We all love roasting marshmallows over a campfire—and you can often still do that while cabin camping in Watertown. The Dyrt can help you find the best cabin camping destinations for your next trip. When you're looking for a quiet location in nature, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect cabin rental.
Ottawa Lake’s campground is located in the southern unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest, situated within half an hour’s drive from Milwaukee. Wisconsin campers of all ages love these grounds thanks to lakefront sites, modern facilities, and access to trails for hikers of every experience level. South Kettle Moraine is also home to over 160 miles of trails, including 87 miles open to horse use. Connect to the Ice Age Scenic Trail and various others within the John Muir and Emma Carlin trail systems.
Don’t forget to bring your rods when camping at Ottawa Lake! You’ll want to take full advantage of the boat dock and fishing pier where you can catch panfish, walleye, muskie, trout, bass, and northern pike – then you can grill them up at your campsite. Keep in mind, motorboats are not permitted on this small lake, which allows for peaceful wading and quieter camping all around.
Though Ottawa Lake is open year-round, it is recommended to check the weather in Dousman and Whitewater before planning trips in the colder months, as freezing temperatures and snow are common. Cold-weather campers who are willing to brave the Wisconsin winter will enjoy snowmobile trails, ice fishing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. No matter when you visit, Ottawa Lake will leave you satisfied.
$28 / night
$42 / night
Whistle Stop Campground offers a one-of-a-kind camping experience. Hop aboard a locomotive and spend the day in adjacent Little Amerricka amusement park. Ride the rails back again and enjoy the campground’s swim lagoon, water toys, jumping pillow, Space Ball, and other amenities.
$47 - $57 / night
Traveler
Very clean and friendly staff, the pool is meh as the hot tub was cold but the grounds were real nice. Big fire pits, they pick up your garbage. Lots of stuff for kids to do
Scout
This is by far my family’s favorite campground. We feared the worst when they were bought out by KOA recently (within the last 4 years), but the quality of this place has remained awesome. Bathrooms/Amenities are some of the cleanest and nicest I’ve seen, pool and hot tub area are great, and the camp store has pretty much everything you might need while you’re camping... not to mention the delicious food and ice cream. Very, very highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a weekend fling to someone looking for seasonal camping or an extended stay.
LegendThis was our first time staying at the Milton KOA. I have had my eye on this location the last couple of years since it is under 2 hours from our house and appeared to have good amenities. The sites were of decent size, some smaller than others and some very generous sites. I would recommend viewing their map and comparing to google maps. They do allow you to pick your site if your willing to pay $10 extra. Bathrooms are fantastic and recently upgraded. Very nice playground, and pool area with hot tub. The pool area is well maintained with a waterfall feature. We were here during the spring and the grass was very well maintained and cut with large recreational fields to play sports/games. We were here during Covid-19 and many of the amenities were shut down, but during a normal stay they have hay rides, laser tag, pools, Gaga ball, and daily activities which were mostly shut down. This location is now going to be a place we visit annually as the kids enjoyed it and so did we. I’m not 100% sure, but it looks like all the sites are full hook up. We had a back in site which was easy to navigate into and was mostly level. A lot of the roads were paved and some were gravel but very well maintained.
Ranger
I decided to give this campsite a try to get some of my family members ate not up for tent camping. With real beds, running water and AC I figured that this would do the trick.
The cabin itself was roomy enough for five with a bunk bed, queen bed and sofa bed. Any more than that would get a little tight.
Amenities: Camp store, mini golf, three swimming pools, trails, basketball court, volleyball court, snack bar, and saloon. My kids had a blast so I would really recommend for a family who wanted to some form of cabin camping. Oh, there were goats as well!
I love campfire cooking which I was able to since there was a fire pit out back.
Also, this place has activities for family members, even a movie night. I saw groups of kids playing basketball or just hanging out and having fun. Oh, and there’s an arcade. At the saloon there was a karaoke night.
If you are more of a traditionalist then you may not like this type of camping. But, if you want to get out for the weekend with you family for a family oriented atypical getaway then this is for you!
We’ll be back.
Legend
Unless you knew of Hickory Hills Campground, you wouldn’t happen across this site by luck or accident. While technically within the small itty bitty town of Edgerton, Hickory Hills is located far enough north and east for one to scratch their head in a bit of abject confusion. Located due east of the major highway of 39/90, as you are barreling north or south in the south-central area of Wisconsin, you would have to exit off State Highway 73, where you see signs for the small hamlet of Albion, from which you’ll head north a smidge, until you catch State Highway 106 east until you run into an intersection with Hillside Road, where you’ll head north for about a few miles until you come across Hickory Hills Campground on your right.
