Best Glamping near Whitewater, WI

Recent Glamping Reviews near Whitewater, Wisconsin

261 Reviews of 25 Whitewater Campgrounds

• 

  Autumn S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 11, 2017

  Ottawa Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit

  Special Place in a Special State!!

  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!

• 

  GA J.

  Guide

  

  May. 4, 2018

  Ottawa Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit

  Great get away

  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.

• 

  Matt K.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 24, 2021

  Thomas Woods Campground

  Third weekend at Thomas Woods

  I’ve been here two other weekends. Generally quiet and many of the tent spots are spaced out enough to provide privacy and quiet. Firewood is cheap on-site and delivered to your site on demand. Love this spot for proximity to my home so I can get out more frequently than a longer drive into Wisconsin and other more popular camping locales.

• 

  Robert K.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 21, 2018

  Ottawa Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit

  Cold night, but a pleasant park

  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.

• 

  Josh F.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 29, 2020

  Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground

  Close to Madison, not much else going for it

  This state park is conveniently close to Madison, Wisconsin. It has some decent sites, and while I didn't actually stay in this park overnight, my visit and drive through the entire park revealed that there isn't much going for it. The beach isn't particularly nice and the lake looked pretty weedy; maybe not a surprise for late August, the lake might be much nicer early in the season.

  In my opinion, after driving through all of the campsite loops, the following sites would be nice camping, they are shady and have a low probability of flooding during the rain. I also selected sites that had the most privacy.

  81

  82

  83

  96

  62, has a cement pad for the table but it is close to other sites

  66

  76, high ground with semi-private site and quite large

• 

  Kim L.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 28, 2019

  Big Foot Beach State Park Campground

  Great state park for family RV camping

  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.

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 13, 2023

  Big Foot Beach State Park Campground

  There are no Yeti here

  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.

• 

  Jimmy P.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 31, 2018

  Ottawa Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit

  Ranger Review: Primus Essential Stove at Ottawa Lake

  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.

• 

  Amber C.

  Guide

  

  May. 30, 2022

  The Playful Goose Campground

  Large lots, older facilities and utility hook ups, few amenities

  I really enjoyed the large lot we were on that backed up to a creek which you cannot hear or see but it is all forest behind you. We were situated where the seasonal campers are and near the edge of the campground. Then there is a farm field and I saw deer every day which was lovely. Overall, it was a very quiet part of the campground.

  They have a small store and an indoor pool which is nice with Wisconsin weather being unpredictable. It was very crowded on the shallower side and the slide goes into the shallow side as well which makes it very crowded and splashy. I found my time in the pool awesome when there was no one or families whi watch their kids and are just calmer. When big hoards showed up it was a very annoying experience. There's barely seating and it was really dark in the room.

  They pride their grass, as they should because it is nice, but the roads in campground were all very narrow so we had to drive on it if a car was coming. If they could widen the roads a bit it would be helpful for driving as well as save their grass more. Similar to their entry, pretty narrow. If their entry was one way and had a different exit it would be helpful.

  Overall, the staff was helpful and it was a very pretty campground with friendly seasonal folks. We didn't really interact with any one on the other side of the grounds.

  As I said, if they could widen the roads, make a separate exit, add more amenities like theme activities for kids, and make the pool area less dark and move the slide to the deeper end or even 4ft area it would be 5 stars.

• 

  Lisa S.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 29, 2019

  Lake Kegonsa State Park Campground

  Ranger Review: Wenzel Blue Jay 25 Sleeping bag at Lake Kegonsa State Park

  What do you do when you want to camp but don’t have much time off from work? Camp near your work! That’s just what we did at Lake Kegonsa in Stoughton WI. Here we will review this wonderful state park just outside the capital city of Madison but far enough away to feel like you’ve actually gone somewhere remote.

  The campgrounds are split up between regular and group camping. The group camping site was down the road from regular camping and consisted of a big parking lot, toilet facilities, recreation areas, and a large open area for 2 groups to camp. It was far enough away that if a group was partying late into the night it wouldn’t disturb the regular campers.

  Both campgrounds shared a “shower house” complete with 3 shower units and about a half dozen toilets and 3 sinks(at least on the“female” side). There were also handicap private rooms with toilet and shower bundled together. Facilities were clean enough and toilet paper seemed to always be stocked. My husband had reported that he only needed to press the shower button twice for hot water to start flowing. I however had to press it about 7 times. I think it really depends on when the shower was last used. Takes a while for the hot water to reach your stall. Showers stayed on for about 20 seconds before you needed to push the button again. The shower heads could all use a little TLC but they were functional. Wearing shower shoes is recommended. There were NO soap dispensers so make sure you bring your own toiletries.

