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Best Tent Camping near Shorewood, WI

584 Reviews

Tent campgrounds near Shorewood, Wisconsin offer varied options from primitive walk-in sites to established tent campgrounds with amenities. Kettle Moraine State Forest provides backpacking tent sites like Shelter 1, which requires a hike to access and offers seclusion for tent campers. Waubedonia County Park in Fredonia provides inexpensive tent sites along the river, while Greenbush Group Campground in the northern unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest accommodates large groups of tent campers.

Most tent campsites in the area have basic amenities including picnic tables and fire rings, though services vary significantly between locations. Walk-in tent sites like those at Shelter 1 require campers to carry gear from parking areas, with minimal facilities limited to pit toilets. Drive-in tent campgrounds such as Snug Harbor on Turtle Lake offer more amenities including drinking water, showers, and electrical hookups specifically for tent campers. A review mentioned, "Sites 2 and 9 are the largest and can each fit over 20 backpacking tents at the same time," making Greenbush particularly suitable for group camping experiences. Seasonal availability should be considered, as several campgrounds like Northern Unit Greenbush Group Camp operate only from April through November.

Walk-in tent locations throughout the region provide greater privacy and a more immersive outdoor experience. Tent campsites at KMSF Shelter 1 Backpack Site feature an open shelter where campers can set up tents if preferred, along with a fire pit and picnic table. One camper noted, "It's very secluded for privacy, with a decent walk and terrain to get to the site." Tent campers should be prepared to gather firewood around backcountry sites or purchase it at campgrounds where available. Little Turtle Lake offers five tent campsites with fires allowed but limited amenities, typical of more remote tent camping opportunities in the region. Sites within Kettle Moraine State Forest provide access to extensive hiking trails, making them suitable bases for day hikes or longer backpacking adventures.

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Best Tent Sites Near Shorewood, Wisconsin (10)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Shorewood, WI

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Tent Camping Reviews near Shorewood, WI

584 Reviews of 10 Shorewood Campgrounds

  • Sara S.
    May. 27, 2019

    Mauthe Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit-Iansr

    GREAT beach!

    The campground and campsites are pretty standard.  Nice amount of space and privacy. 101 Walk in site was quite nice. Level ground, nice tree cover so it didnt feel too open. 

    Loved being close to the beach and playground area! The kids really appreciated it :) The beach was very clean and even though it was a warm, busy day we didnt feel like it was too crowded.  The earlier you arrive the better chances you have of getting a picnic table in the shade ;)  

    Enjoyed the walk around the lake, some parts are still a bit muddy, but overall it was a nice walk and the kids actually made it without too many complaints ;)  Nice variety of scenery!  Even caught a couple frogs.

    Definitely a place to visit again! 

    *checked out some of the trails near by which were really great as well!

  • Art S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 23, 2022

    Mauthe Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit-Iansr

    Kettle moraine trail access here

    Mauthe lake is in the Kettle Moraine Northern Unit. It feels remote but we drove through a bunch of rural houses on the way in. The rustic roads made for good cycling. We passed quite a few pedaling up and down the hills.

    The campground itself sprawls along one side of the lake. With the loops for each group peeling off, it is easy to lose your way. The signs mark the direction well so go slow. It helps to know your site number.

    There was nobody at the entrance office. I’m not sure if it’s just today but make online reservations. It seems to be the 2022 way.

    There is a shower house but we made use of the more convenient vault toilets. Water is available in different ways - even a drinking fountain. There seems to be only one garbage collection site on the way out. This was less convenient since we have dog droppings to deal with.

    There is a nature trail that goes around the lake. By the beach and picnic area it’s paved. The rest is gravel or dirt. With recent rains we found a few puddles to walk through and mud to avoid. Our dog loved having the trail so close. Most of the trail is in the sun so bring water on hot days.

    Swimming isn’t allowed due to a blue algae bloom. This left plenty of empty space for us to sit with our dog under the trees. Folks did make good use of the fishing pier and playground. We also saw kayaks and stand up paddle boards on the lake.

  • 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.

  • Denise N.
    Jun. 28, 2018

    Kettle Moraine State Forest Long Lake Campground

    Long Lake Fun

    We've camped at Long Lake twice - both times with kids, and thoroughly enjoyed. The sites are spacious and clean. Each site comes with a fire pit, grate and picnic table. We have camped in the 800s but hope to get back for more variety in the future.

    Long Lake has two separate beaches and we much prefer the South Shore beach. North Shore is a little less populated, but the hike/stairs down into the beach area can be annoying with kids, toys, camp chairs, and a cooler full of food and beer. South Shore has a boat launch, clean restrooms and a picnic cabana that can be reserved. Both beaches are large and ample. We spread out with a pop-up canopy and did not feel crowded in or like we were imposing on others.

    Long Lake is big, so motorcraft are allowed. It's fun to sunbathe and watch waterskiiers and tubers fly by off in the distance.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Renee R.
    May. 9, 2025

    Ledge County Park

    Great park, decent camping

    The park is very pretty.  Walking along the trails, you can see where it gets its name!  Lots of cool ledges and rock outcrops.  We saw a moderate amount of birds and heard a bunch of critters (owls, a fox (?!)) one night.

