    Small, Tidy with Lots of Waterworks

    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.

  • Scott N.
    Jul. 14, 2020

    Thomas Woods Campground

    Great trails, loud neighbors, lots of bugs

    Thomas Woods campground has some great sites, particularly the tent sites. Many of them are set off a short distance from the parking area. I stayed at site 30 which was less than a tenth mile from the parking spot. There are no trash cans at the site, the dumpsite is near the entrance. Most of the roads are one way so after dropping the trash off you must drive all through the campground to get back to your site. The site itself had plenty of room and privacy. The woods are dense and block all views of the neighboring sites. Unfortunately, I think some people think if they can’t see you, you can’t hear them. Every site has a raised pad for a tent. This was very nice. I did track in some of the small gravel into the tent, though. It looks like kitty litter. Not a big deal. It was nice sleeping flat and not sliding off my sleep pad.

    Near Marengo Ridge is a bike trail called H.U.M. Trail. It is only 3.5 miles long. From what I understand is they lost funding for the project. The path is paved and offers a scenic forested view. The hiking trails of Marengo Ridge are the true stars of the area. I walked for almost two hours and still didn’t see them all. Some of the trails have wide paths of grass while others are single-track dirt. 

    As other reviewers have written, the mosquitoes are insane.  Bring plenty of bug spray!

    My website:  https://www.lost13.com/camping/2020/7/13/marengo-ridge

    My video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh4TzLzf\_PY&t=1s

  • Meg
    Jun. 12, 2022

    Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    Good For families, a few downsides

    *** 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.

  • Art S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 20, 2019

    Paul Wolff Campground

    Amazing hiking and beautifully kept but a bit pricey

    This campground is in a populated area but the nature preserve is big. We rarely saw traffic once here. A train goes by a couple times but it was always during the day. 

    It’s pricey if you are from out of the county. We were hoping to camp at the primitive sites but they are walk-in only. Our teardrop wasn’t allowed. We settled at site 37 and enjoyed our stay. There are vault toilets but the large number of big RVs meant they were not used often leaving them almost like our private restrooms. Each site has water and electric. Trees are around the outside with few on the inside sites. All the sites have paved pads. 

    The highlight of our experience is the hiking. There are miles of trails. On one hike we were on paved, sifted gravel, grass and single trek trails. There are a lot of loops giving you options. When we left we still hadn’t hiked all of them. 

    If the price was more reasonable we would certainly be back. If you need the water/electric then this is a great choice.

  • R
    Jun. 29, 2022

    Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    Nice little get away

    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.

  • Josh F.
    Sep. 25, 2020

    Snug Harbor Inn Campground on Turtle Lake

    RV campground with lake access

    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.

Guide to Pleasant Prairie

Tent camping options near Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin span from Kenosha County to northern Illinois. The region offers camping on elevated sites overlooking lakes, in secluded wooded settings, and at basic primitive sites without amenities. Most tent sites in this area remain open from May through October, with seasonal closures during winter months when temperatures regularly drop below freezing.

What to do

Collect firewood on arrival: At KMSF Shelter 1 Backpack Site, campers must gather their own firewood from the surrounding forest. "Great backpack camp site. There is a fire pit, but we found our own wood around the site. Bring a small axe," notes reviewer Erin Z.

Navigate to remote sites: Many tent camping opportunities near Pleasant Prairie require walking to reach your campsite. Some backpacking sites involve moderate terrain challenges. The KMSF Shelter backpack sites require "decent walk and terrain to get to the site," according to reviews.

Plan water supplies carefully: Most primitive tent sites in the Pleasant Prairie region lack drinking water. Campers should bring all necessary water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Preparation is essential for comfortable tent camping in this area, especially at primitive sites.

What campers like

Privacy in wooded settings: Tent campers appreciate the secluded nature of backcountry sites around Pleasant Prairie. At Melody Park Campground in Twin Lakes, the tent-only sites provide separation from RV camping areas, creating a more authentic outdoor experience.

Elevated lake views: Several campgrounds offer tent sites positioned on higher terrain with views of local lakes. The upper-tier tent sites provide scenic vistas while maintaining distance from more crowded camping areas.

Basic amenities at primitive sites: Even at remote sites, campers appreciate the minimal amenities provided. Most tent sites include fire rings and some form of seating. "There is an open shelter to put your tent if you prefer to [camp] outside. There is a fire pit... There is an outhouse, picnic table and a bench," according to one KMSF Shelter visitor.

What you should know

Toilet facilities vary significantly: Primitive tent sites near Pleasant Prairie often have basic outhouse facilities that may not be well-maintained. One camper at Kishwaukee Valley Farms notes the importance of bringing personal toilet paper and hand sanitizer for comfort at primitive sites.

Seasonal restrictions apply: Most tent camping in this region operates seasonally from May through October. Weather conditions can change rapidly in spring and fall, requiring appropriate gear for potential temperature fluctuations.

Reservation policies differ: Some campgrounds require advance booking while others operate on a first-come basis. During peak summer weekends, securing a reservation is recommended where available.

Tips for camping with families

Choose sites based on walking distance: For families with young children, consider the distance from parking to your campsite. Some tent sites require significant hiking with gear, which can be challenging with kids.

Verify pet policies before arrival: Pet regulations vary significantly between campgrounds near Pleasant Prairie. While many allow leashed dogs, some have strict no-pet policies or designated pet-friendly sections.

Pack for variable weather conditions: The Pleasant Prairie area experiences significant temperature fluctuations, even in summer months. Bring layers and appropriate rain gear regardless of forecast, especially when tent camping with children.

Tips from RVers

Check tent site specifications: At many campgrounds near Pleasant Prairie, tent sites have specific size limitations. Measure your tent footprint before arrival to ensure compatibility with designated tent pads or areas.

Consider combination options: Some campers travel with both an RV and a tent. This arrangement allows for convenient access to RV amenities while enjoying the tent camping experience. Several campgrounds accommodate this setup with appropriately spaced sites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Pleasant Prairie, WI?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Pleasant Prairie, WI is Melody Park Campground with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Pleasant Prairie, WI?

TheDyrt.com has all 3 tent camping locations near Pleasant Prairie, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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