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Best Tent Camping near Sturgeon Bay, WI

371 Reviews

Tent campsites in Door County near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin range from secluded walk-in sites to established campgrounds with basic amenities. Newport State Park offers backcountry tent camping with 16 walk-in sites accessible via hiking trails ranging from one to two and a half miles. Harbour Village Campground provides drive-in tent sites with more developed facilities, while Peninsula State Park's Welcker's Point Campground offers tent sites in a wooded setting near Green Bay waters.

Primitive tent setups at Newport State Park feature fire rings, camp bench seats, and bear boxes for food storage. Most walk-in tent locations require hikers to carry all gear and supplies, with no cart or wagon services available. Sites have pit toilets or rustic outhouses nearby, though Newport campers should bring their own toilet paper. Potable water is available at ranger stations, but backcountry campers often filter water from Lake Michigan for cooking and drinking. Peninsula State Park provides more amenities including showers, flush toilets, and drinking water for tent campers.

Walk-in tent sites at Newport State Park offer exceptional privacy and natural experiences. The park's shoreline campsites provide direct access to Lake Michigan's rocky or pebble beaches. Tent campers enjoy significantly more solitude than at other Door County destinations, with several reviewers noting they never encountered other campers during their stay. Sites vary in their proximity to water—some directly on the shoreline while others require a short walk to reach Lake Michigan or Europe Lake. A reviewer described Newport as having "beautiful, quiet sites which are spread out nicely. Even the couple that are 'close together' didn't feel crowded at all." For tent campers seeking stargazing opportunities, Newport's dark skies offer exceptional viewing during new moon periods.

Best Tent Sites Near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (2)

    1. Newport State Park Campground

    33 Reviews
    Ellison Bay, WI
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (920) 854-2500

    $20 / night

    "We hiked to site 16 but ended up hiking back to site 1 because there was still quite a bit of ice on Lake Michigan by site 16. Both campsites had a fire ring, camp bench seats and bear boxes."

    "Newport State park is a great place to take a short backpacking trip to quiet campsites that are near lake Michigan."

    2. Rock Island State Park Campground

    12 Reviews
    Ellison Bay, WI
    48 miles
    Website
    +1 (920) 847-2235

    "Rock island SP is a dark sky spot and combine that with lesser people around, it was a perfect location for stargazing!"

    "Hands down our favorite Wisconsin State Park! Great day or weekend trip! You have to take a Ferry from Washington Island and carry/backpack on your gear (no cars or bikes allowed)."

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Sturgeon Bay, WI

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Tent Camping Reviews near Sturgeon Bay, WI

371 Reviews of 2 Sturgeon Bay Campgrounds

  • Fred S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 28, 2021

    Dovetail Acres Campground

    Relatively New RV Campground

    Convenient to Sister Bay in Door County, Wisconsin. Off of WI Hwy 57. Large open field. 27 pull-through RV sites are equipped to handle the biggest RV’s by providing 34′ x 75′ sites. 33 back-in RV sites. 10 walk in tent sites. Pets welcome - $5/day pet fee. New restrooms & showers. No cell service, but very good free WiFi service. Clean campsites, well maintained. No privacy between sites. Gravel driveways. Picnic table. Fire ring. Convenience store & gas station on site - Dovetail Trading Company & Citgo gas station. Registration in store. Accepts reservations. Campground was still open on Oct 23, 2021, even though it's season ended on Oct 18. This is a good campground for RVs. I camped here when I couldn't find another campground that had available sites. I thought it was overpriced for camping in my camper van with no hookups needed, but it was okay in a pinch.

  • Kirsty G.
    May. 1, 2019

    Newport State Park Campground

    Beautiful and easy hike in sites

    My husband and I stayed at Newport State Park April 12-13th, 2019. We hiked to site 16 but ended up hiking back to site 1 because there was still quite a bit of ice on Lake Michigan by site 16. Both campsites had a fire ring, camp bench seats and bear boxes. The privy by campsite 16 was preferable because it had a half wall instead of being enclosed. Campsite 1 shares its outhouse with campsite 2. The hiking was very easy with minimal elevation change. Lake Michigan was beautiful to look at. Being early spring in Wisconsin it was still slushy and was depositing ice on its shores. A great place for people looking to backpack/hike in. We will be going back.

  • H. K.
    Jun. 26, 2022

    Baileys Grove Travel Park and Campground

    Clean, friendly & overall great

    We really enjoyed this campground!

    The owners were very accommodating. We had a late check in and they still hooked us up with firewood, ice and quarters for laundry!

    It's super clean. The whole campground is nicely cared for. There are plenty of trees and shade.

    There are central flush toilets and showers plus portable toilets scattered throughout the campground. The port o potties are lit at night and pleasantly clean. I generally loathe port o potties but these were actually pretty nice.

    The laundry is open 24/7 which is really convenient.

    The individual sites have a picnic table, fire ring, electricity and water. There wasn't a tent pad but the ground was level.

    I definitely recommend this campground and will stay here again when I return to Door County.

