Best Tent Camping near Westfield, WI

Snagged a spot (#102) right before the Memorial Day weekend. Spacious site, somewhat private because of the surrounding trees. If you want to be surrounded by hammock-able trees, i suggest sites 94-99. Our site was both close to vaulted toilets/water and shower building, which was a plus. Shower head pressure was lovely and hot water was great! One downside was that people were loud and playing music till midnight but oh wells.

Was worried about bugs but I think it was okay. Maybe we were there before it began. i did find some ticks on my camping chair though so beware.

Though we didnt explore much of the Buckhorn SP, we chose this site because it was under an hour drive from Mirror Lake SP and Devils Lake SP. Making a day trip to those parks and Wisconsin Dells was a breeze.

This state park is very nice, decent trails clearly marked and the walking paths around the sites are pretty clear. Overall the noise from other sites was minimal and I liked the layout of the campground.

The bad- the sites labeled for highway noise should be closed. It was an absolutely awful experience. I was walking through all of the campground when we first got in and as we approached our site the noise was so distracting and completely ruined the peaceful experience that most state parks offer. It was a serious bummer when night construction started on the highway on Sunday night as well. Our neighbors stayed well beyond the checkout time and the camp host did nothing to get them to leave, why even be present if you’re not gunna do anything? It wouldn’t have been a big deal if they weren’t randomly shooting a bow and arrow into the trees behind their site and then proceeded to record TikTok’s with endless repetition of those songs. Not the parks fault other than the host should at least clear the sites with the new checkout times.

If you’re going to this park avoid the highway spots at all costs!

We got there late in the evening, but the check in/self pay process was very simple and straight forward. Fees were incredibly reasonable for such a nice campground, and it was very quiet, even though there were lots of people enjoying this campground. Lovely atmosphere!

We arrived late, so we had to self pay. But all that paperwork and payment took place inside a little heated shelter house of sorts. Bonus! Most of the time, the pay envelopes are outside and you have to duck into your car, fill it out, and dart back into the dark to the drop box. There was even a campground map showing which spaces were taken and available (at the time the attendant went home for the day). This was nice, but the space we thought was open had been taken by someone moments before. So not fool proof, but a decent guide for those arriving after dark. We still found another space and made it our home for the night. Not to mention, they had one of the best maps I've ever seen!

Fees:

$5 per adult

$5 per car or vehicle

$5 if you didn't have a park sticker

$5 if you made the reservation online or by phone.

$5 for electric

Soooo...if you had 2 adults, one car and needed electric, then it would be $20. And so forth...

This place is so quiet! The campground was very full that night, but we heard almost nothing from people at all. Just a little chatter from a couple guys nearby, but at a very respectful level. We actually got to enjoy the night sounds of pitter patter rain and the occasional owl in the distance. No road noise.

The sites are spread out enough to make this peaceful and private, but close enough to make the campground functional and cozy. Electric sites (designated with an "E" beside the number) were scattered with non electric sites. Electrics were more plentiful, though. Tent sites were also available, if you like. They were grouped together in a different area. Our closest neighbors site was within view of the fire ring, but no one was there this night. The sites were deep, so you could pull in and nestle in the trees, even if you had a neighbor, and it was more private. There was a nice picnic table near the fire ring, which was quite nice for a fire, but no grate for cooking on. The pad we pulled into was fairly level and covered in pea gravel. We were using our teardrop trailer this night instead of a tent.

There were bathrooms scattered around with very clean pit-type toilets, and there were multiple toilets in "mens" and "women's" rooms. There was also a shower house with pay showers, but prices were very reasonable. I think it was 25 cents for 5 minutes, and the more quarters you put in, the more time you got. There was also a row of sinks and mirrors under a sheltered roof as well as a pay washer and dryer, something I've never seen before at a campground.

Beyond the other lovely amenities, they had picnic tables everywhere, drinking water spigots, fire pits at every site and a playground for the kids.

Overall, definitely one of the more perfect places to camp. And if you had extra time, there was a lake at the other end of the park. And equestrian trails and an equestrian camp, but it was closed because of mud.

Located in gorgeous Amish country, the drive back to the interstate to head north again was incredibly enjoyable and a great way to end a great camping adventure.

I have camped here several times. I have hiked in, backed in, and camped lakefront. All are gorgeous. The trails are beautiful with some wooded areas and some prairie. The hike in is just shy of a mile. The lakefront is a simple walk in, but you can launch your kayak or canoe from your site, which I did. The fishing is fantastic with Striped, Largemouth, and Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Musky, and all kinds of panfish. Many natural sites are within driving distance. Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the International Crane Foundation, many other fishing opportunities. Very minimal noise. Modern showers, fishing pier. Great for the family.

Campsites in the Ice Age Campground were decent sized with individual fire pits and picnic tables. The sites had plenty of trees for shade, but were close together. Our site was right across the road from the restrooms on one side, and the water pump on the other side, which meant lots of foot traffic in our area. There are other sites that are a bit more secluded, and offer less noisy conditions.

Note: if you plan to camp here in the summer, reservations are a must. This is a busy park as it has lots to offer in the way of outdoor activities. We tent camped for two nights and three days. We fished on the lake and hiked a portion of the Ice Age Trail, specifically to the Devil's Doorway and Balanced Rock. Highly recommend the hike; it's worth the view at the top. We also utilized the boardwalk along the lake as a spot to stop and bank fish.

The park offers two visitors centers; one on the north shore and one on the south shore. The south shore center was well-maintained and had lots of merchandise and touristy items for sale, along with a small dining area. All in all, it was a scenic park to camp and hike in.

My husband and I picked this park because of it's friendliness towards kids. We took our 2 9 year old nieces on their first tent camping adventure. We chose site 28 because it was a walk in site and on the water. When we arrived and checked in we grabbed one of their pre-loaded GPS units for Geocaching; It's something the park offers for free. They give you a bag, GPS and information book on all the Geocaching sites. We drove to the site and started loading up the cart to walk in. We walked past a very open campsite that was right next to ours, could be bad if you have loud neighbors but ours were great. There are 2 other sites in this location but far enough away and they don't walk past your site to get to them. The site was spacious and has a great fire pit for cooking. There is a small trail leading to the water with an extremely small beach front but it was enough to keep the girls entertained. Set up camp and started our geocaching fun. We hiked to the kids fishing pond & the tower. Trails are easy and well groomed. Following hiking we made our way to the beach; unfortunately, the algae was in bloom so the water was caked green! However, it doesn't do any harm so we made our way out into the more clear portion of the water and had a blast! The beach area has showers and a great area to have a picnic. The evening presented itself with an amazing sunset from our beach and lots of crickets chirping. It made for a peaceful night. In the morning we took the girls fishing off the dock and then over to the kids pond; the park also offers free poles and tackle. We ventured into the campground area for fresh water. From what we saw the sites were spacious and fairly private. The shower area was well maintained and is also accessible for anyone with disabilities. We will be coming back to this park; it was great! We didn't run into any issues with mosquitoes or other bugs while there.