Directions aside, this campground will immediately feel to you as though it is certainly dated as you’ll discover that the buildings and overall infrastructure are a bit dilapidated and definitely in needed of repair. That said, the thickly wooded forest that encircles this campground creates a sense of peace and serenity that are unmatched. Plus, you are so far away from the major highway you likely just got off of, in addition to being so far away from any signs of civilization, you’ll feel completely burrowed away from all the noise, traffic and distractions you were eagerly trying to leave in the first place.
As for the campground itself, this is an update from my previous post, where I wanted to share an update as well as some additional photos. For the most part, despite 2+ years passing since writing my initial review, not much has changed here apart from brand new management, where you’ll still enjoy a smattering of overnight accommodations, whether that’s a cottage, bunk hose, smartly outfitted cabins, substantial number of back-in and pull-through RV slots (complete with the standard electric, water and sewage hook-ups) as well as primitive tent camping spots. Other amenities include: campground store, 172 acre spring-fed lake with its own beachhead, oversized inflatables, mini-golf, shuffleboard, fully-stocked snack bar, swimming pool, rowboat & canoe rentals, athletic field, basketball courts, sand volleyball court, dedicated fishing spots, shower & restroom facilities, horseshoe pits, Gaga pit, playgrounds, space ball, water wars and a massive jumping pillow.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you’re looking to get your fishing on, what’s great about Hickory Hills Campground is that they provide you direct access to Rice Lake, where you’ll catch no shortage of blue gills, small and large mouthed bass, bullheads and crappie; (2) Once you grow tired of conjuring up that next meal from your roto-molded Cordova cooler or onboard RV mini-fridge, I’ll be honest, you might be challenged as you are clear out in the middle of nowhere, but that said, if you don’t mind a short drive, head east where you’ll find Outpost, which sits right on Lake Koshkonong and offers up a stunning log cabin wooden bar offering a sublime selection of local, domestic and import beers on tap, a well-stocked liquor bar and a typical Wisconsin food-shilling restaurant offering up bites like duck bacon wontons, ultimate grilled cheese, where you’ll want to splurge and get it with bacon and tomato, as well as some decently smoked brisket; (3) If you’d like a nice slice of old school Americana while you are in these parts, head on over to Little Amerricka Amusement Park that will keep your kiddos entertained and off the smart phones for at least 2-3 hours as they will enjoy this retro-1950s amusement theme park; and (4) Should you elect to learn a bit of local history, head on over to either Milton House Museum or Stoughton Historical Museum, both of which will make you more educated on the place you happen to be in than most of the folks here.
Happy Camping!
Guide
My husband and I plus our 3 kids stayed in a rustic cabin. The cabin was exactly how it was described and thankfully so! Since it had air-conditioning we all slept great. The grounds itself was very clean, the portable toilets were cleaned twice a day. There were many activities for all ages both for a small fee and free. Our kids used the pools quite a lot and were a bit disappointed with the skatepark. They enjoyed all the airfilled bouncy activities.
Scout
We recently stayed here and I have mixed feelings. From start to finish it seems as if high school kids are the only people working there. With that being said they did pretty well. We stayed at one of the beach cabins and I would 0/10 recommend. There is no parking near these cabins (not close enough) which may not seem like a big deal until you have to carry all of your stuff through scorching hot sand to get to said cabins. They really need to consider building a path behind these for access. The porta potties they have are so vile I used one once and was dry heaving the entire time, they really should invest in building a few more bath houses over those. The amount of stuff for kids to do was great. I just would for sure not recommend this campground to anyone wanting peace and quiet because it’s very much a family fun place!
Ranger
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.
Guide
We came here with a group of four families. It was excellent to have tent, cabin and rv spots available as each family felt comfortable staying there. Very spacious campsites. Clean and well manicured. They have a fully stocked store, pool, kangaroo pad and lake with inflatable slides etc. Their playground is awesome and kept all 12 kids ages 1-12 busy for the whole day. We would stay there again. Showers are 25cents for 4mins. Pretty clean and updated bathroom facilities.
Traveler
Tons of activities: pools, beach, playground, horseshoes, basketball, etc. great bar/grill for rainy days or if you don’t feel like cooking. Mostly cabins and RV camping. Lots of golf cart traffic so not ideal for kids who like to bring bikes camping. Also can get quite loud at night. We had a site to close to where they host a nightly dance party, and it was loud music late into the evening which wasn’t ideal for our baby with an early bedtime.