  • Janet B.
    Aug. 16, 2023

    Rock Island State Park Campground

    Great destination if you want to “escape”

    I visited Rock Island on 8/12/23, during the peak Perseid meteor shower viewing period. Rock island SP is a dark sky spot and combine that with lesser people around, it was a perfect location for stargazing!

    About the site(20): Very spacious but the distance btw the picnic table/tent and the fire ring was somewhat far. Can see the neighbors but far enough to maintain some privacy. A short walk to the beach! There are sites that are closer to the water (i think 26-28) and i would definitely stay in one of those sites next time.

    Island in general: Like many people mentioned, there’s a water pump near the boat house and pit toilets scattered thru the campsites. Firewood are sold for $7/bundle during 4:30pm-5:30pm. Bring cash!!

    One big no-no: SPIDERS. WHY SO MANY SPDIERS?!?!? spiders are crawling everywhere. Yeah the beach was so nice and didnt feel like I was in Wisconsin but there are COUNTLESS SPIDERS crawling on the beach. Why?!?!? So no to a picnic blanket, a camp chair is a MUST.

    I was only there for one night to see the meteor shower but will definitely return to enjoy the island, check out the lighthouse and come fully prepared for some anti-spiders measures. There’s also a tour led by the ranger/friends of the Rock Island org (not sure which) and SUP/kayak rental as well.

  • Scott W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 22, 2025

    Harbour Village Campground & Water Park

    “Rustic” tent camping

    My wife and I enjoyed our stay at the “Rustic” tent camping site. We were the only people that camped over the weekend in the Rustic area. It was a very nice set up. Secluded and far away from any RV campers.

    Our only complaint was that there was a HUGE party at the RV sites. Music blasting so loud from 7pm - 11:30pm. (Quiet hours are from 11pm - 8am) so that was really frustrating, especially when we were just trying to get away from city life and enjoy our campfire.

    Harbor Village is the perfect location for Door County. It’s nestled next to Door County Coffee, Winery, and Brewery. Plus all of the site seeing is within an hour or two.

    The amenities were nice.

    Other than the noisy neighbors, we enjoyed our time at Harbor Village. When we visit Door County, we will most likely stay here again.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 14, 2025

    North Bay Shore Park

    Peaceful stay on the bay of Green Bay

    General/Site Quality: Small (35-site) campground on the west shore of the Bay of Green Bay; some have water and electricity, and some just have electricity. Sites 14-23 are on grass while the others have paved camper pads. All are level and very generous in size. While they don’t necessarily have a physical separation between them, sites are spaced a good distance apart from each other. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. In the center of the loop, there are some nice mature trees. 

    Bath/Shower: At one end of the loop, there is a two-stall, one-sink restroom for each gender plus two showers; at the other end of the loop there are two vault toilets. All were clean. 

    Activities/Amenities: There is quite a bit to do here. Fishing, boating (separate fee for the boat launch), swimming, kayaking (but you need to bring your own – although the literature says there are boat rentals, I did not see this). There is a nice playground and a smaller swing set; both are in different locations behind campsites, making it a bit awkward to access. In the day-use area, there is a fish cleaning station, a basketball hoop, and a somewhat dated playground. There used to be a volleyball area, but the net was no longer there. Self-serve firewood is available. There is a dump station.

    The fee of $20 per night was very reasonable and our stay was very quiet and peaceful for a campground that was about 2/3 full on a Monday after Father’s Day.

  • Kevin M.
    Sep. 5, 2016

    Newport State Park Campground

    Great for short backpacking trips

    Newport State park is a great place to take a short backpacking trip to quiet campsites that are near lake Michigan. I haven't been able to score a site yet with lake access but have heard there are some. The sites I have booked have both been large enough for 3 2-person tents and have a food storage bin in each.

    If you are new to backpacking and want to try out your pack before heading off on a multiday excursion, I would highly recommend coming here 1st.

    The rest of park offers a nice beach and some playground equipment for the kids.

  • Amanda L.
    Jul. 8, 2018

    Tennison Bay Campground — Peninsula State Park

    Quiet yet filled with scenic adventure

    This campground is HUGE! Definitely take a map if you’re offered one or find one. It is so beautiful, lots of shoreline and so many things to do from biking and hiking trails, to a lighthouse & museum and much more. Located in Door County, the peninsula also offers lots to do from Mini Golf to Shipwreck kayak tours. I could have spent a month here and still have more things to try out.

    Do beware of raccoons though! Be sure to put all food in your vehicles at night or if you leave the campsite. The showers weren’t amazing, but I did get to shower with a tree frog, so that’s an experience.

    I also suggest bringing an air mat or sleeping pad if you're tenting. The ground is really quite hard. We had a tough time getting our tent stakes into the ground and ended up tying the tent to trees in a couple spots instead!

    Visited June 2018

  • Megan P.
    Aug. 22, 2019

    Baileys Woods Campground

    Our 1st pick for Door County Camping! Quiet and Close to Everything!

