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Equestrian Camping near Wilmot, WI

13 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.

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    SUMMARY PRESENTED BYT-Mobile

    Chain O' Lakes State Park near Wilmot offers limited horse-related amenities despite its extensive outdoor recreation options. The park features horseback riding opportunities with trail access, though no dedicated horse corrals exist at the campgrounds according to facility data. Turner Lake South campground sees horse riders utilizing the general camping areas rather than specialized equestrian sites. Visitors note the trails are primarily designed for horses and bikes, with multiple riding paths throughout the 3,230-acre park. Trail users should be aware that sites in all camping loops lack specific equine infrastructure.

    The equestrian trails at Chain O' Lakes connect to the wider park system, providing varied terrain for riders seeking day trips from the camping areas. Located approximately 10 miles from Wilmot, the park requires horse owners to bring their own containment systems as no permanent tie-outs or corrals are provided at campsites. Horse trailer parking is available near trailheads rather than at individual campsites. Riders particularly enjoy the trail network during weekdays when boat traffic is minimal and the trails are less crowded. The park maintains several miles of multi-use trails that accommodate horses year-round, though seasonal conditions affect accessibility. Equestrians should check trail conditions before planning overnight stays with horses.

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    Best Equestrian Campgrounds near Wilmot (13)

      1. Big Foot Beach State Park Campground

      3.6(24)13mi from Wilmot101 sitesRVs, Tents, Glamping

      "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."

      "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."

      from $18 - $36 / night

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      2. Turner Lake South — Chain O' Lakes State Park

      3.9(13)4mi from WilmotRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "In the Turner loop, the pit toilets are next to the path to the fishing pier, while the showers and full restrooms are between Turner and Fox den, there is a short path between sites 60& 61."

      "Trails were geared more towards horses and bikes, but there are plenty of walking paths, and we were able to find some hidden trails along the lake (read: unofficial)."

      3. Fox Den Campground — Chain O' Lakes State Park

      4.3(12)5mi from WilmotRVs, Tents

      "There is a lot to do at this park from hiking to water sports to horse back riding. We did a nice short hike in area. We had a great time at this campground and would visit again."

      "It feels like you are in the middle of nowhere, but it is close to everything. "

      4. Fish Lake Beach Camping Resort

      4.3(8)13mi from WilmotRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "Very Friendly Staff I received warm welcome from nice staff at the entrance gate. Tent Campground is nicely tucked inside by the lake. Quit place night time I can hear fish jumping from the water."

      "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."

      from $43 - $73 / night

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      5. Ottawa Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit

      4.3(52)33mi from Wilmot103 sitesRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "Site was spacious but very close to your neighbors. Lots to do in the area. Bathrooms and showers were clean. The beach was not clean and very hard to walk on, very rocky."

      "Red Trail, Paradise Trail,Rice Lake are all great hikes. Great views of Lake Ottawa. The close by town of Oconomowoc has a nice place to eat, Burkes Lakeside."

      from $23 - $38 / night

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      6. Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

      4.0(79)42mi from WilmotRVs, Tents, Cabins

      "Site along the edge of the campground had ample shade.  There is a central bathhouse with flush toilets and 3 showers. There is also a pit toilet. "

      "It has a large lake with almost 40 miles of hiking trails, including equestrian trails and an equestrian campground. There is boating and fishing as well as swimming in the lake."

      from $12 - $50 / night

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      7. Elkhorn Campgrounds

      4.3(4)21mi from WilmotRVs, Tents, Glamping

      "Within walking distance to downtown Elkhorn, EAHS, and the horse areana. You might even be able to catch a show or two on site at the fair grounds, depending on the time of year."

      "Easy access to electric and/or water. If unsure, contact office. Site, restrooms, and showers were clean. There are a lot of sites but still felt like there was ample space."

      8. Pinewoods & Group Camp — Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit

      4.4(26)34mi from Wilmot107 sitesRVs, Tents

      "It is close to the Ice Age trail and the Scuppernong trail, and a short drive from Ottawa LakeNearby is some excellent mountain biking in hilly terrain at the Emma Carlin and John Muir trails. "

      "Pinewoods Campground is part of the southern Kettle Morraine State Forest in Wisconsin. The campground is secluded and most sites are private and shaded."

      from $23 - $90 / night

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      9. Paul Wolff Campground

      3.9(21)32mi from WilmotRVs, Tents

      "The staff are super nice and the campground has great social distancing rules in place for the check-in shack and bathrooms."

