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Established Camping

Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area

About

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

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.

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Location

Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area is located in Wisconsin

Detail location of campground

Coordinates

42.63542925772888 N
88.11601530741267 W

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Site Types

  • Standard (Tent/RV)

Features

For Campers

  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Reservable
  • Electric Hookups
  • Toilets
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump

Reviews

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4.0

out of 5

21 Reviews

Dante V.
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2023

July 22, 2017

Nice little site with enough space for 3 or 4 cars

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Dante V., August 3, 2023
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Dante V., August 3, 2023
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Dante V., August 3, 2023
  • (12) View All
Landon C.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Oct. 12, 2022

Generators not allowed

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.

Month of VisitSeptember
Alex A.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Sep. 15, 2022

Need more maintenance

Camping spots are nice, some of them bigger some are smaller..Bathrooms need better maintenance.

SiteSunset campgrounds
Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Alex A., September 15, 2022
Katherine F.
Reviewed Jul. 10, 2022

Beautiful and close to home

We’ve camped here once before. The sites are huge and love the trails. We wanted to bring our Basset hound camping for the first time and thought of this place right away. They have beautiful nature and we want to try the atv trails sometime.

Site28
Month of VisitAugust
N
Reviewed Feb. 28, 2022

A Nice Place

We have spent a lot of time camping and hiking at Bong and it is perfectly nice. It may not have the most exciting hikes or scenic views but it is a place to escape the city with decent facilities and campsites. We prefer the quieter sunset campground.

SiteSunset campground
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Nicole K., February 28, 2022
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Nicole K., February 28, 2022
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Nicole K., February 28, 2022
  • (4) View All
kassondra T.
Reviewed Jun. 19, 2021

Best site at the campground

Pros: great hiking trails, nice lake to kayak on, family friendly beach and picnic areas

Cons: Not great fishing, no dog friendly swim area, the beach/fishing pier/boat launch are all pretty far from the campsites. There is a hiking trail down to it, but when bringing a bunch of beach gear/kid toys it’s much easier to throw it all in the car and drive down there.

We have been to Bong a few times and this site was by far the best we’ve stayed at. Evenly sunny/shaded. Not overly buggy. Couldn’t see the people in the sites next to us. Had a flat, grassy area for the tent. It also had a couple mature trees to attach the dog’s zip line to.

Site217
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by kassondra T., June 19, 2021
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by kassondra T., June 19, 2021
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by kassondra T., June 19, 2021
  • (5) View All
B
Reviewed Jun. 7, 2021

A getaway to nature

Bong has a diverse set of activities available from hiking to model airplanes. What they do seem to lack is very spacious camp sites. Facilities are well maintained, and you can certainly have an enjoyable time here. Our family will likely camp here again this season due to Bong’s convenient proximity.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Bill M., June 7, 2021
b
Reviewed Jan. 8, 2021

Nice

clean, private, tree-covered sites, often campsites are available on busy camping days! nice folks work here also :)

Erika
Reviewed Sep. 25, 2020

Very Peaceful

This used to be our traditional family camping area, but over the years camping has become very strict on noise and headcounts. It is also becoming more modernized. I still enjoy all the wildlife we see but I will stick with hiking over camping here. It sucks having to worry that when you are laughing loudly at great camp stories security may come give you a warning. 🙄🙄🙄

G
Reviewed Apr. 29, 2020

Fantastic

My go-to campground. Have camped here numerous times. Sometimes with family for fun and recreation. Other times all by myself for peace and solitude. This state campground fits both scenarios. Nice hiking trails, fishing accessible within the park, beautiful, splendid nights by the campfire.

Barbara P.
Reviewed Apr. 23, 2020

Beautiful Campground.

Very nice campground and great place to camp for first-time campers like I was. Very nice and clean facilities.

Justin Z.
Reviewed Sep. 1, 2019

Laid back

Nice park pretty laid back. Had some cool amenities like the off road park and multiple fishing spots. Has a winery and cool dive bars all within 10 min. Only downside is all the noise from the road and the drag strip near by.

