Best Glamping near Rice Lake, WI

Continuing my quest to visit as many Wisconsin state parks as possible. I stopped by here to check out the campsites for potential future camping and look over the park. When I found was a very well-maintained park, love the viewing area of the lake. Campsites looked good as well.

If you’ve been anywhere in Minnesota or Wisconsin, you know about all the trees! As other reviews mention, this campground has a large grassy area - that gives a 100% clear obstruction for Starlink. We work full time, so this was important for us. HOWEVER, the other half of the campground is within a super treed area, so we got to pick!

The bathrooms were sparkling clean. The showers were hot and the laundry was reasonably priced. Had I known how much we liked the area, we would’ve stayed longer. 10/10 would recommend.

I'll start by saying that I like privacy and quiet and nature when I camp, otherwise I'd be staying in a hotel.  But we were looking to get away for a weekend during the COVID times, and site 65E was the only powered site available for that weekend in all of the Wisconsin state parks, so we decided to go for it.  If you're the social type with active young kids, that spot is perfect - it backs up to a large open field with cool playground equipment and has a trail to the field right next to the camper.  You're also right next to the water faucet (plenty of people will stop to chat there) and across the street from the pit toilets. It's a VERY busy site.  If I return, I'll pick site 107E, which is extremely private and far from everything.  In general, the 100+ sites looked to be on the quiet, private side of the campground, although not all had power.  Some of the unpowered sites. 69-79, had great lake views and were surprisingly spacious, although a hiking trail is between them and the lake.  In late July, the loop starting with site 41 is absolutely teeming with ripe blackberries.

The shower houses have little notes on them apologizing for their state and saying they're scheduled for an overhaul soon because they're almost 50 years old.  So definitely go in with low expectations.  Few of the stalls for the flush toilets had working doors, and while the showers themselves worked ok, there were no hooks, shelves, or anywhere inside to place your belongings.  My shower bag randomly has a suction cup and I optimistically tried to use it to stick to the pink tile wall, but even that didn't work.  Such is life.  Mirrors above the sinks were the polished metal type.

The pit toilets in the campsite have two stalls in each, so don't be surprised if you end up with a buddy.

The hiking trails around the park are great, nice long loops, and the ranger/park employee at the check-in area was very nice and knowledgable.  We rented a kayak and paddled around the lake for a couple of hours - single and double kayaks as well as canoes are available for rent for the day.  There was a rocky beach with so many signs up warning about different types of algae that we weren't sure if it was safe to swim or not, but definitely too gross to regardless.  I didn't see anyone else in the water either.  

If it's a clear night, the field with the playground equipment is a great place to sit and stargaze, as the park gets very dark at night.  We were even able to catch a few meteors!

The people are very friendly. There is a nice inflatable park for the kids. They will bring you up the river to float down and land on their nice sand beach. Will defiantly come again!!

This is a nice park with a variety of sites. If you can book lakefront with a dock those are the best. Others are quote small and tight for big rigs. Their measurements on their website are accurate. We arrived and didn't think we would fit bit did.

Sites are a little small and not very private. Seemed like a well visited campground with lots of parties if you are into that. There is a restaurant and bar on the site although I didnt use it. They also have a kayak, canoe, and tube rental service on site which was great for easy access to the river.

We like this one for a quick weekend retreat. Lake access is great on one of the best and bigger lakes in the area. Great place for boating with the family.

It was a perfect Autumn weekend for our stay. Very quiet, beautiful bike trails and close to the camp park with a gorgeous open field perfect for stargazing. It was great, highly recommend!

This campground/park is so beautiful. The campsites are all private and secluded. We really enjoyed that it was all so unspoiled, yet all the areas/paths were well cared for and clean. We brought our dogs and they had a blast too. My only complaint is about the campers who had our site before us. They pulled out of site 111 at 3:10 on Friday the 24th of July and left the site like a pigsty. The fire pit was filled to the rim with garbage; including dirty diapers and underwear filled with poop. It was disgusting. If people don’t know how to clean up after themselves, they shouldn’t camp. Stay home.

Great place to go fishing,swimming and camping! We love staying here for a long weekend and taking the boat out on the water. It is a little busy though and lots of people around. Not a good place if our dog doesn't do well around other dogs. Awesome wildlife, got to see an eagle take a fish right out of the water in front of our boat!

