Searching for a tent campsite near Portage? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Portage, including sites, reviews, and tips. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Portage's most popular destinations.
If you’re traveling with a larger group, family, or organization, Devil’s Lake State Park has you covered with their Group Campsites located on the South Shore. There are 8 sites available that can accommodate 20 to 60 campers, depending on the site.
The park’s group camp facilities feature modern showers and restrooms, and the location is conveniently located about a 15-minute walk via the Group Camp Trail to the South Shore day-use area and beach. Climbing groups will also appreciate the location, which is situated at the head of the CCC trail.
There are six backpack campsites near Hickory Ridge. All sites are about 0.5 miles from the parking lot. Water and pit toilets are near the parking lot. Please note that coordinates listed on The Dyrt are for the entry to the State Park. Please call to gather detailed instructions on how to access these walk-in sites.
There are 8 campsites that can accommodate groups of 15 to 40 persons per site in the Hickory Ridge Group Camp. Only tents are allowed. Each group site has a tent area, picnic tables, a large fire ring and a set of pit toilets. Drinking water is available at the shower building located near group site B and across from the backpack sites parking lot near group sites E, F, G and H.
Scheidegger Forest is nearly 80 acres and offers a mile of loop of hiking trails, a reservable shelter, and restroom. The area has been restored from a former Dane County Sheriff shooting range to a managed forest of primarily oak and hickory. The shelter, kiosk, and bathroom were all built from wood harvested on-site. Water is not available at this site When this Group Camp is reserved, the Shelter is not available to be reserved by another party(and vice versa). Located~ 100 feet east of loop parking lot, just beyond the restroom No potable water at this time. Vault(pit) toilet. Campfire ring. No electricity. 20’ x 30’ shelter– picnic tables. Vehicle parking in parking lot * Reserve a campsite online here: https://web2.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/widanectywt.wsc/splash.html * Check opening and closing dates here: https://www.danecountyparks.com/about/Parks-Opening-Closing-Schedule * See campground rules here: https://www.danecountyparks.com/about/rules
$65 / night
The Elroy Campground is along Highway 71 near the intersection of Highway 80 in Elroy. An underpass allows campers to walk under Highway 71 and up a 100-yard asphalt road to the campground. This is a walk-to campsite. You must park your vehicle and walk approximately 0.4 miles along a steep incline to access the site.
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
We booked a weekend here for a soccer tournament we had in Verona, so we didn’t spend a lot of time on the property. The staff was amazing! Very friendly and helpful for us new to camping people. We booked online and they were also friendly when I messed up my reservation so thanks for that too. We booked in VIP 1, which is right next to the bath house. We wanted to be close to the showers (coin op). We figured since we’re at a sporting event that might be nice. Very quiet at night. We did have a little time to go fishing at the fishing pond. We didn’t catch anything but we had fun. The fishing pond is a ways from our camping area though. It would have been a long walk so we drove. WiFi is for a fee but it was fine. The fee wasn’t expensive (less than $5). No sewer hook up but there is a dump site so no big deal. Overall good stay.
Scout
Great campground! Shaded or Sunny sites. Level sites. Friendly staff. Sandy Beach. Swimming. Playground. Kids Activities. Themed weekends. Bar. Restaurant. Great Food! Tiki Bar on Beach. Great Fishing. Laundry.
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
Lots of playgrounds for kids age 2-10. Pit toilets smell- I’d avoid sites around them. Hot Showers by lot 30 and at pool. Pool is not heated as stated- definitely not 80 degrees. West tower is the best for sunsets. Site 75 was nice as it was a bit back from the road and you can’t see your neighbors.
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
Traveler
Great backpack base camp! Great views, plenty of privacy and an easy hike. We stayed at 806.
Guide
I've visited this campground twice and it's been a hit both times.
Pros:
- Scenic overlook is gorgeous.
- The dense tree cover and near-constant slight breeze help to both keep this campground cool and the mosquitos at bay.
- Well-kept vault toilets.
- Close to a many points of interest.
Cons:
- Some of the sites are strangely graded and situated. One site near ours had the fire pit at the very edge, making sitting around it virtually impossible. 14 was a pretty site but had a large tree in the middle of it.
- Using the County website to reserve the site was clunky and time consuming.
GuideI 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.