      "Half of them were in the Prairie and the other half was tucked into wonderfully private spots with burn pits and picnic tables. We hiked the trail and saw a mother deer feeding her 2 babies."

      from $12 - $35 / night

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      10. Kishwaukee Valley Farms

      Be the first to review20mi from WilmotTents, Glamping

      from $74 - $100 / night

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    Equestrian Camping Reviews near Wilmot, WI

    248 Reviews of 13 Wilmot Campgrounds


    • Maria Mercedes M.The Dyrt PRO User
      Jul. 1, 2026

      Rock Cut Equestrian Campground

      A Peaceful Retreat for Horse-Loving Families

      If your family's perfect camping trip includes saddling up and exploring miles of wooded trails together, the Equestrian Campground at Rock Cut State Park offers a wonderfully peaceful place to spend a few days. Tucked away from the park's busier camping loops, this rustic first-come, first-served campground provides spacious sites designed for campers traveling with horses, along with nearby potable water, restrooms and direct access to more than 14 miles of designated equestrian trails. While amenities are intentionally simple (erring on non-existent), the extra room to accommodate horse trailers and the quiet natural surroundings create exactly the kind of setting many riders are looking for. One of my favorite moments was watching families quietly prepare their horses in the early morning light before disappearing beneath the trees for a day on the trails, returning later with tired horses, dusty boots and smiles that needed no explanation. Arriving early is the best way to secure a site since camping is first-come, first-served and availability is limited. This campground is ideal for equestrian families given its spacious layout, direct trail access and peaceful atmosphere that allows both riders and horses to truly unwind.

    • Brian O.The Dyrt PRO User
      Oct. 17, 2024

      Turner Lake South — Chain O' Lakes State Park

      Fine camping in Northern Illinois

      We stayed in the Turner lake south loop, which has nice and private sites. This is in contrast to Honeysuckle hollow which is open and row after row of RV sites. Fox den and Prairie view loops are nice as well with mostly primitive sites. Be aware that the map on www.ExloreMoreIL,com(where you make your reservations) doesn't show where the restrooms are. In the Turner loop, the pit toilets are next to the path to the fishing pier, while the showers and full restrooms are between Turner and Fox den, there is a short path between sites 60& 61. Facilities are clean and well lit. Fire pits are slightly raised steel troughs with a heavy adjustable grill. This is a BIG park, the campgrounds are two miles from the front gate, and it's a drive to the main boat launch at Maple Grove, where you have access to the Fox River and Grass lake. This location has a huge parking lot for boat trailers, a very well stocked general store with fishing supplies, a cafe, boat rentals and good firewood. To get away from the crowd if you're a canoeist or kayaker it's nicer to leave the park and go back in at Oak Point picnic area and boat launch at the northern border. This will put you on the Fox river with developments to the north(including a bar& grill) or to the south which is all nature. I think the distance by boat between the two launches is 4-5 miles, but I'm not sure, Halfway there you'll meet up with the Goldfinch trail which is the shortest loop and the most diverse in term of flora. There are horse/ snowmobile trails, but no equestrian campground. Chain o' Lakes is one of the busiest waterways in Illinois, with motorboats everywhere in the height of the summer season. We canoe, and both times we stayed there it was October, so I can't tell you how crowded, but the vast number of picnic areas must be there for a reason. An odd thing is that you can hear a Steam Train whistle quite often, this is from Richardson's Adventure Farm in Spring Grove. We don't have kids so we went to Stade's Farm& Orchard(which is also large and kid friendly) because they have an orchard and vegetable market. One last thing, the gates close at 10:PM and there are tire shredders, you can leave but you can't get back in… unless you want to walk 2+ miles in the dark:)

    • Judy B.The Dyrt PRO User
      May. 21, 2021

      Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

      Big park with lots of options for camping and recreation

      Rock Cut St. Park is in the middle of an urban area, but you would not know it.  The park is very large and has multiple campgrounds.  I stayed in the Plum Grove campground.  Trees were not really leafed out and some sites would have shade later in the year.  Site along the edge of the campground had ample shade.  There is a central bathhouse with flush toilets and 3 showers. There is also a pit toilet.  Sites have an electrical hookup, but water is from a hydrant.  There is a dump station and water supply near the park entrance.  There are bike trails, hiking, and equestrian trails.  I also believe that you can swim and boat here.

    • Josh F.
      Dec. 3, 2020

      Horseriders Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit

      If I had a horse, I'd definitely camp here

      Driving on country roads to this campground, I drove past many many horse ranches. So it's no surprise that there is a dedicated campground for horseback riding in this state park. 

