Mauthe Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit-Iansr

Awesome campground in the north unit of Kettle Moraine. Wonderful trail around the lake and a variety of different campsites. Plenty of space, very rural. Very wisconsin!

Very nice, clean and quiet campground. The showers are a bit of a hike from most sites but they are private/individual rooms. Sites aren’t too small.

Campground facilities are clean, 30 amp at the electrical site worked perfectly. Other campers amazingly friendly. Sunset on the lake is ridiculously beautiful!

It was hot and crowded but we had a decent campsite with plenty of shade so we were happy enough. Showers were nice. We spent most of our time fishing at Long Lake, which we liked much better. If you go, make sure to get fresh cinnamon rolls delivered to your site!

I camped at site #102. There are great views of the lake and easy access to water and bathrooms. The site that I stayed at was actually a teepee site and had a large-ish wooden platform. Parking was right in front of my site but not a drive-in site.

I've become a spoiled baby after hiking the PCT last year, so established campgrounds are hit or miss for me, primarily because of how noisy they are. That said, the hosts were wonderful and the park is clean and very well-maintained. I ended up leaving halfway through my second day because I just didn't want to deal with the noise and traffic.

Overall, I would definitely visit this park again! Next time, I'll aim for dates outside of peak summer camping!

Awesome views and tons of sites to pick from, although they are crowded and close together and some even have open paths connecting them. Great fishing and day-camping experiences too.

I have a self contained van and so like to camp in rustic sites. The full electric sites here are pretty small and tightly packed, but the tent / rustic sites are great. Aim for the 500 loop.

A quick last second get away for the first time as a family this season. We stayed in site 201 which was convenient. I wouldn't stay in the site again as it had nothing but swampy muddy low ground around it. It was also right at the entrance. Lots of traffic. However, the kids had plenty of fun running and playing on the hill directly across the street. The weather was great. The easy access to the lake and surrounding hiking trails made for an enjoyable weekend. The Mauthe Lake campground area in the KM forest is a great option for all. Nice and quiet early in the season with beautiful scenery.

We went late in the year in October the place was full but still peaceful. Did some biking and walking along the trails.

Mauthe Lake-Kettle Moraine is a joy for campers. Located right on Mauthe Lake the campsites are separated by lush trees and bushes. Make sure to pick the right campsite, tho.

Some of the campsites seems very shallow but if you looked closer they have a path or another site to put a tent.

The sites are well separated for privacy. Also, the shower house is perfect for an end of the day washing. The lake itself is great for canoeing or kayaking. I would highly recommend visiting.

I visit this site often and love it. Great walking and biking trails, and reasonably private sites. The 300 and 400 loops are better and the 500 loop is the best in terms of space and privacy.

If you do t mind cold camping (or have a 4x4 class B like me) go in the winter. Beautiful and empty. So peaceful.

Nice beach/swimming area, bike path, and playground for the kids. Also the most beautiful sunset over the lake and pines in July

My partner and I camped here with our son for a night. We reserved a spot kind of late and wound up between the shower building and a loud group of hunters in an RV. If we return we'll definitely try to get one of the more secluded walk-in spots that are maybe 40 meters off the road. I'd recommend those spots in any case, if you don't need any of the amenities of the spots very close to the road.

Bring cash for firewood. You can get it on sight (need $5 bills to use the giant wood vending machine), or you can get it at the nearby general store.

The trailhead for the Ice Age Trail is close to the entrance, and there are lots of other spots for fishing, picnicing, or biking.

Pros:

Quiet

Beautiful area with tons of trails

Plenty of bathrooms

Few insects due to the cooler weather

24 hour automated firewood vending

Cons:

Water was shut off due to covid19 except at the sanitary station, and that water was very rusty and not appealing to drink 

Sites are often close together; do some recon if you want some privacy

Be prepared for:

Standing water between sites

Fearless raccoons roaming the grounds after dark 

Really dark roads/walkways--the pit toilets have interior motion detectors, but otherwise, it's a dark toilet trek!

Mauthe has several great wooded sites.  You can’t go wrong with how close the park is to Milwaukee.

We had a pretty cool site up on a hill which was awesome. But the noise from the congested RV campgrounds below made it feel less peaceful. I can deal with mosquitos, but the mosquitos here were unbelievable. It seems like a fun way to get out on a lake, but in terms of hiking or rest and relaxation it wasn’t really our thing.

Our campsite was up the hill and away from the lake as those sites are quite ‘busy’ and we usually look for sites with more privacy. This campground is huge and offers many different kinds of sites depending such as open sites in a pine forest, down by the lake, or tucked away in the trees and bushes. We found several decent choices on a busy fall weekend without a reservation. We enjoyed the spacious campsite that had a couple of it’s own mini-trails and plenty of opportunities to hike in and around the area. I don’t fish, but it seemed like the popular thing to do for many other visitors. The vault toilets were okay but there is a nicer bathroom down the lake.

The campground and campsites are pretty standard.  Nice amount of space and privacy. 101 Walk in site was quite nice. Level ground, nice tree cover so it didnt feel too open. 

Loved being close to the beach and playground area! The kids really appreciated it :) The beach was very clean and even though it was a warm, busy day we didnt feel like it was too crowded.  The earlier you arrive the better chances you have of getting a picnic table in the shade ;)  

Enjoyed the walk around the lake, some parts are still a bit muddy, but overall it was a nice walk and the kids actually made it without too many complaints ;)  Nice variety of scenery!  Even caught a couple frogs.

Definitely a place to visit again! 

*checked out some of the trails near by which were really great as well!

I backpacked the IAT with a group and we camped for the night at Mauthe Lake at the beginning of April. There are lots of downed trees at the campground, which sort of detracted from the landscape (tornado damage, I'm told). Pit toilets were open, but water had not yet been turned on so be prepared to filter if you go this early in the season. We perused different sites/loops for a while to find adjacent non-electric sites large enough for multiple tents at each and were able to fit 8-9 (small backpacking) tents between 314 and 313.

Took our kids on their first camping trip here. Nice, small lake. Ice Age Scenic Trail is nearby. Exhibits at the VC. Overall a very nice time.

lots to do at mauthe lake. big campsites. not too close to neighbors, good fishing!

lots to do at mauthe lake! one of my favs. good fishing.

The campground itself is fairly small, but is segmented in ways that allow you to have great privacy and some decent hiking. The lake has a nice area for swimming, as well as dedicated boat/kayak launches. There's a nice hiking trail that wraps around the entire lake, which makes for a good hike. Very family friendly.

Very busy on the weekends. The public can come swim on the lake without having a campsite reserved so it is PACKED in the summer, otherwise beautiful campsite! very family friendly, there’s a playground, snack stand, and paved trails leading up to the beach area. There is a trail that takes you all around the lake that you can bike if you wanted. Great area for kayaking/canoeing too!

This lake is an amazing place to swim, bike and hike. There are plenty of sites for camping, electric, non-electric and tent. It is a no motor lake, so it is very quiet and clean. There is a playground, a big field, plenty of picnic area and a concession stand.

Mauthor Lake is a beautiful state park in Wisconsin. Good for biking, hiking, swimming and fishing. Sites are fairly wooded and private. Most of them seemed to be a decent size. Electric hook-ups, but no water. You can fill up at the dump station but I recommend bringing drinking water. There is a general store just outside the park where you can rent row boats, kayaks and paddle boats. The beach is mostly shallow water great for little ones. Flush toilets and changing area nearby. Small concession stand and playground within eyesight of beach