  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Justin Z., September 1, 2019
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Justin Z., September 1, 2019
M
Reviewed Aug. 23, 2019

It might be the timing

We had a wooded site in the Sunset campground, mid-week.

The sites are rustic but nicely groomed with a tree line between most campsites, although almost none of the spots had occupants. The camp hosts were very nice and very communicative about all the happenings. Picnic table and fire pit included. Long enough drive in for RVs. But enough grass for tenting. Not many trees available for clothes lines.

Unfortunately, we might have had bad timing. The beach was closed due to high levels of bacteria. The pit toilets closest to us were also closed due to a bee hive being found so we ended up driving to the flush toilets if there was any urgency but could walk if you wanted. We also picked a spot by the water fountain. The water was yellow from iron. It had just stormed so the bugs were bad and everything was wet. So mostly a series of unfortunate events but we still enjoyed our time.

Because this is a prairie, there is so much to look at! The hiking trails are great through prairie and woods. The sunrise over the prairie and the sunset colors of the sky were great.

  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Melinda K., August 23, 2019
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B
Reviewed Aug. 4, 2018

Basic

Basic campground nothing much to offer

Month of VisitMay
Cora M.
Reviewed Jul. 25, 2018

clean, simple, and open view

great for relaxing or calming walks, great open view, small lake, enjoyable.

Cora M.
Reviewed Jul. 25, 2018

clean and simple

I would recommend this for anyone for starting to step out of the comfort zone for the outdoors. very simple, many paths to walk, jog, or ride a bike. a small lake is near the further parking lot. dogs are welcomed on lesch.

Amy K.
Reviewed Jul. 9, 2018

Tons to do in this awesome state park not far south of Milwaukee

This campground wasn’t heavily booked and had great sites. Richard Bong State Park is huge with tons of hiking, nice fishing and kayaking. There is a launch pad for model rockets which my kids loved.

Art S.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Jun. 6, 2018

Large natural area with options in addition to camping

Wisconsin’s first and largest recreation area has a wide variety of opportunities available. A collection of grassland, prairie, savanna and woodland provides volunteer opportunity as well as hiking, camping and even dog training. 

The ranger staff was enthusiastically helpful. The first person at the gate directed me to the inside to register. This ranger collaborated with another to advise me on a site that was less buggy and still let me have sun access for the solar panel. They settled on a site in the sunrise campground. Besides the host, I was the only one in this loop. 

The campsite is very large. However the trailer length would be a deciding factor on your choice of sites. Site 28 gave enough space for my trailer and car before the bumper stopped vehicles. Beyond the bumper grassy area expanded to give me more room than I would need. I quickly set up the screen room since mosquitos were all over me. Once settled in, a peaceful tone took over. My mind blanked out the sound of vehicles and let the chirping birds resound. 

The visitor center has live animals and displays. 16 miles of hiking trails through a variety of ecosystems - one is a self-guided interpretive trail. Watercraft have a place on Vern Wolf Lake. 

Be prepared for the bugs while you stay here.

Site28
Month of VisitJuly
  • A view of site 28 and a bit of the driving through the campground
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  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Art S., June 6, 2018
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Art S., June 6, 2018
  • (4) View All
Robert S.
Reviewed May. 1, 2018

Nice park

It’s a big park. The staff could be a friendlier and it’s in better shape. Good for a weekend.

Month of VisitMay
Melissa B.
Reviewed Sep. 1, 2017

Great for young explorers!

A little cold but perfect weather for exploring! Great little site.

Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Melissa B., September 1, 2017
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Melissa B., September 1, 2017
  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Melissa B., September 1, 2017
  • (11) View All
Christian V.
Reviewed May. 2, 2017

A great campground with tons of amenities

This place has everything a clean campground,great hiking trails, ATV trails, a nature center, a self-guided audio hike, fishing and more....

  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Christian V., May 2, 2017
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  • Review photo of Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area by Christian V., May 2, 2017
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