      Built for Large Gatherings

      There are a number of COVID-era regulations that as of this writing are in place, see photos of the signs posted. This campground is clearly built for large groups to hang out together. There is a large shelter with picnic tables and very convenient roll-up sides that can be used to protect people during inclement weather. There is also a large grill that would be great for serving many, and a very nice fire pit with fixed seating for a large group. 

      Ammenities

      There are also nice touches, such as a small stair-step for beginners or young people to mount their horse. And the campground has a little free library. There are electric and non-electric campsites, all seem to have a picnic table and fireplace. There are ample places to bridle horses and shared corrals every four or five campsites. There are also animal waste collection areas throughout the campground. There are several pit toilets throughout the campground, and one building with flush toilets and showers. It's a very nice and fairly new building.

      Group Campsite

      The group campsite has six sites and they are not pull through for trailers. There is a fire pit with fixed seating around it centrally-located in the group campsite. The group campsite does not have electric units. 

      And no surprise, there is easy access to horse trails throughout the state forest. 

      My Top Picks

      There are several sites along one side of the park that are a little more secluded and in a pine forest. They have picnic tables and fire pits like the others, they include 409, 410, 411, 412, 413. There's also a series of pull-through sites that would make it easier for those who don't care to back trailers in or out of the site. These include electric sites 405, 404, 403, 402, and 401.

      There's a nice couple of campsites at the end of one of the loops that affords a little bit of privacy, the only problem is they abut the main road and are a little noisy with car traffic. However, they are sweet sites. They include 427 and 428. Unfortunately, they camping here you would hear all of the car traffic while all the other campsites are much further away from the road.

    • Marisa A.The Dyrt PRO User
      Aug. 16, 2020

      Paul Wolff Campground

      Great value Chicago suburb campsite

      I've camped here four different occasions this 2020 covid-19 year. The staff are super nice and the campground has great social distancing rules in place for the check-in shack and bathrooms. It is a super clean campground with multiple hosts and forest preserve staff. There are a large number of RV pads overlooking the prairie and a few along a grove of trees. I was lucky once to see the equestrian area full of campers with their horses. There are 9 walk-in tent sites about 10-20 yards from parking (the two at the end p7 and p9 are connected for groups that know each other). There are multiple ada sites and two "walk-in/ie roll-in" site in the tent-only area. It's a good mix of young people, retired people, and families. I've seen weekends with mainly RVs and one weekend with a quarter of the drive-in sites being tents. The most shaded sites are p1,3,5,7 and 9. Many of the sites in the middle are wide open with little shade but nice summer breezes. Prices are a great deal if you live in Kane county but still worth the trip if you live in another county. Firewood is $7 for about .75 cu ft (what you can fit in a milk crate.) There are a few trails and I've seen lots of butterflies, gold finches, hawks, deer, flocks of giant sandhill cranes, rabbits, ground squirrels, and of course actual squirrels. Lots of people (including me) bring their leashed dogs. The other campers have been polite and friendly. I wish there was more distance between sites in the water/electrical loops for more privacy, but I'd go every weekend if I lived in Kane county because it would be worth the resident price even tho there are so many RVs. Because there is electrical it is a peaceful campground with no generator noise.

    • Matt S.
      Sep. 11, 2016

      Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground

      Rock Cut State Park campground is huge!

      Of all of the campgrounds that I have visited in Illinois, I would say that Rock Cut State Park is the best that I have seen. It boasts as being the largest State Park in Northern Illinois. It has a large lake with almost 40 miles of hiking trails, including equestrian trails and an equestrian campground. There is boating and fishing as well as swimming in the lake.

      The campground staff is very helpful and do a good job at keeping it clean and well maintained even with the large number of visitors. Don't miss my interview with Marsha, one of the friendly staff members at Rock Cut State Park.

    • Kim L.
      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.

    • M
      Jun. 2, 2021

      Paul Wolff Campground

      Not for #vanlife

      Full hook ups and electric sites plus some restricted Equestrian and walk in sites
      Not for #vanlife. I tried to pay for a tent site and was told “you’re not supposed to sleep in your car” “this campground is for RV’s only”

    • A
      May. 31, 2019

      Pinewoods & Group Camp — Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit

      Fine camp for hikers on the Ice Age trail.

      A good campground for tents and trailers in a pine forest.  It is close to the Ice Age trail and the Scuppernong trail, and a short drive from Ottawa Lake.  Nearby is some excellent mountain biking in hilly terrain at the Emma Carlin and John Muir trails.  You can almost feel like you're away from it all, but there is a small highway in the distance.