This is our second stay at Lake Wissota SP. Last year we were in an electric site inside one of the loops, this time we’re sans electricity and overlooking the lake. Our site was spacious, level, shady, sandy (not grassy) and we had good cell service (we use Visible). We were here weekdays so lots of empty sites. Walking and biking in the park are nice. There’s single stream recycling dumpsters which is convenient. The shower houses haven’t been renovated like they have at other WI parks but apparently that’ll happen in the next couple of years. It’s a very nice quiet place to stay and the area has much to offer, be sure to visit Irvine Park and the Thai restaurant downtown!

Considering the park was over 4 hours from home, I was really hoping for the best! And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. From the wildflowers to the bike trails, this park was definitely a winner. The campsite was great even with one side being completely exposed to the neighboring campers. The swimming area was a little too gross for my liking, but my husband and stepson spent hours in there. We also took our kayak out onto the lake and had a blast! So much to do. We can’t wait to return next year with more family members.

Sites are big and spacious! Tons of walking, and biking opportunity! Both pit and flush toilets, and they have showers! Bathrooms are clean and well kept. Lots of flowers, birds and wildlife and tons of attractions close by!

 This park is on a smaller scale and less crowded than Devil’s Lake. There is a small beach that is in the process of renovation. The sites are large surrounded by trees and very private. The sites on the lake side are not electric and some of them are huge buddy sites, great for extended families. There are two shower houses in the campground located next to sites 29 or 72. If you are on the legs furthest from the lake it is a long walk to them, but all those sites have electric. There are two vault toilet locations and a total of 116 campsites all with a picnic table and fire ring. There is a very large playing field and a playground in the Family Campground and another playground past the beach near the fishing dock. This State Park has a large number of picnic shelters and picnic grounds with picnic tables. There are about 10 hiking trails. There is a boat launch and you can rent kayaks or canoes at the visitor center. Everything was kept clean and in good repair. Cell service for both AT&T and Verizon was strong enough to stream video. If you want to take a trip to town, there are about 5 no longer than a 10 mile distance. There was a large grocery store in Chippewa Falls. Only ice and firewood are available at the park.

The park itself is small and non-descript, not photogenic. The trail along the lake is nice for walking - it is a ridge above the lake with some nice views. Otherwise, the campsites were OK. Ours was secondary growth scrub with moderate shade. Others had nicer trees. Not a ton of birdlife. A lot of people staying there appeared to be there for golfing at nearby courses. Proximity to Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls is convenient. We enjoyed using the Old Abe bike trail. An entry point is near the park and there is a parking lot with clean restroom there. The trail goes for miles in either direction and is paved and well maintained.

A group of 5 of us went camping and split ourselves among 3 campsites (2,3,4). Area is well maintained and the bathrooms (flushing toilets and showers) are cleaned regularly- however if you have to use the bathrooms between 7:30-8:30 am, use the pit toilets because that’s when they are cleaning. Trails are well maintained and there is plenty to see. Only one issue when we got there due to someone not leaving our campsite but the staff were super nice and resolved it so well.

Beautiful shaded campground with semi private sites. Nice beach that is a walkable distance from the sites. Lots of walking, biking and horse trails that are full of wild berries. Several stairways down to the lake, no beach at these spots but good for taking the dog in the water since they aren’t allowed on the beach. Wonderful staff in the visitor center. Firewood and ice sold on site. Also boat rentals and free yard games that can be checked out at the visitor center. Clean bathrooms with showers. Lots of boat noise from the lake and a plane noise from a nearby airport. Close to Chippewa Falls for restaurants and stores. A great family destination, not so great for a peaceful couples weekend.

Very woodsy! Mosquitoes, gnats, and bugs galore. Beach is nice, even better that they have a seperate beach area for your leashed dog! (Its where my little terrier learned how to swim:)

Good site with plenty of room. The campground is big. Our site was very private for what a State Park is but not all are. Trails were awesome, but fishing from shore at the fishing peirs are not ideal. Didn't catch anything. Wood is for sale at the main entrance but not well marked or advertised. Open 5 to 7 at night at $5 a bundle. Found that out after running around town to find wood. Overall I would recommend but watch site selection, we lucked out.

Pros:

* The campsites were heavily wooded with lots of privacy

* Very quiet -- didn't hear much noise from neighbors!

* Nice hiking trails

Cons:

* The beach was pretty unimpressive. The kiddos were grossed out by the water & didn't want to swim

Very no frills camp site. Sites are decently sized, has some good views. It's missing a sculley.

I really enjoyed it here! The campsites were big and spaced out enough (though check the map because some are close together).

Plenty of trails, a scenic out look, a beach, pavilion, volleyball, etc.

Dogs are allowed on leash, but cant be on the beach.

Half of the campground is closed for the off season.

Will ad more info soon!