Best Glamping near Waterford, WI

If your in Wisconsin this is a must stay! Beautiful campground (Ottawa Lake campsites) Great Lake, hiking to see the natural springs which is the coolest!! Drank fresh spring water!

Perfect for a couple days in the woods. Like most of Wisconsins' parks and forests, Ottawa lake is no different. Offers clean and quiet settings and facilities,. Close enough to metropolitan areas but not too close. All have feeling of being in the north woods with out the travel. Busiest days are after memorial day weekend and to labor day weekend.

Made my first visit to Ottawa Lake on a mid-March weekend. The facilities were still under their winter setup (only vault toilet, no shower available, pay in an envelope). It was a very nice campsite that I stayed at. The grounds were quiet, however there were only a handful of people staying there at the time. The sites look to have enough space between the to make you feel a little more spread out and not sitting on top of each other. It got cold (cloudless late winter nights in Wisconsin can do that), but nothing you can’t prepare for. The proximity to the Ice Age Trail is a bonus, because it made for an easy activity without much fuss. Will visit again when warmer.

I love everything about this park except the beach, so it didn’t get a 5 star. We stayed at site 98- just barely big enough to fit our travel trailer in and right next to the showers and bathrooms. Not a great location, but fine. Took a walk around and found plenty of other large, private shaded electric sites. If we came here again I would go for a site away from the bathroom. The tent sites looks fantastic- large and private. Plenty of hiking trails here, a decent playground, and tons of large fields to picnic in. Park has a Facebook page where they post activities. Friday night we saw a presentation on the cranes of Wisconsin, and Saturday morning we did a parkwide scavenger hunt. All fun for the family. We would definitely camp here again. The beach is across the very busy road, and has about 10 ft of sand before the road. Fine for a dip, but not relaxing. Very crowded. Other beaches are nearby but not free. Town of Lake Geneva is very cute in an upscale tourist way. Our kid found the museum a lot of fun.

This is one of the most popular State Parks in Wisconsin because it's on Lake Geneva. In fact, it's the only state park within town's limits. This area has always been a summer getaway, so reservations are hard to get. We went in October, so it was much easier, but the weather was unpredictable.
 The lake is famous for it's mansions, summer homes and the trail which goes around the entire perimeter and is open to the public, no matter how many property lines it crosses.
 The park is on the lake, 2 miles south of downtown. So, a 40 min walk, 11 by bike, though there are hills on both routes. The park has a long strip of beach that almost seems like a shoulder to the main road. There's a fishing lagoon with a bait vending machine. The campsites and trails are further back, and out of the wind.
 The sites are generally spacious, some are oddly shaped. The further back you go on the main loop though, actually brings you closer to town. You can hear events taking place at the High School even though it looks like you're in the woods.
 The main restroom and shower facility is brand new and spotless.
Too many things to see and do in the area to list here but I'd point out the Boat House Bar & Grill is right next to the entrance. It has a big patio and is dog friendly. Easy walking distance from the campground. Good food at a good price.
 Outside of town, Lake Geneva County Meats is a butcher shop and more with a terrific selection and variety of brats (among other things) and can supply all your cookout needs.  Also, check out Royal Oaks farm & Orchard. In season, they have the greatest variety of apples we've ever seen. Better still, they are well labeled telling which types are best for what use. Of course, donuts and cider too.

Campground Review

I've been to Ottawa Lake many times before, and really appreciate the spaciousness of the sites. There are a great mix of options for campsite ranging from almost full sun on the natural Wisconsin prairie or nicely shaded woodsy campsites.

There are many options for hiking since this campground is part of Kettle Moraine State Park.

The beach is pretty large and swimming is excellent. They've been restoring part of the beach in the last few years and it is looking great. The population of sandhill cranes in this area seems to be growing, as we saw a few pairs of them while camping here as well.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, this time I got to test the Primus Essential Stove (1.3L).

I've got plenty of experience with camping and backpacking stoves, ranging from DIY beer can alcohol stoves up to Coleman Duel Fuel Powerhouse classic camp stove. 

What's great

• The Essential Stove is suitable for backpacking or regular camping, and it includes the essentials: 2 pot, a pan, a pot holder, and the burner. Everything nests together in a nice little package.
• The stove is plenty powerful and was able to get our coffee percolator boiling in only a couple minutes.
• The details are nice: they put rubber/silicone feet on the bottom and on the pot holder, just adding a bit of finish to a functional set

What's not great

• The way the hose folds into the stove when stored is a little awkward at first. After using it a few times, it's more natural and not a big deal, but this could be improved.
• "With great power comes great responsibility…" It doesn't have a great "Low". In order to prevent our coffee from boiling out of the percolator, I tried to turn it down, but accidentally turned it off. There isn't a great simmer option…the low is not very low. 