  Adjacent to the shower house was a nice wooded picnic area with playground equipment for the kids. There was also a trail path the lead down the lake. You could also find the firewood station here but we never were able to catch the people selling the firewood at the station. They always seemed to be driving through the campground to make their sales. This seems like a nice service since you don’t have to haul the wood in your own vehicle but when we wanted wood there was nobody to be found. We ended up going about a half mile down the road to purchase wood from a house that had it bundled up in a self serve stand. Wood here was only$5 a bundle and was full of hardwood and a much better deal than the campground wood. Bonus: They invite you to recycle the orange plastic bags by returning them to the stand on your way out.

  We reserved one of the many  “double sites” the campground offers as we were camping with our daughter and needed to setup two tents and have enough room for 3 vehicles. The double sites include two picnic tables as well. We easily had enough room for two tents, 1 screen room, 1 shower room, a large truck, SUV and a car. We were in sites#13 and couldn’t be happier with our choice. I had done a drive through before reserving the site on the state camping website so I knew which ones would work for us. Site #18 would have worked as well. There are 96 sites to choose from in all and even on the weekend there were still a few open spots. Lots of spots can handle RVs and there were drive through sites so you don’t have to back in if that’s beyond your skill set. A third of the sites offered electricity and there was a dump station near by. Water spigots and pit toilets were spread out to make them convenient from almost any site. I've included some pictures of other campsites so you can get a feel for what to expect.

  One of my requirements when camping is some level of privacy between sites and the majority of sites in this campground provide that. Its heavily wooded, sites are nicely spaced and we weren’t bothered by the camp hosts at all. We stayed 3 nights but did not have 1 visit from the hosts even to clean out the fire pit. By the end our pit was full of ashes! Our fire grate was a little beat up and did not have a smooth surface like I saw at some of the other sites but it did the job. I was able to put a pot of water on to boil when needed and it was relatively stable.

  The campground is somewhat close to the interstate and rural highway roads so there is some traffic noise but relatively quiet by night time. What was NOT quiet on Thursday night was the freight train that came through around midnight and then again at 2 am. The first train only blew its horn a few short times. The second train acted like someone was laying on the tracks and was a little excessive for 3 am! Luckily we did not hear trains Friday night(or we slept through them) and we only heard 1 on Saturday night. The park is adjacent to more than one crossing so if this will disturb you I recommend finding another place to camp.

  The park includes a beach and boat launch to help you enjoy Lake Kegonsa. It was also pet friendly with pet trails and a pet beach of their own. There were signs posted to keep pets on a leash when not in the water but people were not following that rule. Nor were they following the rules on the“people beach” which posted no pets but yet there they were. The beach area was very small but it was enough for the kids to enjoy or to get your paddle board or kayak out on the lake. Keep your eyes out for the “bonus swings” found throughout the park. My daughter and I enjoyed swinging on one near the beach and my husband and I enjoyed one near the shower houses.

  There were also multiple trails scattered throughout the park. Everything from a quick half mile trek to loops that allow you to put on a couple of miles. Even though it had been raining prior to our visit the trails were not mud pits. Trails were well groomed and enjoyable. And we escaped without a million mosquito bites but were mildly bothered by gnats. We did spray our campsite with a backyard fogger and this may have helped because other reviews tell tales of being eaten alive. We did not see much wildlife so if that is what you’re after its best to pick a more remote location.

  Overall I enjoyed the park and would visit again if I had to be in the area. The only standout negative was the trains. Any site you pick should be a winner and contribute to a great camping experience.

  As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, and on this trip I tested the Wenzel Blue Jay 25 Degree sleeping bags.

  My husband and I are outdoor enthusiasts and have slowly collected our gear over the years. Some quality items have lasted the test of time and other items have fallen apart rather quickly. One of the items we are still lucky to have are our sleeping bags that we purchased for our first camping trip over 20+ years ago. Unfortunately, those bags were made for the extreme cold Wisconsin is famous for. They work well in early spring and fall and have held up to many years of use….. but we find we can’t possibly use them for summer camping. We have taken to unzipping one bag and using it as a mattress cover and simply using sheets or light blankets on top.

  So when we received our invite from Wenzel to review some of their equipment it was an easy choice to go with their Blue Jay 25 Degree sleeping bags. This weight seems perfect to handle a cold summer night and just what we need to round out our sleeping bag weather choices.

  Wenzel shipped the bags fast and they were packaged individually and arrived intact. I love the fact that they came with their own stuff sacks. It was easy to unroll and reroll the bags and fit them back in the sack. That is something our colder bags don’t have. We have to roll them and tie with an attached string and store them in giant trash bags. I like this design much better. These bags are also more lightweight so they take up much less room than our old bags. This has become very important as we recently gave up our mini van and now have a midsized SUV. Space is now a premium and these fit the bill.

