Best Glamping near Windsor, WI

Best campground in the Wisconsin Dells by far.

Yukon Trails Campground offers a charming woodland escape with cozy sites nestled among tall pines. The family-friendly atmosphere includes activities like mini golf, a playground, and seasonal events, making it ideal for campers with kids. The sites are well-maintained, though some may find them a bit tight for larger rigs. With friendly staff and proximity to the Wisconsin Dells, it’s a convenient spot for both relaxation and adventure.

Check out the local state parks while you’re here and consider doing a cruise down the Wisconsin River.

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!

Mirror lake is quickly becoming one of our favorite campgrounds in Wisconsin. The sites are decent size and spaced for privacy. Some loops have group sites where you book 2 sites that are connected. Great for 2 families that want to share common space for kids

Hiking is great. Lake has boat rentals. And Ishnala Supper Club is a short walk away.

Highly recommend!

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.

This campground is perfect for the family who is looking for a little bit of everything. It is located right on the Wisconsin River so you can fish or rent a boat. It also has a nice pool and play areas for the kids. 

I would give it 5 stars but the only issue is it is located next to the public boat launch so there is a lot of traffic in the boat launch. Campground traffic is still fine though.

Overall my family LOVED this campground. There is a decent sized pool that is clean and well-maintained with a smaller kiddie pool with a slide. There is also a man-made lake with a beach for swimming and bigger kids to enjoy the large inflatable slides and swim platforms. The campground is right on the river, and provides rentals for canoes, kayaks, and tubes. They will shuttle you as far up the river as you'd like to go, and you float or paddle back while enjoying all the sand bars along the way.

As an RV campground, the sites were level and grassy with at least one tree per lot. In the sites closer to the pool and lagoon (swim lake), they offer little privacy but are great for multi-family groups. We got a site with some woods in the back, so it was more quiet and private. The electrical and water hook ups were conveniently located, and the site was easy to get into. There were a lot of big Class A motorhomes, so the sites are plenty big. The tent sites are further away from the action, but have easy access to another bathroom and shower. They're also close to the river, and back up to a large corn field. There's a row of pine trees for easy hammock set up, and open grassy areas to let your group sprawl. The bathrooms were clean and nice, but they do have a $1 min for a shower. There is a change machine in the laundry facility.

The Resort also has an extensive camp shop and a huge restaurant with outdoor riverside seating. With live music and a full bar, this made for a really relaxing atmosphere if you're not up to campfire cooking. 

We enjoyed this campground and it's friendly staff and campers. Even through there are a lot of people there so you're not isolated in the woods, it wasn't loud or obnoxious with partiers. It's Wisconsin, so everybody was drinking beers and having fun but it wasn't loud and rowdy. The best part is the location on the Wisconsin River- you can get your fill of quiet solitude on the water, or float in a tube with a case of beer if you like. We enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to go back! It’s a great spot to use as home base for river trips, and don’t forget the Spring Green Desert conservancy nearby. Who knew there were cactuses in Wisconsin? Total hike is about 3.2 miles round trip, with a gorgeous view of the valley.

We camped here in early fall and the full shade sites in mature forest were great. There are a lot of raccoons and the sites even come equipped with a pole for hanging your garbage out of reach of the coons.

The lake, when we went in late August/Early September had a lot of algae on it and wasn't really good to swim, but they do have boat rentals and fishing. It is generally a beautiful lake.

There is a good amount of hiking in the area and it is in close proximity to the Wisconsin Dells, so there is plenty to do.

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

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.

We stayed in site #4 it was nice sized and quiet. We had full hook up, a picnic table & fire pit, our friends camped next to us in #5. The store had supplies, and firewood they deliver it to your site. There are outside showers & regular showers but always love a good outside shower. It was pretty quiet in the campground. 

Close by is the Wisconsin Dells, we did the 2 hour boat tour it was fun. Went to The Village Cafe in Baraboo it's owned by friends of ours who have a place in Florida where we live. Good food & great desserts. We went to the crane foundation that was nice, beautiful birds they are. We went to Devils lake for a day & hiked around the grotto it was beautiful. There is a spot Big Blue herons nest in the tall pines they make a lot of noise. They had babies in their nests. 

Nice campground it was a good find.

Sherwood Forest Campground is a long time family run campground in an excellent location for enjoying all that the Wisconsin Dells has to offer. Our site had 50 amp electric, water and sewer connections. We were situated on the upper ridge of the campground, furthest from the office/camp store and swimming pool. Our showers were very disappointing. The shower stall had a single stackable plastic lawn chair and a curtain. No mirror, no towel bar or hook, no shelf or caddy in the shower for toiletries. To operate the shower, one must push in the valve, hope the water is a suitable temperature, and repeat after about 20 seconds, or keep pushing while performing your ablutions one handed. The swimming pool, while advertised as heated to 80 degrees, was not heated at all. There is a fairly complete camp store, a splash pad for kids, a game room and laundry available. Some seasonal sites are also available.

My site (82) was not level and the ground was so soft that my leveling blocks just sank into the dirt. Also the site was far too expensive for the value received. The site cost was $35, but the Wisconsin DNR adds a “parking fee” of $11 (out of state) when I only have one vehicle (truck camper) parked in the site I already paid for. In addition the reservation fee was $7.95 (too high) so I ended up paying $53.95 for a one-night stay with only an electric hookup. 

They do not use Reserve America, opting instead for their own reservation system. Their website sucks– poorly designed. 

The site spacing and privacy were great, and I would give the bathrooms a B+ rating. However, the bathrooms were not well situated and they had two within 150 yards of each other - odd.  The forest canopy did not allow for Starlink use, but I was able to get online using Verizon.

