Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Rice Lake, WI

Stayed here on a east/west camping trip. Beautiful state park. Sites are shaded and large. Big enough that we were able to tie out 2 large dogs each on 30 ft leads. The park has a bicycle path that walkers can also use that’s along the river. Our site backed up to the bicycle path with the river behind us. Great place to walk. Staff and hosts very friendly and helpful. Don’t be alarmed when you drive by a school and housing area to get to it! The park also has an off leash dog park. I wasn’t able to check that out though but have wished state parks would consider adding. Bathrooms extremely clean with the best state park showers Ive ever used (and I mostly camp at state parks across the US). If I get back to this area I would definitely camp here again.

This is a state park on the Wisconsin side of the St Croix River, which is mirrored by a comparable but smaller state park in Minnesota on the wrst side of the river, both being part of the wild and scenic St Croix National Waterway. Although the campsites themselves are pretty run of the mill, the setting is spectacular in terms of breathtaking scenery, and myriad outdoor activities from rock climbing in the river gorge, paddling the river, hiking miles of trails, and learning geology at the Ice Age geology visitors center. If you are tenting camping, the south loop is great, and if you pick campsite 65 or 67 you will have direct access to the river which is peaceful and good for paddle opportunities. There are picnic areas with swimming along the river which is nice for group gatherings, and one is designated for folks with pets. Some of the rugged hiking trails along the bluffs and cliffs go right along the edge with minimal guard rails or walls, so keep a close eye on kids and pets because going over the edge is a possibility so utmost caution is advised.

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!

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:)

The grounds we're clean and there were bathhouses located throughout the campgrounds. The more modern bathhouses were the nicest. It was family and dog friendly with both forest sites and more open sites.

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!

We went for the first time over Labor Day 2021. It was very clean, quite. Exactly what the Dr. Ordered!!!!! The folks next to us were very sweet. And we got curbside wood delivery. We just asked the kids who brought it the front if they would drop it off. Can’t wait to go back. No Tv, internet just peace and quiet and great neighbors! For the 1st time doing a full hook up, it was great!!!! Even the dogs had a great time.

the island is a nice place to visit. we stayed in the north loop on a water front site . great for just putting the kayaks in and going . they are vary dog and family friendly. the camp sites are a little close for my liking but it was a busy labor day weekend and every site was filled . my only big complaint would have to be that they only have one shower house on the other loop(South loop) north loop just have vault toliets . all in all I would recommend this place .

I just stayed here one night because I was passing through the area. It worked out really well. I entered the campground late in the day. It was almost dark. They had a QR code that I used to make a reservation on the spot. I had a great night there. There's a hiking trail that completely goes around the campground. So I was able to walk my dog on that. I'm not sure how it would have been to stay as a vacation Target spot. Probably pretty fine. But it certainly was great on the shoulder season for a stopover.

Great trails! Most sites are located along the river. We were at the furthest location called buck hill. About a 2 mile hike from your car. They did give us the option to temporarily park on the hwy to drop our stuff off (yes it's totally cheating but if you were given the option wouldn't you take it?) Then go back and walk it without all of our gear. They allow dogs with us a plus for us. The grounds were all kept very well! Definitely would recommend this location. Only down side is that you are near the hwy and can hear all the cars driving by.

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.

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.

I booked this campsite last minute for the weekend because my other campsite was booked. The park had great reviews and looked like a nice area of the state to visit. As you drive to the campground area, you pass signs that state Snake Research Area. I have a fear of snakes, but never thought this would impact my visit. I came across two very large snakes (apx. 4ft long and maybe longer) in the road, having to wait for them to slither across the road. Once I got to my campsite, I was walking with my dog along the perimeter of the campsite and came across multiple snakes of this same size right on the edge of my site! I have been camping many times in many different areas, but this was something that I have never experienced before. I think there should be some sort of disclosure on the state parks' website that snakes of this size are around the campgrounds.

I stayed at the Quartzite campground when driving through Wisconsin and would definitely stay again! Devil’s Lake is the gem of central Wisconsin. I took my paddleboard out one day and hiked the East Bluff Trail along the circumference of the lake another day. I also hiked down to see Devil’s Doorway which I highly recommend. The campsite was quiet and my neighbors were friendly. The views here are absolutely spectacular and the water is such a gorgeous blue!

We camped here the end of August. When I booked our site the state park website showed it as the only available site for our 4 day stay. So we booked the 4th night at a different site, same park. However, no one ever came into the original site. We also noticed this occurred with some other sites that were vacant during our entire stay. I’m sure not the parks fault. In state folks (we are out of state so paid more) don’t mind the cancellation fee or book way out and then change. Very frustrating when you have to move your camper for one night. Staff very nice. Flush toilets and bathhouse very clean. Showers with hot water and good water pressure. Sites are wooded and good size. Only complaint is the dirt base all around the campsites (very little grass due to the shade). We are from VA and most state parks have gravel pads. Nice walking trails. Didn’t see the picnic/swim area as dogs weren’t allowed anywhere there. They do have one fishing kayak. Not very good for shore fishing. Not thrilled with site #6 but site #22 was great with a nice view of the lake.

Nice campground with everything you need; however, it is small and the electric sites are quite cramped.  Good experience but we prefer the hiking and campground on the Wisconsin side of the river.

Beautiful Wisconsin state park. Two campgrounds, the north campground is more primitive, the south campground, where we stayed, has electrical hookups. We stayed here in Oct. of 2014, our first night camping in our new RV. Only stayed one night, but we were impressed. Decent bathrooms and showers in the south campground.

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.

We stayed in campsite 29 in the drive in campsite over Labor Day weekend. The park was great - lots of hiking options, very clean (including the bathrooms), available water, right along the river. #29 definitely wouldn't be my first pick, but we booked late and it was one of the two left. No pad, which was fine (some of the sites do have pads, though). You could easily fit two tents in the site - it was a nice big area and looked kind of empty with just our one tent! The site isn't particularly private, since it was in the center of the loop, and if anyone ends up in the campsite behind you (#33), you're really pretty close - we lucked out and no one showed up until we were leaving. On the other hand, if people wanted to double camp, those two sites would be great together! It was a busy weekend, but people seemed to be pretty quiet after 10 pm. #30 looked like an awesome site and probably had the most privacy of the B lane. The restrooms were between A and B lanes (walkway between #24 & #26, #26 was pretty exposed to people walking back and forth) and was pretty busy - and not many people following the mask rule for the park. The campsites in general were pretty busy (Labor Day weekend probably contributed to that), there are a lot of sites, and it's close-ish to the cities, so if you're really looking to get away from people this probably isn't the ideal park. Lots of dogs, too. But, the sites were right next to the hiking paths and the park has a ton to see. We had a good time! We hiked past the Spring Creek campsite area and it looked really great, if you want to carry your stuff in.