Traveler
Very friendly place to camp! Majority are seasonal sites but have a lot of room for open camping. There is water & electric hookups. You have the option for them to pump you 2 times a week for an extra $5. Family owned & operated. Animal friendly. Weekends usually have a “theme” so more people, during the week it’s open & quiet. There is a pool, store, rec center with games, & a cabin for rent. Great place to fish especially down a trail in the back part of the grounds.
ScoutIf you are looking for a place to camp with an RV or rent a cabin, this is your place! Three pools, mini golf, and a great atmosphere! However, we were tent camping and our site was gravel and right on the main road. It was very small and our tent was too close to the road for my comfort. Hiking trails weren’t very well kept, but was still a beautiful hike! If you have kids and camper I would absolutely recommend this place! Also very dog friendly!
Legend
Took a tour of Sky Haven on a whim. Talk about full service camping! They have everything here- tent sites, RV sites, cabins, nightly, weekly, and long term rates. Frisbee golf, mini golf, a "mining" site, go carts, game room, showers, laundry. It was pretty overwhelming as I don't camp this way. But for a family gathering or reunion, or a big trip, this could be just right for you. Rates were reasonable for all the services you get. I liked the views since the place is up on top of a "mountain". The staff was really friendly and welcoming and answered every silly question of mine with a smile. Not my camping jam, but definitely nice.
Ranger
The campsite itself was nice and peaceful. There is a lot of nature and the recreation area itself is massive. Definitely a nice getaway. The only issue was that generators aren't allowed, so we were kind of suffering in the oppressive heat with no reprieve of the AC in our camper. There aren't many electrical hookups so it's hard to get one of those spots. Apparently no state park in Wisconsin allows generators at any time unless you have a medical need. Kind of a bummer.
LegendThis is a private “resort” type campground with something for everyone, except peace and quiet and privacy. This is a mostly RV campground with a handful of tent sites wedged in almost as an afterthought. I stopped in and talked with the campground personnel for a while before getting a tour of grounds. There are several loops with lots of long term campers/RVers. There were some cute cabins and even yurts. Behind the office was a large pond with a sand beach, lots of blow up pool toys, a bar, and volleyball, plus there are trikes and bikes available after you play mini-golf. There was an extensive calendar of events for the campers to enjoy including a chili cook-off and activities just for the kiddos (including a water ballon filling station!). This is the place to go if you are looking for a party type campground. Be careful when you arrive and drive to your site as kids are running around and riding their bikes everywhere! The campground has several bath houses scattered between the loops and all were kept very clean.
Guide
Pond, pool, snack shop, kayak rentals, fishing pond, family bicycle course with helmets, dog park, lots of activities/themes, reasonably priced, and clean!
Scout
A wonderful little get away for our group. Plenty of activities for the children and spacious sites!
ScoutYogi 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.
ScoutFIronwood is cheap compared to other campgrounds but you need to call in advance for the deals, just like the golf cart rental. Nothing available when we were here, only small bundles of wood for a fortune. Otherwise great experience.
TravelerMy family and I love the yurts and the giant pool/ pond. The park model rentals are nice now that my grandma is getting older. 4 stars simply because everything has a price and it's not included in tge total.
Legend
Not just that it was 25 minutes from our daughter in Madison this was a very nice KOA.
Typical KOA but it did have better than normal WiFi or at least where we stayed it did. Still not good enough to do a lot of streaming.
Had a great pool and playground. Had a place to have a group events. Had a few cabins not many.
Had separate tenting area that was really nice.
The folks that worked there were super and every Friday then Made homemade cookies. NOTE to Self always check in on Friday.
The restrooms were very clean and I did use the shower a few times. They were very nice.
It has a great dog park with an agility course which was fun to watch some dogs use.
It had restaurants and gas stations close. The Big thing it did have a cheese store not about 1/2 a block you can walk to. Try all the great cheese and sausage it is super. Will have to tell you I loved the Cranberry Cheese and the smoked Cheeses. I also always got a jar of homemade pickles when we stopped.
The last time we stopped the had a corn and veggie stand right next door and great corn.
It is close enough to Madison if you need to visit there.
We have been there 3 times this year. Really like it.
Scout
Nice quiet place to get away to. Sights are large. Good size lake for fishing or Kayaking. Large beach area for kids. Graded shallow so they can go a good distance into the water. Scuppernong trail is less than 5 minutes down hwyZZ.