Despite my complaints, it was a nice respite from six nights at family campgrounds in Indiana which were crazy busy and noisy.

This is a member resort but they do allow the public in.  We went in as Coast to Coast members.  This is an all season resort it does have a ski hill and accommodations for winter.  You can buy a condo resort, Lease a Time Share, buy a camping site ( with a Park Model on it,  Camp in a Motor Home, Trailer or Tent.  You can camp with full hook ups or as they call it the Wilderness Camping, they have some with 110 hook ups.  

Facilities are very nice and clean, Swimming Pool, Club House with a lot of things to do. The sites are nice and big most are either pull through or large back in sites.  They also have an 18 holes golf course, since we don't golf really don't know how it is.

They have some WIFi but it is best at the club house the hotspots worked better.

If you would like to  visit Wisconsin Dells this is a great place as it is not very far from downtown and all the activities.  We spent 2 days exploring the Dells even in rain.  Had a great time.  

If you are in the area I would check it out.

It’s a nice place. Clean, kept, and organized. There is a decent pool (cold) as well as a swimming pond (dyed blue). Firewood and ice is delivered to your site. The spaces in the first loop are very tight and small, but have shade. The new area will be much nicer as the newly planted trees grow and fill out. Our site was very unlevel side to side. It took two 2x6 and a 1x6 under the camp side to be level. That made the first step into the coach, and last step out of the coach extremely high off the ground. Water pressure was good, no power issues and the sewer connection was clean and accessible. The grass in our space needed mowing, but it looked like that was going to happen right after we left. We stayed during the week and there was a lot of noisy maintenance happening. Backhoes, dump trucks and employee golf carts flying about. At times the golf carts were a hazard the many kids going to and from one of the play areas, saw some hard braking and some serious Mom side eye. For a campground so close to the Wisconsin Dells, it rises well above the crowd of places that aren’t much more than a place to squat your camper while you play at the Dells. We would happily return. We would recommend camping here.

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.

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.

I spent two nights in the campground at Blue Mound State Park. Overall, the park has well-maintained hiking and MTB biking trails, extraordinarily clean and well-kept vault toilets, and ample access to drinking water. Both tent and RV/camper sites are on a typical one-way road pattern with a couple of loops there are plenty of sites with and without electricity. At the time I was there, the camp host sold high-quality hard wood for $5/bundle from a trailer on the honor system, so if you run out in the middle of the night, wood was easy to replenish. One of the park's highlights are lookout towers with views above the treetops, Unfortunately in 2020 both were closed, presumably because it would be difficult to keep a safe distance from others when on the stairs or while at the top. Pity, it'll be a reason to return. Still, there are several observation areas that are maintained well enough to keep the undergrowth from blocking the view of the Wisconsin River Valley nearly 15 miles to the north. This is where the "Blue Mound" name must come from, the hills at that distance did have a bluish cast to them.

If you've read any of my other reviews you know what's next, my list of the best campsites. While I've visited several parks now that have "walk in" sites, with cars parked a minute or two from the campsite, about a dozen sites in Blue Mound State Park take "walk in" to a new level. Cars can drive to a barrier across the road, and the sites are a 10-15 minute walk downhill, The park provides ONE medium-sized cart (250 lb weight limit, 20-minute use limit) that I guess would be in high demand during load in and load out. (NOTE TO SELF, camp Thursday through Monday if going here, or arrive EARLY to get a cart). Most of these sites are quite sunny; 105 is nice and shady and private, 106 slightly shaded 109 and 110 are shaded, very close to one another and would be good for a group camp setup 111 is quite shady. There's water and toilets in the walk-in camp ground. You'd want to sip wood for campfires and cooking, the nearest source is a 15-minute walk uphill and back, and then if using the cart, you have to return it for another round trip.

Back in the family campground where mortals and RVs park, I think the following are the nicest in terms of shade, level, size and privacy.

42, 45, 47, 51, 64, 66, 69, 71, 73

This Wisconsin State Park has a several loops of campsites, a nice, though at times weedy lake and nice trails throughout. While I didn't do it myself, friends who have camped here told me that the Ishnala Supper Club is a nice walk away if you're looking to expand your dining horizons from your campsite cooking adventures.

Mirror Lake is large and long, and thus makes for interesting kayaking and canoeing because there is always something new to see around the next corner. As though to prove my initial thoughts about this, while enjoying the view at the boat launch we saw three kayaks put in or pull out in less than 5 minutes. I was there in July and October and both times the lake had significant weed coverage. Fortunately the beach was spared of this water growth.

I have not camped at this park, but have spent several days there hiking the trials, spending time on the water and exploring the park's campground areas. Most of the sites have a permanently-installed tall, metal "shepherd's hook." These could be used to hang lights or get a small bag of food out of animal reach.

21 this campsite has a picnic table, basic fire pit and shepherd's hook.

24 doesn't have much privacy, but it is really big with lots of room for large tents or a big kitchen fly.

36 has a fair amount of understory growth keeping it private from other campsites, but what makes this site interesting is there is a sandy area that would make for a very nice place to put your tent.

44 is a very large campsite with lots of trees in the campsite good for hanging hammocks.

93, in the Sandstone campground, this is one of the nicer spots, long driveway surrounded by trees nice and shady and has a bit more privacy from the road than others. One downside of tent sites in this area is that they are among lots of electric sites.

203 is furthest off of the parking lot and for this away from the other neighboring campsites.

201/202, and 203/204, would be great as double sites for families that want to camp together. Not necessarily group campsites, but they are close enough together that they would be great for two parties camping together.

201 through 204 are a little bit off of a large parking lot. They don't seem to be group sites but are definitely Far away from many of the other campground sites and would be nice if you wanted to get away from other campers. It's also nowhere near any electric sites.