Traveler
This campground is nestled in a stand of tall red pine trees so shade is found everywhere. The check in process was easy and quick. The roads connecting the sites are adequately wide. Just know that all of the sites are 90 degree back ins which can be tight with longer rigs- especially if your neighbor across the road has their vehicle or toys parked right up to the paved surface. The only thing I would be critical of is the bathroom/shower house. The showers are a bit odd where one door (that locks) opens to the only 2 shower stalls for your gender in the entire building. So if you’re cool showering with a buddy or your kids that’s no bid deal. This campground is mostly all seasonal campsites and some are impeccably maintained and elaborate and some are REALLY run down. I doubt you could tow some of those campers out. We stayed here for EAA Airventure in Oshkosh and it was only 40 minutes away.
Scout
Reported ground bees on our sight 3 times no one came walk way to beach was broken and someone could of gotten hurt the swimming pool was dirty should of been cleaned at night for the price you pay to stay there thing should be fixed the internet horrible been going there for 29 plus years and the internet never worked this year things were not kept up
Scout
We loved the amenities, sites, and staff. Everything was great. Even seasonal sites were well kept. We will definitely be back
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.
Ranger
We were in Site# B1. We had Full hook- up with a gravel pull-thru. We travel towing a 14 foot trailer and were able to fit both in our pull through site. My jeep though did not fit. The site was easy to level.
Our site was shaded with lots of trees. This was a larger sized lot with our neighbors not too close (but we did choose a premium site with a patio and paid extra to be on the end).
This specific lot comes with a concrete patio The lot comes with a picnic table and fire hole in the ground.
They have a community Outdoor kitchen-y area with picnic tables.
They do not provide garbage service at your site so you must walk to garbage dumpster.
You are allowed to ride personal golf carts. There is really not a need to have a Golf cart because it is a smaller campground.
They do have a Swimming pool.
There is a Playground. They also offer horseshoes and a volleyball court.
They have a great general store.
The streets are gravel so not great for riding bikes but there are great places to ride bikes outside of campground, especially around Middleton and Madison.
They have cabins for rent and tent areas.
They have one shower house. The shower house has the typical stalls. These are kept mostly clean.
There is a laundry facility. It is a cash only facility, but they have a change machine.
They have a fenced in dog park and many grassy areas to walk dogs.
There were no trails to hike in the campground.
Some fun things to do outside of the campground are the Saturday Farmer’s Market in Madison and multitude of bike trails.
Scout
Beautiful facility but the traffic noise was atrocious.
Guide
The campground is really nice. The facilities are excellent. However it's really close to the interstate and the road noise is awful.
Scout
They have RV for sale or rent, large lots start at $2495 to $3495 for the yr.
Guide
We got a seasonal site and love it! The campground is well maintained and the service is fabulous. Love the pool and lake with inflatables. Great bar too!! Highly recommend.
TravelerWhile the location is great for fast travels into Madison, or getting to great hiking areas. My only complaint is that not every pull through is provided with a fire ring to burn wood (they almost seem random) and that the check in building is a bit bare. Otherwise, great location, great (partial) amenities, and good customer service.
Traveler
We stayed there for a while very pretty and the people very friendly bring wood to your camp they have trails you can walk and county pool and golf course sites are good size we will return it's close to town as well
Traveler
We stayed there in July alot of activities for everyone pool was so nice bathrooms very clean everyone so nice Amish came sat morning selling there goodies we will return definitely
Traveler
We enjoyed our stay it was so beautiful and clean and very quiet for the most part we loved it will definitely be going back
Traveler
We stayed here in our tent. This is a rural campground, somewhat dated, but very pleasant. It is true that the bathrooms were an older style but they were clean and functional and we found no fault with them. Most of the residents are seasonal and we had nice shady and grassy areas for tent camping, This campground is not near a busy highway, lake, or either area where there is a lot of noise. It is nice and quiet. The hostess was very nice and welcoming. We would certainly stay here again.
Camping near Portage, Wisconsin, offers a mix of beautiful parks and campgrounds that cater to different camping styles. Whether you prefer tent camping or RVing, there’s something for everyone in this scenic area.
Camping around Portage, Wisconsin, has its perks and quirks. With the right preparation, you can enjoy a memorable outdoor experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Portage, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Portage, WI is Devils Lake State Park Group Campground — Devils Lake State Park with a 4.4-star rating from 5 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Portage, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near Portage, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
