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Best Tent Camping in Wisconsin

3,456 Reviews

Wisconsin's state parks and national forests offer diverse tent camping options across varied landscapes. Newport State Park Campground in Ellison Bay provides walk-in tent sites within a natural setting along Lake Michigan, while Rock Island State Park requires two ferry rides to reach its secluded tent-only campsites. The Turtle Flambeau Scenic Waters Area offers boat-in tent camping for those seeking a more remote experience away from RVs and developed amenities.

Most tent campgrounds in Wisconsin feature picnic tables and fire rings with varying levels of additional amenities. Sites at Rock Island State Park have drinking water available from pumps near the boathouse, but lack showers. Governor Dodge State Park's backpack campsites require a half-mile to one-mile hike from the parking lot and feature more primitive facilities. Access types vary significantly across the state, from drive-in tent sites at Coon Fork Campground to hike-in, boat-in, and walk-in options at places like Newport State Park and the Apostle Islands. Seasonal considerations include mosquitoes in summer months and limited winter accessibility at some locations.

The backcountry tent sites throughout Wisconsin's public lands offer experiences focused on natural surroundings rather than amenities. At Rock Island State Park, campsites are positioned on the southeastern corner of the island in a stand of cedar trees directly overlooking the water. Straight Lake State Park provides remote tent sites with fire rings and picnic tables in private settings. Three Johns Lake offers a unique dispersed camping experience with a single tent site on the entire lake. As one camper noted about Rock Island, "Camping on Rock Island is refreshing for Wisconsin, as more campers are aiming for an experience in nature than that of a weekend-long tailgate party." Governor Dodge State Park's backpack campsites serve as excellent base camps for exploring the park's extensive trail system, including the popular Lost Canyon Trail.

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Best Tent Sites in Wisconsin (133)

    1. Newport State Park Campground

    34 Reviews
    Ellison Bay, WI
    Website
    +1 (920) 854-2500

    $20 / night

    "We hiked to site 16 but ended up hiking back to site 1 because there was still quite a bit of ice on Lake Michigan by site 16. Both campsites had a fire ring, camp bench seats and bear boxes."

    "This is the best place to camp in Wisconsin if you’re looking for a mix of outdoor adventure and touristy activities like drive in theaters and wine tastings."

    2. New Glarus State Park Campground

    18 Reviews
    New Glarus, WI
    Website
    +1 (608) 527-2335

    $15 - $25 / night

    "We have camped at several of the walk-in sites."

    "The sites are clean, each with a fire ring and a table. Some have gravel, some dont. Some are deep enough that you forget where you are once in the tent for the night."

    3. Coon Fork Campground

    14 Reviews
    Augusta, WI
    Website
    +1 (715) 975-0000

    $17 - $20 / night

    "The campground is lovely considering it's only $20 for lakeside ($17 non lakeside). It has a shower house, bathroom, dump station, wood for sale ($6/bundle), ice for sale and is non electric."

    "Coon Forks is a county campground with a nice lake with two beaches and a boat landing, but only non-motorized crafts allowed. Campsites are private with waterfront and electric sites."

    4. Rock Island State Park Campground

    12 Reviews
    Ellison Bay, WI
    Website
    +1 (920) 847-2235

    "Rock island SP is a dark sky spot and combine that with lesser people around, it was a perfect location for stargazing!"

    "Hands down our favorite Wisconsin State Park! Great day or weekend trip! You have to take a Ferry from Washington Island and carry/backpack on your gear (no cars or bikes allowed)."

    5. Welcker's Point Campground — Peninsula State Park

    11 Reviews
    Ephraim, WI
    Website
    +1 (920) 868-3258

    $20 - $22 / night

    "These sites are non-electric/no hookups. The dump station and water fill is near Tennison Bay Campground.  There are flush toilets and showers that could use a remodel or a deep cleaning."

    "Campground Review Welcker's Point is a well-shaded but somewhat open campground at the north end of the state park. The sites are nicely sized and very comfortable. "

    6. Devils Lake State Park Group Campground — Devils Lake State Park

    7 Reviews
    Baraboo, WI
    Website
    +1 (888) 947-2757

    "Adequate size site with a tent pad, shade and privacy. Trees for a hammock. Clean shower house. Lovely hiking. Decent cell reception."

    "This is a review for the group camp sites: The group sites are well spaced out from each other and offer pit toilets and full bathroom facilities with sinks, toilets and showers within walking distance"

    7. Turtle Flambeau Scenic Waters Area

    6 Reviews
    Mercer, WI
    Website

    "The Turtle Flambeau Flowage is dubbed the "Boundary Waters of Wisconsin" and for good reason! The quality of the waters, vast array of channels, islands and camping spots is simply amazing."

    "You can easily find a map on the Wisconsin DNR Website which shows an abundance of campgrounds and coordinates."

    8. Ada Lake Recreation Area

    4 Reviews
    Wabeno, WI
    Website
    +1 (715) 276-6333

    "One was a multi-layer setup while others were more hidden as they moved further away from the lake. The picnic tables look very new and the vault toilets are well kept."