    Guide to Wilmot

    Chain O' Lakes State Park provides several miles of shared trails for equestrians within its 3,230-acre natural area just outside Wilmot, Wisconsin. Located at an elevation of approximately 800 feet, the park sits within the glacially-formed landscape of northeastern Illinois, characterized by rolling terrain and interconnected waterways. Summer temperatures typically range from 65-85°F with moderate humidity levels making early morning trail rides most comfortable during peak season.

    What to Do

    Lake activities: year-round fishing: The interconnected lake system at Chain O' Lakes State Park provides ample fishing opportunities. "I love to kayak through here because I don't need to paddle through the river unless I'm feeling competitive. I've seen beavers, minks, ferrets, and sand cranes on my two trips so far," notes Cora M.

    Scenic hiking: varied terrain trails: Visitors can explore numerous paths throughout the forest preserves. At Paul Wolff Campground, "There are a few trails and I've seen lots of butterflies, gold finches, hawks, deer, flocks of giant sandhill cranes, rabbits, ground squirrels, and of course actual squirrels," according to Marisa A.

    Horseback experiences: guided trail rides: While dedicated equine facilities are limited, several private stables near Wilmot offer guided trail rides connecting to state park paths. Local outfitters typically charge $45-65 per hour for guided experiences, with most requiring 24-hour advance reservations.

    What Campers Like

    Privacy between sites: Many campers appreciate the natural separation between camping areas. At Big Foot Beach State Park, "Nice large sites, gravel spot for arc/trailer, fire pit and picnic table. Trails for hiking are nice, but the overall camping area isn't very big," reports Melissa B.

    Access to water activities: The interconnected waterways make boating a popular activity. "We chose Chain O Lakes because we enjoy kayaking and with 7 lakes connected by small tributaries this fit the bill... Rangers were helpful and delivered firewood to our site daily," shares Aida K. at Kettle Moraine South Camping.

    Wildlife viewing opportunities: The natural areas around Wilmot support diverse wildlife. "The lake was very clear and you could see the fish swim by," notes Julia B. about Turner Lake South, adding "The lake was very nice. We were able to kayak but be careful getting the kayaks in. Stairs down to the pier and the bottom of the lake is very mushy."

    What You Should Know

    Seasonal booking patterns: Summer weekends fill quickly at most campgrounds. "This IL state campground fills up quickly on the weekends over the summer. The best sites for those hoping for privacy are in Turner Lake South and Mud Lake East," advises Marisa A.

    Limited equestrian infrastructure: Horse trails exist but specialized facilities are minimal. No permanent corrals or tie-outs are available at most campsites, so equestrians must bring portable containment systems.

    Varied bathroom facilities: Bathroom quality varies significantly between campgrounds. At Fox Den Campground, "Bath house could use to be cleaned a bit more regularly but overall a pleasant experience for the price," notes Ian C.

    Tips for Camping with Families

    Child-friendly beaches: shallow swimming areas: Several lakes offer designated swimming areas with gradual entry points. "There is a lake for swimming, fishing and boating. There is also a park for the kids in several areas," reports Meg K. about Turner Lake.

    Playground access: multiple locations: Many campgrounds feature play equipment near camping loops. At Fish Lake Beach Camping Resort, "Very Friendly Staff I received warm welcome from nice staff at the entrance gate. Tent Campground is nicely tucked inside by the lake. Quit place night time I can hear fish jumping from the water," shares Leo V.

    Educational nature programs: ranger-led activities: Several parks offer scheduled nature programs during summer months. "Pick Up the activity book for kids it is a great adventure lots to do at the lake!!!" suggests Jill G. about Kettle Moraine South Camping.

    Tips from RVers

    Site selection strategy: Choose sites based on proximity to amenities and privacy needs. "Fox den at Chain-o-Lakes state park provides a more secluded camping experience than Honeysuckle or the 2 tent camping areas. Pads are pretty level, and each site has some semblance of privacy from other campers," advises Ian C.

    Electric hookup reliability: Some campgrounds have aging electrical infrastructure. Verify amperage requirements before booking, as many sites offer only 30-amp service rather than 50-amp needed for larger RVs.

    Loop characteristics: Different camping loops offer varied experiences. "Our site was very shaded and quiet at night. The bath house was very clean. There is a lot to do at this park from hiking to water sports to horse back riding," shares Michelle M. about Fox Den Campground.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Wilmot, WI?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Wilmot, WI is Big Foot Beach State Park Campground with a 3.6-star rating from 24 reviews.

    What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Wilmot, WI?

    TheDyrt.com has all 13 equestrian camping locations near Wilmot, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.