The verdict

Overall, it is a nice kit and I will be lending it to some friends to an upcoming backpacking trip.

We go at least once a year to see the Christmas lights. A great little after work trip on a Friday to cure the kiddos cabin fever a bit.

It was our 1st time there. Kids had lots of fun and there was plenty to keep them occupied. The store was expensive compared to other places but they had a large variety of things you may need or want. You can pay $6 to have Yogi, Boo Boo or cindy come visit your site and bring juice and a cookie.

Sites are medium sized. We had full hookup which was nice. Plenty of things to keep kids busy. Store has lots of stuff and necessities. Was alittle more expensive than some other places but they had a large variety within. Staff all seemed to be new and weren't all on the same page half the time. They charged $8-12 for visitors which was ridicules. 70 year old people had to pay $13 because they might use their facilities.

very nice campground it’s clean. very overpriced just for having a fancy pool.

Yogi Bear campground is a nice, clean campground. Rental options and the big pool are wonderful. I can’t afford to go there often though because it is pricey.

Great campground for families! Tons to do! Bathrooms/showers are good. Comfortable stay.

Plenty of things to do all day with the rec dept staff and lots of sightings of Yogi, Boo Boo, and Cindy Bear! Pool and Bear Paw beach are both nice, the kids had a blast at both. Would definitely go back! Most sites are nice and big, older sites are bigger than the newer Bear Paw area.

Large campground, concrete spots are very nice.

We booked a site here for Halloween and had a great time. My kids love Halloween Weekend camping at the various JellyStone Campgrounds. This location did not dissapoint. We have not gone to this location during the warmer months but looks to be a great campground

This pretty nice park is obviously aimed at kids and kids at heart.  It has a lot of amenities that were not available when we were there.  They have their hand out for everything which can make your stay rather expensive.  The sit itself is pretty nice with level sites and good water and electric.  The bath house was a little disappointing as there was no hot water and we were told that it had been that way all week.  Wifi is purchased and not the best even though there were hardly anyone else in the park.

We stayed here because it was close to people we wanted to see and our other choices were not available.

There are a ton of activities here to include two bouncy pillows, three play grounds, a pool, water slides, a kids water activity area, beach, water obstacle course, inflatable slide, RC car track, laser tag, mini golf, giant chess, and I'm sure I'm missing something. Great place for families. Don't allow Saturday checkout.

Camped here the past few years for my son’s birthday. Last year we heard out their fall package and got 3 weekends for a very much discounted price. Loved it so much we got it again this year! We will again spend most of September here! So many activities for the kids and adults! Yes it’s pricey, but you know that going into your reservation. It’s not like you have to pay extra for the wristbands at every other campground. They’re already included. The package we have includes 2 Halloween weekends. We have been to other campgrounds for Halloween, including 2 last year. We gave up standing reservations we’ve had for about 10 years now to spend Halloween at jellystone only.

We love private campsites, far enough away from other campers, yet close enough to amenities. We chose a walk in site #16 which was nice but I wish we chose one a bit further in. Bathrooms where very clean. Trails are great. Pet friendly - we brought our small, quiet dogs. Dog friendly restaurant right next to the camp site.

Love this area; lake, shopping, beach, boating, something for everyone. Nice camping. Good to have a bike to ride into town and shop/have lunch.

Great place to quickly get in and set up, easy access to all amenities,the ranger station, and camp hosts if needed. Good fishing ponds for the kids, and great hiking trails throughout the property. I look forward to more quick trips to Big Foot State Park with the family!

More of a yard style, open camping. No privacy. Lots of kids everywhere. No alcohol allowed. Packed during the day at the beach. Ok trails.

Been coming here for years. Much improved with the new bathrooms (minus the terrible toliet paper... I mean really! I just want a square or two lol). Quiet and everyone is very friendly. Hiking trails are beautiful and of course the Lake is wonderful.

I contacted the DNR (Sarah) and she responded that dispersed camping is not a true option.

Shady sites, decent facilities, friendly staff. Deducted a star because we really wanted an electric site and 4-5 of them remained unoccupied for the entire weekend when the T&Cs said they should have been forfeited at 3pm the day after they were meant to arrive.