Best Cabin Camping near Waupun, WI

I drove through this state park to find some great campsites for future camping; I haven't actually stayed here yet.

The purpose of sharing the following is that is difficult to figure out what are nice sites from the online reservation site. For anyone who is interested in camping here, the following sites, in my opinion, are the best campsites in terms of shade, not being flooded during a rain and privacy.

There are several camping areas in this state park, I found the most appealing sites in the Pine Woods area because it has no electricity, is a 24-hour quiet area and no pets allowed. The sites in this area generally have long driveways, more "privacy" than I've seen in many State Parks campgrounds and generous space between sites. I don't think there is a lousy site in this loop but my favorites are the following.

4

7 very private 

10 pull-through driveway 

11 private, long driveway 

12 awesome, large, private, long driveway 

14 private, long driveway 

19 a bed of pine needles to sleep on 

33 level, pine needles, room for two tents

Conveniently located next to absolutely nothing just due northwest of Fort Atkinson, you’ll love Pilgrim’s Campground for its successful delivery of (capital letters) P&Q! What I love most about this location is how they keep all the RV campers penned in up against the slight diagonal embankment, which actually provides some pretty phenomenal views of the surrounding areas (if not your next door neighbors) as well as excellent drainage and subsequently separated from the primitive TV campsites. These latter sites are placed just due southwest of the grounds and are pitched perfectly in a tree-lined meadow, encircled by freshly cut corn fields, where you’ll find no shortage of amazing animals coming to graze throughout the day (and night) from deer, raccoons, opossums and endless tag teams of squirrels. 

Because there isn’t so much around, be prepared to bring everything with you (save ice and wood, which is sold on-site). While the bathroom / shower facilities are just passable, what you are giving up in terms of creature comforts is more than made up for in the sheer proximity to all of nature. During the warm summer months, there’s a small in-ground pool on-site, which sits right in front of the main office. All of the standard camping surround-sound elements are here from fire rings and picnic tables to water, electrical (50 / 30 / 20 / 15 amp) and sewer hook-ups. In all, there’s about 100 sites here at Pilgrims Campground, with the lion’s share of this pet-friendly property dedicated to overnight and seasonal RV / 5th Wheelers offering both back-in and pull-through sites. 

Insider’s Tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you don’t mind some rough hiking, there’s fantastic ‘spazierengehen’ to be had just wandering around the countryside in the bountiful corn and bean fields or head over to nearby Dorothy Carnes County Park for some decent trails to explore; (2) In the event that you don’t like being awaken too early from all of the nearby roosters, then bring some ear plugs; (3) When you grow tired of having to forage through either your on-board RV mini-fridge or bear-proof Cordova roto-molded cooler, then look no further than ‘What’s the Point’ (no, seriously, that's the name of the restaurant!) for traditional Midwestern comfort food like corned beef & cabbage, fried fish, BBQ ribs and prime rib; (4) Should you come bearing watercraft and looking for a decent spot to dip your kayak or canoe at, then check out Rose Lake State Natural Area, which BTW is quite small, but very convenient, or try out much larger Red Cedar Lake or Lake Ripley; and (5) Cell coverage and WiFi is pretty horrific in these parts, so bring a booster or plan to leave civilization behind you. 

Happy Camping!

We liked this site because it was on the "quiet loop." No radios or pets allowed. I'm not sure about children! :) The sites are fairly close together and the trees are sparse, but it was a beautiful site and wonderfully quiet for the long weekend over the 4th of July 2017.

You can walk over to an area that has hiking trails right out of the campsite. State park mountain biking trails are also close by, but you would need to drive to them. The showers were clean and when we used them, available. There is a playground right next to them as well.

The campsite itself had a good log-stopper so you wouldn't drive too far into the woods, great fire ring, and picnic table. We had nice flat areas for our tents.

I am not so sure I would have enjoyed myself if I'd been in another loop. The quiet was perfect!

General: There is both a north and a south part to this campground with a total of 178 sites. The sites in the south part are all on a grassy field and there is a small man-made lake with an inflatable play area. The sites in the north part are a mix of full hook-up and tent sites. There are also small cabins (only one of which has a bathroom) and three “condos”. These all had air-conditioners, but I did not see the inside of them. The north unit features a pond, which I was disappointed to discover was algae-filled and completely green. 

Site Quality: Some are pull-through and some back-in. Some sites have electric and water hookups, some have picnic tables, and some have fire rings (but not all sites have all of these amenities). Only a handful have concrete pads; the rest are all on grass. 

Our impression of Sleepy Hollow was influenced in part by the fact that it poured rain for much of our overnight stay. The roads were all dirt and with the rain, became very muddy along with the campsites as well. When leaving the next day, we had some challenges backing out of our site with the amount of mud. There is no clear delineation between the sites other than where the electric and water hookups are placed. 

Bathhouse: Was very clean (in both the north and south units of the campground). Showers are available for a fee (five minutes for$1.00) but we did not use them so cannot comment on how well they worked. 

Activities/Amenities: In the south unit, there is a small manmade lake with an inflatable play structure and plenty of life jackets. The color is a beautiful Caribbean blue, but it did not look natural, and I was not sure of the source of the color. We were there on a weekday in September, and no one was using the lake. There is a small bar and grill (in the north section) and a concession (south unit) on-site, but both were closed when we were there. Firewood was available (15 pieces for $10); we asked and were granted permission to use the golf cart to bring the wood to our site. Other than the lake, there really is nothing offered for recreation. 

We chose this campground for its location; it is very close to Highway 41 in Oshkosh (you will hear road noise) and we were meeting family there. We checked in online the day before and arrived at 3:30 pm. No one was in the office when we arrived but the family members we were meeting had arranged for us to camp in the site next to them (not the original one we had selected). This campground is VERY close to EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association), and I imagine it would be completely full during the annual EAA convention. For us, it was a convenient location but aside from spending time with our family, the reason we chose this campground.

All the other campgrounds in OshKosh are near the airport, which makes sense since the biggest event each year is the EVAA air show. None of them have trees.
Hickory Oaks has it's own airfield and lots and lots of trees. They even have a mini-lake (4 acres).
There are all types of RV sites, tenting/primitive sites and group sites, some small cabins as well. We camped in site 60 because we arrived after dark, and Cindy suggested that our first choice, #67 might be too hard to find at night. There is only one street light, and it's by site #1 and the swim area.
The map doesn't really convey what an oasis of trees this place is. To the West is the runway and beyond that, a large grassy hill (it's actually landfill). To the east in a rural road running along the lake. To the north, in the distance is a prison.  That all sounds worse than it is, it's a lovely campground.
 There are a few things for sale in the office, but you're so close to town you can get everything there. Cindy the operator is extremely nice and helpful.
Fire pits are 30" rings with no grate, Tables seem smaller than average.
If you're visiting in the summer, be sure to visit the Farmer's Market , Saturdays on Main Street, also Wagner's Market for the best meats, deli and beverages.  The Paine museum & gardens and the city museum are both worth visits as well.

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.

Very nice State park and campsite. Campsite had plenty of space, nice fire pit, and picnic table. The showers on site were the cleanest I have experienced while camping, this was much appreciated. Lake Michigan is under a 5 minute drive with clean beaches. There are plenty of walking trails and fishing spots near by. Highly recommended this campsite. I will be returning to camp and even a day trip to hike and fish. Bring a canopy during warm months. We did not have one and there were no big trees for shade. Got very warm without a canopy to sit under.