    We absolutely love this campground and it is our first pick when it comes to staying in Door County. It is in the middle of the Door Peninsula and just minutes from anything that you would be interested in doing, including catching amazing sunrises from downtown Bailey's Harbor (Just a short 1.2 mile walk away)! Main road in front of campground is not busy and its very easy to run or walk on without really having to worry about cars.

    The campground itself is small (.6 miles of roads if you walk every road in the campground), but the spaces are large with decent space between sites. The entire campground is in the woods, so each site is completely wooded. All roads and campsites are gravel, there is very little grass. If you are looking for grass to play on, they do have a large mowed area in along the road that is perfect. There is also a small playground for kids. Our children have a lot of fun on the playground and just running around our campsite. We don't need a pool, because there is an amazing public beach 5 minutes away in Bailey's Harbor. Other than the playground and very small camp store, there are no other amenities in the campground, but you don't really miss them because there is so much to do around Door County.

    There are tent only sites, pull through sites, and sites that will accommodate popup campers up to large pull behind campers. Seasonal sites are interspersed throughout the campground. All seasonal campers that we have met are very friendly. There are two bathroom buildings that have showers, one at the front of the campground and one at the back (which also houses 1 washer and 1 dryer). Bathrooms and showers have always been very clean. There are also porta potties by the tent only camping sites. There are also charging stations by the porta potties, since the tent only sites do not have electricity. Tents are allowed on electric only and water and electric sites. Owners are very accommodating and will allow you to put a camper and tent on the same site also. If needed, there are also sites which allow you to hook up to the septic system or you can drain your tank when you leave.

    Campground is dog friendly if your dog is on leash. They do sell firewood for $15 per wheelbarrow full (you fill, so you can get your money's worth on firewood if you stack it right). They do also allow you to bring in your own firewood. Owners allow campers to put charges for firewood and things bought in the store to be put on a tab that you can then close when you check out.

    This campground does not fill up too quickly. Depending on the time of year, you don't need much advance notice to book a site. If you would like to book for cherry season they recommended calling 4-6 weeks in advance. Otherwise I generally reserve a few weeks before arrival. They do provide a campground map on their website, so you can look ahead and choose your site. If you want one of the larger sites (pull through ones), I would suggest calling sooner rather than later because it sounds like those fill up faster.

Guide to Sturgeon Bay

Tent campsites near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin sit on the Door Peninsula, a 70-mile finger of land extending into Lake Michigan. The area experiences typical Midwestern seasonal variations with summer temperatures averaging 70-80°F and winter dropping well below freezing. Camping options include both established campgrounds with amenities and primitive sites that require hikers to carry in all gear, with most locations open from May through October.

What to do

Explore lighthouse history: Peninsula State Park offers access to Eagle's Bluff lighthouse, though visitors should note "Eagle's Bluff lighthouse is currently closed for renovations" as David M. at Welcker's Point Campground mentions.

Hike island trails: Rock Island State Park requires two ferry rides to access and features extensive hiking opportunities. "The island has a great history that can be explored by hiking to the Potowatomi lighthouse and poking around the boathouse by the ferry dock. Abundant hiking trails make for good exploration and wildlife spotting," notes Jen C..

Swimming and beach activities: Welcker's Point at Peninsula State Park offers access to swimming areas. According to Caroline R., "A very nice beach, plenty of campgrounds, relatively clean bathrooms considering you're camping. Very pretty, lots of hiking and biking trails."

What campers like

Stargazing opportunities: Rock Island State Park provides exceptional dark skies for astronomy enthusiasts. Kevin S. shares, "It was incredible - the island is so peaceful, you can hear the peaceful waves of Lake Michigan all night... I was able to see the sunset one night and the sunrise the next."

Water access: Many tent camping sites in Door County provide direct water access. "The campsites are spacious and clean. Also lots of great hiking trails and points of interests," says Owen H. about Welcker's Point.

Family activities: Harbour Village Campground & Water Park offers amenities specifically for families with children. "We had stayed for three days over the Father's Day weekend and had a great time. Plenty of things to do for the kids, swimming pond was a ton of fun, and the sites were big and spacious!" shares Marie C.

What you should know

Weather preparedness: Door County camping conditions can change rapidly, particularly on islands. At Rock Island, "The island gets very windy and cold at night. Be prepared and bring extra layers! On the plus side, bugs were very very minimal," warns Calli N..

Cell service limitations: Phone reception varies widely across the peninsula. "Don't plan on having any cell phone reception with AT&T. 90% of the time I was at my campsite my phone was in SOS mode. You need to drive out to the park entrance to get reliable reception," notes David M. about Welcker's Point.

Seasonal insect concerns: Depending on timing, insects can impact the camping experience. Amy R. shares about Newport State Park: "Mosquitos not so much. They were intense. Bring alot of repellant. Next time we go we'll probably permethrin our clothes to help."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Sturgeon Bay, WI?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Sturgeon Bay, WI is Newport State Park Campground with a 4.8-star rating from 33 reviews.

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