Looking to cabin camp near Whitewater and enjoy a rustic retreat into nature? Finding a place to cabin camp in Wisconsin is easier than ever. You're sure to find the perfect cabin rental for your Wisconsin camping adventure.
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.
Located 10 miles northeast of Rockford, Rock Cut State Park is a 3,100-acre recreation area that encompasses two natural grasslands, a natural creek area, a nature preserve and 162-acre Pierce Lake. The area was designated a state park in 1957 as a way of preserving a local polititian’s favorite fishing hole. Prior to this, the park and wider area has a long history of Native American residence, including the Mascouten, the Winnegabo, and the Chippewa. With abundant water and preserved natural areas, the park now supports a thriving habitat for local birds, fish and wildlife. And with year-round camping and outdoor activities, you can experience the many seasonal sides the park has to offer.
The campground at Rock Cut provides 270 sites that can accommodate tent campers, as well as RV and trailer campers up to 40 feet. Back-in sites are mostly grassy and equipped with picnic tables, cooking grills and electrical hookups. The campground provides water faucets, restrooms, showers, and a dump station; the water and dump station are not available November through April. One of the park’s multiuse trails runs right through the campground, and provides access to the larger trail network. Most of the campground’s facilities are ADA accessible. Dogs are permitted in the park, but must remain leashed; alcohol is not permitted.
For recreating in temperate seasons, more than 40 miles of hiking, cycling and equestrian trails allow you to explore the park’s woodlands and prairies. These are ideal ways to observe some of the local birds, animals, and wildflowers. For fun on the water, paddle around in a canoe or kayak, take a dip at Olsen Beach, or go fishing for some of the lake’s largemouth bass, bluegill, sunfish, pike and walleye. Several picnic areas throughout the park are ideal for group or family gatherings. In the snowy season, many of the park’s trails are open to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, with gear rentals available. For more family fun in the area, check out the nearby Volcano Falls Adventure Park.
For those who want to include an overnight stay in their visit to Rock Cut, the campgrounds provide electricity at the site, water hydrants at the beginning of each camping loop, sanitary dump stations, showers, toilets, a boat launch and playground equipment. There are 210 Class A Premium sites and 60 Class B/S Premium sites. There is also a primitive cabin (it has electricity, but does not have water or plumbing facilities).
From November - April, only electricity is available; there is no access to water or dump station.
Equestrian camping is restricted to a site on Hart Road, is only available on a first-come, first-served basis and the Ranger will collect the fee at your site in the evening.
Rock Cut is an alcohol-free park and campground, and this rule is strictly enforced.
$12 - $50 / night
$42 / night
$28 / night
There are two family (modern) campgrounds with a total of 217 campsites, 54 with electric hookups. Six group campsites can accommodate 225 campers. There is also a cabin designed specifically for people with disabilities.
The sunset campground offers electric and non-electric campsites as well as some sites accessible for people with disabilities. Campground amenities include a shower building, flush and vault toilets, dump station and a playground area.
Lakeland RV Campground is a premier Wisconsin camping destination, located 90 miles north of Chicago on over 200 acres of southern Wisconsin's prime vacation land. With a mile of lake frontage on beautiful Lake Koshkonong, Wisconsin's second largest lake, Lakeland has something for everyone. Click on over to our Events page to explore our theme weekends and events. Popular dates are filling up fast! A relaxing day boating on an expansive 10,000 acre lake; a late-night campfire enjoyed with family and friends; a warm afternoon spent lounging by the pool, a spirited game of horseshoes, tennis or shuffleboard, a long walk on our nature trails or a blissful day of fishing, are just some of the ways you can enjoy Lakeland RV Campground. We invite you to stay a day, a week, a month or the whole season! Book your RV Site, Tent Site or Cabin today! RV campground located in the heart of Wisconsin's southern gateway
Guide
We stayed for 4 nights in June in a pull thru FHU. The mosquitos were pretty vicious... a couple of the regulars said it was the worst they'd been in years. We biked around the campground during the days and took advantage of the adult only hot tub hours at night. It was a nice getaway from Chicago.
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
Legend
My first impression when I first arrived here was the overwhelming scent of a newly minted campground, what with the freshly laid gravel, the mint condition security gates, finely manicured and recently raked greenery (as it was October when we visited, it might be better described as brownery) surrounded by a fairly decent gated enclosure lined with perfectly pruned tall towering oaks. Upon arrival, you’ll find what looks to be a brand-spanking new log cabin office on the right after passing a seemingly freshly-minted activities center / community lodge complete with in-ground heated swimming pool and jacuzzi on the left.