  The fabrics are quality and everything seems well stitched together. I don’t feel like its going to unravel and let the filling bunch up unevenly. The flannel lining is soft and handled moisture well. The embroidered logo on the bag was a nice touch. The zippers on any equipment are usually where things go wrong first but these seem well made and easy to open and close. And the bag unzips fully if we wanted to use it as a blanket making it very versatile. The weight of the fill was perfect for this early summer camping trip. Not too hot yet kept us warm enough when temps dipped into the upper 40s. I’d say it was the perfect summer weight for a sleeping bag in our area.

  The price point was very competitive and makes these bags a great value for the quality product you get. I look forward to having these bags on all our summer trips from now on. I also look forward to shopping Wenzel again when considering a camping gear purchase. To easily find this bag just follow this link:  https://wenzelco.com/blue-jay-25/

• 

  Abbe W.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 10, 2024

  Whitewater Lake — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit

  Nice Campground, Great Location for Hiking the Ice Age Trail

  The campground was clean and quiet. We were in the East Loop. The on-site host was super friendly and helpful with firewood and ice. Pit toilets, no showers. Easy access to Ice Age Trail from the campground. Nice hike to Rice Lake.

• 

  Steven P.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 17, 2022

  Scenic Ridge Campground

  Decent campground, friendly people

  This campground had a lot of seasonal campers. Fairly large sites, problem is getting into them. Our site was downhill so that presented quite the challenge to level out. Aside from the steady flow a golf carts, everything was decent. I feel sorry for the people who use the public showers and restrooms. I felt like I was in a spider exhibit with them being everywhere.

• 

  Kyle K.

  Scout

  

  May. 31, 2022

  Scenic Ridge Campground

  Worst Camping Experience

  Our stay at Scenic Ridge started strong; the service at check-in was quick and very accommodating. Our group had reserved three sites in the 'T' section of the campground. The nearest restrooms were about a quarter-mile walk from our sites. Some of the stall doors did not lock, paper towels and toilet paper were constantly out, and the hot water must have run out in the showers. There were portable toilets by the playground by our sites, but they looked like they hadn't been emptied or cleaned for months. The absolute worst part of the stay was the golf cart and vehicle traffic that sped past our sites endangering guests and covering us in the dust from the gravel roads. Upon leaving, we were in line at the dump station for about 40 minutes which was frustrating, and the road up to the dump station did not allow for cross traffic. A truck towing a pontoon boat approached to try and squeeze through to turn around and almost hit our vehicle and one of our group members. After honking our horn to try and stop him from colliding with our vehicle, the driver proceeded to get out of his truck and yell and threaten our group. I have been camping my entire life and have never had a worse stay than at Scenic Ridge Campground.

• 

  Stacy C.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 23, 2023

  Scenic Ridge Campground

  Looks are deceiving

  This campground is HUGE! well maintained & beautiful. Bathrooms are extremely clean

• A

  Amanda K.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 24, 2020

  Scenic Ridge Campground

  Terrible

  We stayed at the campground this past weekend and we were disappointed in our stay.

  -the campsites across the street from where we stayed (T3 is where we stayed) we’re out well past 10pm yelling and playing a yard games.

  -Golf carts rule the road. A little girl across the street wandered into our campsite well past dark. We told her she needed to go back to her site. As she was crossing the road a golf cart going well over 10mph was about 4 feet from running her over. She fell to the ground because she got scared and the golf cart swerved. It was terrifying for everywhere involved EXCEPT the golf cart driver. He didn’t pull over to see if the little girl was okay.

  • we were walking the grounds with our 2 month old baby and 19 month old baby in the stroller. A golf cart again going well over 10 mph zoomed past us and kicked up dust all over us.

  Security is a joke. They were on their golf carts witnessing people zipping by. We felt so out of place and not welcomed.

  We won’t be back.

• C

  Cheryl W.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 10, 2021

  Scenic Ridge Campground

  Mostly Seasonal Sites

  This is a family owned park with primarily seasonal spots. Everyone has had free reign to decorate or add stuff at will. Some are nice sites and some are a dilapidated mess. There are shorter term sites at the top of the hill in the back of the park. These sites are fairly close together and in a meadow of grass. A few have gravel. The bathrooms are a little rustic for my taste. The sump station is in a rather inconvenient spot at the top of the hill.

  On the good side: there is a nice lake with a few marina slips. There are wonderful water toys at a beach with a pier. There is a small doggie beach. There is a fishing spot. There is a nice children’s play area. There is a nice general store with a small restaurant for take out. They have activities on Holidays.

• 

  Melissa B.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 26, 2018

  Scenic Ridge Campground

  not a bad little campground

  but definitely not my favorite. we decided to stop and ch cknit out for a night because it looked like a cute location. nice if you like being around people as there are permanent rv sites and lots of friendly people who like to talk. my son had fun in the water and on all the water toys.