    We camped at non-electric site J.  It was nice and big.  We originally were to be at site G but it was way too small to fit our cars, tents, etc.

    Pros:

    - Quiet and decently spaced sites.

    - Clean vault toilets.  Did not use the shower house/other facilities.  

    - The firepits are flush with the ground and have cooking grates.

    - Easy access to trails.

    Cons:

    - I'm not a trailer camper, but if I were I would not appreciate the vibes of the electric sites.  The sites are very close together and walking through it felt like going through a festival or circus more than a campground.

    - The firewood was a bit pricey compared to other parks.

  • Mel C.
    Jul. 9, 2019

    Pike Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Pike Lake Unit

    Great lake and hiking

    We had a great time swimming and hiking At Pike Lake State Park. There is a nice observation tower with beautiful views of Holy Hill. The beach is large and there is a designated area for dogs, which we loved. Our campsite was large and grassy and had good privacy. The only issue we had was that our site was in a divot and had lots of low spots and therefore flooded badly, like 3 inches in our tent bad. Overall great camping, just watch for low sites in the non-electric area.

  • N
    May. 30, 2022

    Harrington Beach State Park Campground

    Pros and Cons Here

    We mostly enjoyed our trip here over Memorial Day Weekend. It’s not too far away from our home and a nice gear testing first trip.

    Pros: Spacious grassy site. This one even had an attached smaller clearing perfect for our 7 year old to use for her own space where we set up a hammock for her.

    The campsites feel very private with a thick brush between each site. It’s not a huge campground.

    Bathrooms and showers are very cleans and actually closed from 11am-noon each day for complete cleaning.

    Gorgeous magnificent trails and right on Lake Michigan. Also a beautiful quarry lake with a trail all the way around and a cute pond full of turtles!

    Very nice, completely cleaned fire pits.

    Cheap bundle yourself firewood. Cons:

    Gorgeous hikes, but short. We prefer more distance.

    Maybe because of its proximity to the lake and Milwaukee or perhaps the holiday weekend but this was a louder campground. More of a party vibe than we really look for in state parks. A particular group was extremely loud and kept us up until 4 am the first night. No park ranger on duty. It’s nice when quiet hours are observed.

    No trees really on the campground and it is built on and surrounded by wetlands that are actively in restoration. At the height of summer this place is going to be sweltering and full of bugs. The mosquitoes will be especially terrible.

    Overall we have and love this park for a day trip but probably won’t return to camp.

Guide to Shorewood

Tent camping near Shorewood, Wisconsin ranges from smaller county parks to larger state forest sites across southeastern Wisconsin. The campgrounds are situated in the terminal moraine landform region with rolling hills created by glacial activity during the last ice age. Most tent campsites are available from spring through fall, with sites closing during winter months due to seasonal weather conditions.

What to do

Hiking access: Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit Greenbush Group Camp offers multiple walking trails directly from the campground. "We booked this for a coronavirus-safe camping trip, and it did not disappoint. Water is usually available, but more limited during the pandemic," reports camper Hilary S.

Biking options: The Wild Goose City Park connects to regional bike paths. "Wild Goose bike trail leads to this park in Juneau. It's a good place to stop and have a break. There's a playground and public bathroom, drinking fountain," notes Kim L.

Water activities: Canoe and kayak access to rivers is available at Cappie's Landing, which offers primitive tent sites. The boat-in campsites provide a less crowded camping experience with basic facilities limited to pit toilets.

What campers like

Privacy between sites: KMSF Shelter 1 Backpack Site receives praise for its seclusion. "Great backpack camp site. Decent walk and terrain to get to the site. There is an open shelter to put your tent if you prefer to outside," writes Erin Z., who rated the site 5 stars.

Affordable pricing: Waubedonia County Park offers budget-friendly tent sites. "The campsites are inexpensive and comfortable, though there aren't as many amenities that a larger campground would have," according to Kevin S.

Proximity to water: Several tent campgrounds feature waterfront locations, including Little Turtle Lake with its five tent-only campsites situated on the lakeshore. The smaller lake size means less motorboat traffic, creating a quieter tent camping experience.

What you should know

Reservation requirements: Most tent campgrounds require advance reservations, especially during peak summer weekends. Many state forest sites book up 3-6 months in advance.

Site sizing variations: Greenbush Group Campground offers larger sites for group camping. "Large sites great for groups. Sites 2 and 9 are the largest. Those can each fit over 20 backpacking tents at the same time," notes Amber R.

Limited facilities: Many tent-focused campgrounds have minimal amenities. At Purplehaze Acres, the nine tent sites have drinking water and toilets but no showers or electrical hookups.

Tips for camping with families

Playground access: Wild Goose City Park features playground equipment adjacent to camping areas, making it suitable for families with younger children.

Noise considerations: Some group campgrounds can become noisy. At Greenbush Group Camp, one camper noted, "The nine sites are visually separated, but not far enough away from each other to block louder noise - we could hear loud music from the site 4 late into the night."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Shorewood, WI?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Shorewood, WI is Waubedonia County Park with a 3-star rating from 1 review.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near Shorewood, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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