    "We arrived mid-week and had no problem getting a lakeside campsite. The sites are low compared to the water level, so it was an easy walk from our campsite to the water (no stairs to climb)."

    9. Governor Dodge State Park Backpack Campsites — Governor Dodge State Park

    4 Reviews
    Dodgeville, WI
    Website
    +1 (608) 935-2315

    "Great backpack base camp! Great views, plenty of privacy and an easy hike. We stayed at 806."

    "Back packing sites are 1/2- 1 mile hike from parking lot. Great hike threw out the state park. 2 main lakes with great fishing is a plus. Lots to do for the whole family"

    10. Sparta Campground — Elroy-Sparta State Trail

    5 Reviews
    Sparta, WI
    Website
    +1 (608) 337-4775

    $15 - $21 / night

    "This is a walk-in campground intended for very light camping, particularly for those biking the Elroy-Sparta or Lacrosse Trails, as it is right on the Elroy-Sparta trail and only a 10 minute bike ride"

    "After biking 47 miles was a welcome respite on our first day of biking the Elroy-Sparta State Bike Trail. We spent a second night on our out and back along the trail."

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Recent Tent Camping Photos in Wisconsin

97 Photos of 133 Wisconsin Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews in Wisconsin

3456 Reviews of 133 Wisconsin Campgrounds

  • Michael M.
    Oct. 3, 2017

    Dells of the Eau Claire Park Campground

    Nice views fishing not so great

    This campground is right on the Ice Age Trail and a nice place to stop off during an extended hike.

    There are not that many sites available here and most do supply electricity. More people tent camp here rather than RV camping. There are pit toilets but no shower house although there are water spigots for drinking water. The sites are closer together than some campgrounds but it's not like a city block of camps like some KOA's I have camped at. The night time temperatures dipped in the low 30's in the middle of May when I was there. The campground attendants were on site twice a day to sell firewood and collect camping fees. The DNR rangers do patrol the campgrounds on a regular basis. There is places all along the river to fish and I was told the fishing is good, however I did not have very much luck when I was there. The campground firepits with cooking grates were OK and the wooden picnic tables are worn, but there is level ground for pitching tents.

    The scenery and hiking along the river and on the Ice Age Trail is great. If you had better luck fishing than I did this would have been a great camping weekend. Bring warm cloths and a great sleeping bag.

  • Sara S.
    May. 27, 2019

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

    GREAT beach!

    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!

  • Fred S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 28, 2021

    Dovetail Acres Campground

    Relatively New RV Campground

    Convenient to Sister Bay in Door County, Wisconsin. Off of WI Hwy 57. Large open field. 27 pull-through RV sites are equipped to handle the biggest RV’s by providing 34′ x 75′ sites. 33 back-in RV sites. 10 walk in tent sites. Pets welcome - $5/day pet fee. New restrooms & showers. No cell service, but very good free WiFi service. Clean campsites, well maintained. No privacy between sites. Gravel driveways. Picnic table. Fire ring. Convenience store & gas station on site - Dovetail Trading Company & Citgo gas station. Registration in store. Accepts reservations. Campground was still open on Oct 23, 2021, even though it's season ended on Oct 18. This is a good campground for RVs. I camped here when I couldn't find another campground that had available sites. I thought it was overpriced for camping in my camper van with no hookups needed, but it was okay in a pinch.

  • Kirsty G.
    May. 1, 2019

    Newport State Park Campground

    Beautiful and easy hike in sites

    My husband and I stayed at Newport State Park April 12-13th, 2019. We hiked to site 16 but ended up hiking back to site 1 because there was still quite a bit of ice on Lake Michigan by site 16. Both campsites had a fire ring, camp bench seats and bear boxes. The privy by campsite 16 was preferable because it had a half wall instead of being enclosed. Campsite 1 shares its outhouse with campsite 2. The hiking was very easy with minimal elevation change. Lake Michigan was beautiful to look at. Being early spring in Wisconsin it was still slushy and was depositing ice on its shores. A great place for people looking to backpack/hike in. We will be going back.

  • Alex H.
    Sep. 26, 2022

    Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

    No Flat Spots

    Very nice park. Well marked and maintained trails. A large lake with boat launch and beach area. Separate pet area.

    We spent the weekend at site 101, which is a tent site. I wouldn't recommend this site. based on a quick walkaround, it seemed a bit smaller than other sites. That's not really a deal-breaker, but it didn't really have any flat spots to pitch the tent. We ended up pitching it up on the parking area, but it was still a bit slanted and we could feel the tire divot a little through the air mattresses. Aside from that, it was great. The site had a picnic table and fire ring that we used a lot. It was secluded from the surrounding sites.

    We hiked the Windy Ridge trail and the Prairie Loop trail. both were well maintained and enjoyable trails. We also spent some time on the beach.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 12, 2025

    Highland Ridge

    Beautiful but buggy!

    General: Smallish (38 sites plus four walk-in sites) Army Corps of Engineers campground. Some (see below) have electric hookups but no water or sewer hookups, however, there is a dump station. 