• 

  Nicole T.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 3, 2018

  Scenic Ridge Campground

  Very neat and beautiful

  We went for a Dead and company show at Alpine. Everyone was very accommodating, easy going and nice. You just buy firewood there. It was $45 and night but I don’t know if that was because of the show. Most campsites have shade. This campsite is largely occupied by permant RVs. You are in walking distance of the lake with boat ramp, kayaking and water inflatables. I loved it! Also, there is a store with full kitchen.

• 

  Josh F.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 25, 2020

  Snug Harbor Inn Campground on Turtle Lake

  RV campground with lake access

  I did not stay here, but I spend some time walking through to get a feel for the place.

  This is primarily an RV/mobile home campground, but there are some nicely tucked away tent camp sites that I'll recommend later in this review. Gravel roads connect the three loops and the landscaping is well kept and maintained. The campground sells ice, firewood and rents boats.

  There is a very clean bathroom and bathhouse, freshwater for campers, and some electric tent campsites. The property is basically terraced along a slope down to the lake, with the RV and mobile home sites closer to the lake. The tent sites are above it all with decent views of the lake below (and the RVs). 

  The Galapagos tent campsite is elevated and a short distance from the loop road, and has a nice view of the lake. The Box Turtle site is also a bit elevated above the main driveway as is Snapper 7, though I am not sure where you are supposed to put your tent in that site.

  Now, Snapper 4, 5,6 and 7 would be nice for group camping because they are all very close to one another and a bit more private, set away from the rest of the campsites. There are lots of electrical sites for campers and RVs, most of which look like they are quite permanently in place.

• 

  Kevin C.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 7, 2021

  Snug Harbor Inn Campground on Turtle Lake

  Nice quite lake

  I can not tell you how many times I’ve been here. My son lives within seconds of here so it is very convenient. They gave on site bathrooms and showers. Electric, water and sewer hookups. They also have tent sites. This season there will be née owners so I hope they keep some of the annual activities.

• C

  Carole X.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 8, 2021

  Snug Harbor Inn Campground on Turtle Lake

  Great Experience

  Beautiful views overlooking Turtle Lake. Friendly and helpful staff. My husband got stung twice when we went to plug-in our electric. But the staff came out immediately to spray and remove the nest. Will come back again , hopefully no rain next time!

• J

  James W.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 17, 2021

  Snug Harbor Inn Campground on Turtle Lake

  Maiden Voyage

  Wanted someplace close to home. Familiar with the Delavan area so was excited to find Snug Harbor. Set up went well, didn’t blow anything up! Yea! Staff was great, helped me back in. Nice Bar/Restaurant on site. Met 2 nice couples which helped with any questions. The view was nice overlooking Turtle lake. Like the design of 3 levels so everyone gets a view. Nice place in the country but close enough to town to grab all those things we forgot, Like coffee and cups. What a dummy.

• J

  Jeffery S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 5, 2021

  Snug Harbor Inn Campground on Turtle Lake

  Labor Day Weekend

  Great campground. Full weekend but very quiet and relaxing. Staff very nice.

• 

  Alix M.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 4, 2022

  Snug Harbor Inn Campground on Turtle Lake

  Great stay, with great views!

  Great three tiered camping spot. Full hookup, and great views. Has a pub/restaurant with good food. Lots to do! Definitely a do again!

• 

  Larry S.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 21, 2019

  Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Fort Atkinson

  Kid and adult friendly, alway something to do.

  Sesonal campera are welcomming and nice. Alot of things to do.

• M

  Maeg H.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 16, 2018

  Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Fort Atkinson

  Generally family friendly and clean, $$

  We have been going to this campground for years and have always been happy with the facilities. Unfortunately over the last few years the customer service has gone down significantly. They have increased their amenities price. The jumping stuff, while fun, is often too hot for the kids to play on and isn't always open when it is supposed to be. The kids running the dance played some very "non family friendly" music. The lady at the desk was rude and condescending during our last stay. Mostly seasonal sites now.

• L

  Laura S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 21, 2018

  Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Fort Atkinson

  Stay somewhere else

  Over priced and run down. Rude staff that seem like they’re miserable being here as well as the rest of us. Mostly filled with seasonal campsites, but no one is here. Some campers look like they’re abandoned. Kids bounce house are unsanitary and unsafe. My 4 year old son fell through a hole and was trapped under the stairs. We informed the staff and they let the air out only to turn it back on when we left. They also look like they’ve never been cleaned and are covered in dirt & scum. Broken picnic tables. Lots of people working here, but I’m not sure what they do other then sit around (especially the younger staff). Maybe they should try handing out a broom and some cleaner, better yet a power washer. We travel and camp all summer long and this is by far the worse campground we’ve ever stayed at. We should have read the other reviews before we came.