Amenities? As you could guess, this pet-friendly 60-acre RV resort has all the attractions in spades from pickleball, playgrounds, volleyball, log pergola patio, full hook-ups (30 / 50 amp electric, water & sewage), picnic tables, fire pits, BBQ grills, wagon rides, river access, picnic areas, bathhouses w/ showers & restrooms, cable TV WiFi (pretty poor connection though), gaga ball, game room, community room, billiards table, playground, wet bar, tabletop shuffleboard, community living room with large screen TV, DVD player w/ DVD library, clubhouse, dog park, horseshoes, hot tub, covered pavilions with picnic tables, catch & release ponds, inflatable water toys, jumping pillow, laundr-O-mat, propane refueling station and dump station.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a handful: (1) This place isn’t EZ to find – for some reason, if you plug the campground into your GPS, you’ll literally be on the wrong side of the tracks, where you will arrive at a dead end with a sign that says you are in the wrong place and that you’ll need to double-back, cross the train tracks heading north and turn right just before arriving to High Road School of Belvidere (so if you see a school, you’ve gone too far); (2) You will want to take note that yes, you actually cross train tracks to get to this campground, so if you’re sharp, you’re going to want to ensure you haven’t booked a site right next to where trains will shoot through every few hours, this specifically means avoiding sites #E1-#E5 and #FS23-#FS36 as well as #FE1-#FE20; (3) If you’re a tent camper, you can certainly stay here, but you will want to note that this is very much an RV outpost; (4) The best sites IMHO are those on the northernmost perimeter, as far away from the train tracks as you can get and that also border the Kishwaukee River with sites #S9-#S20 being excellent, as well as #S25-#S81, which are equally amazing; (5) If you are planning on using that amazing pool that you saw as you came in, make sure you call management a good day or two before you come in to ensure that they turn on the heater – when we were there for 2 days, by the time we left, the pool was still too cold to go for a dip; and (6) When you grow weary of trying to conjure up a meal from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler and want to venture out to try some local fare, just a short walk into the nearby town is Garden Prairie Café, which has a very simple menu offering no shortage of fried everything (fish, shrimp, chicken, etc.) and then there’s Pleasant Street Tavern, but that’s mostly cheap national beers and frozen pizza fare, so if you want something a bit more substantive, head west of here to Miles Bar N’ Grill that serves up typical Midwestern fare like cheese curds, pork tenderloin, Italian beef and a variety of fried fish like blue gill, cod and catfish.
Happy Camping!
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.
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
It's a nice park, nice good size pool, no jacuzzi, small play ground with a jumping pad. Pond for catch and release fishing. Only bad thing which isn't that bad, the roads in park are large gravel rock and the dust is awful. The people that work in the office are very nice, helpful. We will stay again!
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.
Traveler
There is nowhere to swim here, they have multiple camp sites, a couple of group sites and a few cabins to rent. There is a concession area, however it is a moderate hike to get to from the campground area. This campground would be best for those who want to spend their time fishing, kayaking, or paddle boarding as it is connected to the fox river.
GuideThese campsites are as low as $12/night!! One of my favorite spots to test new gear. Family friendly. There’s some small trails around as well that are beginner. There was electricity, however those sites are $25/night. Bathrooms could’ve been cleaner but we were grateful for the facility which doubled as a storm shelter. There’s indoor showers and bathrooms. There are also cabins at this campsite, not sure on pricing tho
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
We took our new to us pop up camper to Rock Cut for a quick 2 night mid-week getaway. Loved the shaded, wooded sites of Staghorn loop and would only book that loop going forward as the others for small RVs are in a huge grassy open area with few trees. The loop was not even half occupied when we were there, and perhaps because of that, the bathrooms and pit toilets near us were great. We had electric only at the site, but water wasn't a far walk. Camping during a pandemic, we were frustrated that most campers didn't feel the need to wear a mask in the camp store/boat rental concessions area despite posted signs. We rented a paddleboat and a SUP board to go out on the lake, which is kind of murky and stinky. Beach was closed at the time due to Covid-19 restrictions, but I am not sure we would have wanted to get in the lake, despite the hot June temps!
GuideHad a great time last weekend at Rock Cut. The camp grounds and roads were well maintained, and the larger park as a whole was very clean and spacious. Toilet facilities are about the average for a state park, but hopefully you will spend most of your time outside of them enjoying nature. We spotted turtles along the lakeshore, very healthy (well fed) chipmunks, and a large variety of birds which made beautiful background sounds. Plenty of mixed use trails for hikers, joggers, and cyclists. The lakes were gorgeous and it looked like fishing folks were having a good time. The sheer variety of sites and styles make this a campground worth returning to again and again. Tent, RV, Cabin, all looked enjoyable. Looking forward to going back in warmer months!
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.
GuideNormal Illinois state park. Not a lot of services but good size sites and peaceful. Lake with canoe rentals and fishing. Nice walking trails.
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.
TravelerWe tent camped in the staghorn section, less packed that the other options. Nice place, bathroom and showers were decent. Lot of trails, rentals of kayak, great for dogs and kids. Meijer is also close by in case you forget anything.
ScoutNice quiet place to get away. Large lake for boating and fishing. Sights are good sized for campers and pop-ups. Tent sites are a little sloped. Easy trails around the lake.
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.
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.
TravelerSome sites are more secluded than others. Down by the boat ramp is more privacy than the other tent area. There have been issues with poison ivy overrunning the paths in the past but I don’t think it’s been an issue lately. Rentals for water activities and supplies at the concessions or camping store if needed. Lots of hiking trails to explore.
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!!!?
ScoutClose by so I can still take care of my client yet still have camping time and this year I get my Serior discount! Close by stores, medical clinics, Local Racetrack, within one mile of camp ! Big hardware store in case you forgot something. Check out the concession on the lake they have most things, and great food too, water big wheels , canoes and kayaks and paddle boards available for rental come and have a great time.
LegendUPDATE: Came back in June 2021, better weather and so much more to see. The hiking/biking trails are many miles long. The fishing near t he dam is great and you can always find a spot near the edge of the lake. Bring bug spray.
Great park with a beautiful lake, snack shop, boat rentals, fishing piers and hiking trails. Several loops for spots some close to camp store and lake. Paved walking and bike riding trails. Great for bird watching.
Guide
Great campground! We camped at the Whitewater Lake Campground and it was well maintained. It was very quiet and peaceful. There were two areas we went swimming; one was a river where there were more boats and the other was more for recreational swimming. Bathroom and shower facilities were well maintained! Our campsite had a table and fire pit.
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.
Cabin camping near Whitewater, Wisconsin offers a perfect blend of nature and comfort, allowing you to enjoy the great outdoors without sacrificing the amenities of home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Whitewater, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Whitewater, 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 Whitewater, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 31 cabin camping locations near Whitewater, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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