Ranger
Family have a spot here they leave their RV over summer. First the good. This place is a young kids heaven. Tons of activities! All included with admission etc... four wheel bikes to take out, jumping balloon, pool with multiple water slides, pond with blow up floating slides and climbing activities, canoes, a bar and restaurant, mini golf, frisbee golf, live music some weekends, a kids barn with crafts, volleyball, shuffle board, etc... Now the negatives... in my opinion. This place is a kids heaven! Hahaha. Not exactly the place to go and enjoy peace and solitude. There’s little to no seclusion and most here like it that way. Friends, drinking, kids running around everywhere etc... at night all the kids drive around in golf carts with crazy light effects blaring rap music. And some adults as well. Overall it’s a very friendly family environment but for me a bit busy. I prefer my camping on the quiet side and focused more on enjoying nature. Is a great get away to let the kids go nuts. I suppose it’s great get away for adults wanting to go nuts too. See you at the bar!!!?
Ranger
We were in Site# B1. We had Full hook- up with a gravel pull-thru. We travel towing a 14 foot trailer and were able to fit both in our pull through site. My jeep though did not fit. The site was easy to level.
Our site was shaded with lots of trees. This was a larger sized lot with our neighbors not too close (but we did choose a premium site with a patio and paid extra to be on the end).
This specific lot comes with a concrete patio The lot comes with a picnic table and fire hole in the ground.
They have a community Outdoor kitchen-y area with picnic tables.
They do not provide garbage service at your site so you must walk to garbage dumpster.
You are allowed to ride personal golf carts. There is really not a need to have a Golf cart because it is a smaller campground.
They do have a Swimming pool.
There is a Playground. They also offer horseshoes and a volleyball court.
They have a great general store.
The streets are gravel so not great for riding bikes but there are great places to ride bikes outside of campground, especially around Middleton and Madison.
They have cabins for rent and tent areas.
They have one shower house. The shower house has the typical stalls. These are kept mostly clean.
There is a laundry facility. It is a cash only facility, but they have a change machine.
They have a fenced in dog park and many grassy areas to walk dogs.
There were no trails to hike in the campground.
Some fun things to do outside of the campground are the Saturday Farmer’s Market in Madison and multitude of bike trails.
Guide
This campground is a great family oriented campground. There were many seasonal sites that were located in the main portion of the campground. There is a playground and a beach area. You are also able to rent paddle boats to use on the lake. You are also able to check out horse shoes to play and a bar for the adults to enjoy themselves at.
There are three sections to this campground. The main section houses the seasonal sites and cabins that you can rent. There are also some open sites that you can rent by the night. We noticed that this section was much louder than the other two. With the number of people that come up each weekend and the bar there was a decent amount of partying that was happening. We walked back to the back section of the campground, which is past a marshy area, and found this to be quieter. There were also not as many people staying here the weekend we were there. We stayed in the front section of the campground, which has smaller camping spaces for rent. This was the quietest area of the campground, especially not many others were camping the weekend that we went. After walking around the rest of the campground, we decided to stay near our site since it was so quiet there.
The main section of this campground is very open with few trees. There were trees along the walk to the back section, but again it was open once you arrived there. The front section had the most trees, but was still fairly open. Water was located next to the bathroom and the bathrooms were clean.
I would try this campground again if we had children, because there would be things for them to do. However, if we would be going by ourselves and we were planning on staying somewhere for hiking and for peace and quiet, I would choose another place to stay.
GuideI have camped here for 20+ years now. We have come for the countless event weekends. Halloween, chocolate craziness, wet n wild, pirates weekend, poker run! Our personal favorite, wet n wild. A huge water fight between the whole campground and they even drive a fire truck through. This campground has golf cart rentals, two pools, volley ball courts, laser tag, DJ dances, karaoke in the bar, awesome tasting food, and a nice swimming lake with inflatables. The fishing here is okay but if you rent a kayak or paddle boat I’m sure it would be better in the middle and away from the swimming. This campground can get noisy on the weekends, but it is just a bunch of adults having fun in a safe place. Highly recommended!!!!
Guide
The southern unit of this park is the perfect place to go for a weekend getaway, or an extended trip! Whether you're in a tent or in a camper you can find just as much comfort as you're looking for. there's a lake with a swimming area if that's what you're looking for, not to mention a dock with great fishing. We saw a guy with a catfish the size of my forearm. There's swimming, access to almost all of the hiking trails available in kettle Moraine, and all within walking distance of where you park your tent or vehicle. There are showers, although we did not use them. And bathrooms available if that's a dealbreaker for you. We hiked and swim and sat on the dock. It's the perfect place to bring friends for a weekend or week away, or for a romantic trip, just the two of you, looking to spend some quality time in nature.
Cabin camping near Watertown, Wisconsin, offers a perfect blend of nature and comfort, making it an ideal getaway for families and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Watertown, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Watertown, WI is Ottawa Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit with a 4.3-star rating from 35 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near Watertown, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 37 cabin camping locations near Watertown, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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