    Site Quality: All sites are gravel/dirt (except for the ADA-accessible site), and most are very generous in size. Our site (7) sloped down but leveled out with plenty of room for our campervan at the bottom. All sites are wooded with trees providing separation/privacy between sites. Completing the site are a metal picnic table, fire ring, and lantern hook. 

    Bath/Shower House: Sites 28-38 only have vault toilets (but you could trek to the other campground loop). Sites 1—27 have flush toilets and showers. They were very clean, and I especially appreciated the fact that they were cleaned daily before 6 am, a shout out to the camp host! The shower was great– warm water and great flow, although our friends (who arrived two days before we did) had cold showers when the campground was full.

    Activities: Several short hiking trails. I give this campground 4 stars instead of 5 because Eau Galle Reservoir (Lake George) is about a 10-minute drive from the campground. Most Corps of Engineers campgrounds are located right on the water. There are no amenities (rentals, etc.) offered at the lake but it is small and beautiful, and we enjoyed a peaceful paddle. We saw a couple of people fishing on the lake and there is a small swimming area. At the campground, there was an interpretive center, but it was locked when we were there. There is also a nice, modern playground. 

    Aside from the plentiful bugs (in August), we enjoyed our two-night stay at this campground!

  • H. K.
    Jun. 26, 2022

    Baileys Grove Travel Park and Campground

    Clean, friendly & overall great

    We really enjoyed this campground!

    The owners were very accommodating. We had a late check in and they still hooked us up with firewood, ice and quarters for laundry!

    It's super clean. The whole campground is nicely cared for. There are plenty of trees and shade.

    There are central flush toilets and showers plus portable toilets scattered throughout the campground. The port o potties are lit at night and pleasantly clean. I generally loathe port o potties but these were actually pretty nice.

    The laundry is open 24/7 which is really convenient.

    The individual sites have a picnic table, fire ring, electricity and water. There wasn't a tent pad but the ground was level.

    I definitely recommend this campground and will stay here again when I return to Door County.

  • Stephanie F.
    Jul. 3, 2017

    North Trout Lake Campground — Northern Highland State Forest

    Fewer amenities, but great trade-off

    We arrived on a Thursday and were able to snag one of the much-coveted lakeside sites for a private view of the sunset. Sites were level and clean and it never got busy for the weekend, which is just the way I like it. Although there are tons of other state campgrounds nearby with more amenities, I would gladly trade all of that for the no-electric, vault toilet, water pump solitude of North Trout Lake. The campground has a nature trail and is also located on a paved bike path that runs between nearby towns and connects to the other camping areas.

    Amenities: nice/clean vault toilets, water from pump tastes fantastic, swimming beach, firewood for sale onsite, no electric, no showers.

  • Sarah B.
    Jul. 19, 2024

    Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

    Def do not recommend for summer 2024!

    I wanted so badly to love this campground experience, but just didn't. Site 19 was an easy walk-in that theoretically had nearby vault toilets, parking, and water.

    Each site only had space for one car to park before walking in. Not a huge deal, but annoying as there were 2 of us who drove separate and we had to problem solve. When we got to the site I was shocked to see that what was labeled as a tent site had literally NO flat space to actually set up a tent. Spacious site, but fully sloped.

    Also, what I would have loved to know, is that the vault toilets are closed because they are doing construction to build something new in that space. Construction that starts loudly each day at 7am. Honestly every site from about #35 down was affected by the noise because the construction is happening in the middle of the loop (and actually blocking some of the one-way road as well).

    The park in general was okay. Per the usual, the pet areas were lacking. No beach at all, just grass covered in goose poop and one cut out on the raised shore between tall grasses and foliage where a dog could potentially jump in. Certainly nowhere for a human to enjoy the water with their pups unfortunately.

Guide to Wisconsin

Tent camping in Wisconsin offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to outdoor enthusiasts seeking adventure and tranquility.

Tent campers appreciate these amenities

  • The Newport State Park Campground features a hike-in experience with drinking water available at the ranger station, making it a great choice for families.
  • At New Glarus State Park Campground, campers can enjoy spacious sites with electric hookups and picnic tables, perfect for a comfortable stay.
  • The Wabasso Lake Recreation Area offers a picturesque lakeside setting with fire rings and vault toilets, ideal for a rustic camping experience.

Some prices for tent camping range from $5 to $15

  • Camping at Blackhawk Memorial Park costs around $5 on weekdays and $10 on weekends, providing an economical option for budget-conscious campers.
  • The Camp New Wood County Park charges approximately $15 per night, offering access to the scenic Ice Age Trail right from your campsite.
  • Tent sites at Howell Landing are available for a nominal fee, making it a great spot for those looking to explore the Namekagon River.

Explore local attractions and activities

  • The Turtle Flambeau Scenic Waters Area is known for its canoe camping, with numerous islands and channels to explore, making it a paradise for paddlers.
  • Hikers will love the rugged trails at Newport State Park Campground, where over 26 miles of scenic paths await discovery.
  • For a unique experience, visit Oak Island, part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, where you can enjoy stunning views and hiking opportunities.

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