Wisconsin's 5 Best Spots For Lakeside Camping, According To Seasoned Campers

Far from the bland "dairy country" of its popular stereotype, Wisconsin actually has some of the premier destinations in the Midwest, both urban and outdoors. On the urban side, major Wisconsin cities like Milwaukee and Madison have underrated cultural attractions to share with visitors. Even outside of these cities, visitors can find plenty of amazing small towns, like the charming Wisconsin village of Oakfield, nestled between Madison and Green Bay. Still, Wisconsin's cities, as worthwhile as they are, do tend to get overshadowed by even larger Midwestern cities like Chicago. The same cannot be said for Wisconsin's outdoor destinations, however. Rich in authentic Great Lakes-area forests and stunning natural preserves, Wisconsin boasts some of the most spectacular public lands in the Upper Midwest. Within these public lands are some of the region's best campgrounds. 

The numerous campgrounds in Wisconsin's national and state parks run the full spectrum of camping options, from premium "glamping" spots to primitive backcountry backpacking adventures. Yet while these kinds of options are present in many states, one area where Wisconsin stands out among camping destinations is its extensive offering of lakes. Like neighboring Minnesota, Wisconsin is a veritable land of lakes, featuring shorelines along two of North America's five Great Lakes, and plenty of smaller, inland lakes to accompany them. Many of Wisconsin's lakes, both big and small, protect extraordinary campgrounds, all offering some of the nation's most beautiful lakeside views to wake up to in the morning. From epic Great Lake coasts to small, intimate forest lakes, these five Wisconsin campgrounds have the best reputations among seasoned campers for unforgettable lakeside camping experiences. 

Buckhorn State Park is a lush forested paradise, about an hour and a half north of Madison. The park's status as a prime lake getaway comes from its location on a peninsula on the scenic Castle Rock Lake, a 13,955-acre reservoir along the Wisconsin River. Buckhorn State Park itself protects about 8,000 acres of Castle Rock Lake's shores, with two neighboring wildlife areas (the 1,643-acre Buckhorn Wildlife Area and the 2,188-acre Yellow River Wildlife Area) and plenty of amazing hiking trails and paddling routes. Water recreation enthusiasts in particular will love Buckhorn's boat landing along the picturesque Yellow River, which provides superb access to Castle Rock Lake's many unforgettable paddling and boating excursions. On land, the park's floodplain forests sit at the intersection of Wisconsin's southern hardwood forests and northern conifer forests, providing visitors with a one-of-a-kind forest setting to complement their outdoor adventures.

Buckhorn State Park's campground has 69 family campsites that can accommodate either tent or trailer camping, with additional amenities like picnic tables and campfire rings. The park also includes 20 campsites with electrical hookups, three of which are designated as ADA-accessible. While the park's developed campsites are perfect for RVs, Buckhorn also offers more primitive backpacking sites (open year-round) for a more "back-to-nature" experience. Being on a peninsula, Buckhorn State Park is surrounded by shorelines to the east, south, and west. All campgrounds likewise provide amazing access to Castle Rock Lake's epic beaches and boat launches. Overnight rates generally run from $18 to $32 (not including the park's vehicle admission pass). Unsurprisingly, past campers rave about Buckhorn's lakeside splendor, clean amenities, and peaceful nature, with several noting that they had "a little slice of the beach" all to themselves. 

While a park with the word "devil" in its name may not seem that inviting, Wisconsin's breathtaking Devil's Lake State Park proves that names can be deceiving. Located about an hour northwest of Madison, Devil's Lake State Park is a dreamy Midwest camping spot with scenic bluffs and a shimmering lake. And, at over 10,000 acres, Devil's Lake is also the largest state park in Wisconsin, ensuring that visitors have plenty of space for hikes and exploration even in the height of the busy season. And Devil's Lake is certainly worth exploring. The park's defining features are its dramatic displays of picturesque quartzite bluffs, towering as high as 500 feet above the shores of the namesake Devil's Lake and providing some of Wisconsin's most spectacular views. 

The quartize bluffs are notable remnants of past ice ages, when massive glaciers carved the landscape into the monumental geological marvel you see today. For this reason, Devil's Lake State Park is part of the National Park Service's Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The park's horizontal and vertical terrain also makes it a top Wisconsin destination for hiking and rock climbing (note that climbing routes are not maintained, and climbers do so at their own risk). 

Ironically, Devil's Lake is a heavenly spot for overnight camping. The park actually has three developed campgrounds: the Quartzite Campground, the Northern Lights Campground, and the Ice Age Campground. While each is amazing, the Quartzite Campground draws particularly positive reviews from past campers. The Quartzite Campground has around 100 individual campsites (both electric and non-electric) spread out across an open, grassy area along the northern shore of Devil's Lake. Nightly rates here generally vary between $28 and $53, with sites available both via reservation and on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is a vast, 1.5 million-acre federal preserve of Wisconsin's northern woodlands. Like other heavily forested regions of the Upper Midwest, Chequamegon-Nicolet is as rich in lakes as it is in trees, with more than 600 lakes dispersed throughout its pristine forests. One of these, the 892-acre Franklin Lake, is the centerpiece of the national forest's popular Franklin Lake Recreation Area. As per its status as a "recreation area," Franklin Lake is one of the best spots in the entire national forest for making memories in Wisconsin's great outdoors, with excellent opportunities for fun on both the land and the water. Franklin Lake itself is a top spot for boating, swimming, and fishing, while the surrounding recreation area offers several gorgeous nature trails that take hikers on a vibrant tour of the region's pine- and hemlock-rich forests.

The Franklin Lake Recreation Area Campground has 77 family campsites suitable for tents and RVs. Of these 77, 43 can be reserved in advance, while the remaining 34 are available first-come, first-served. Alongside its gorgeous pine canopy and prime location right next to Franklin Lake, the Franklin Lake Recreation Area Campground also has several historical buildings constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Campsite reservations at Franklin Lake are usually around $15 per night for non-electric sites, and $25 per night for electric sites (though rates can change depending on the season). Unfortunately, Franklin Lake's pristine character also means that it's a bit remote. Prospective campers are looking at a four-hour drive from Milwaukee. Still, campers who do make the journey rave about Franklin Lake's "[p]rivate sites, great beach, [and] beautiful buildings," making it arguably the best-rated campground in the entire Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. 

Wisconsin's aptly-named Peninsula State Park is the first of two Great Lakes destinations to make this list. The peninsula that gives Peninsula State Park its name is the extensive Door Peninsula jutting eastward into Lake Michigan from Wisconsin's mainland. Sitting towards the outer edge of the Door Peninsula, a little over an hour from Green Bay, Peninsula State Park showcases virtually everything that makes the region such a spectacular outdoor paradise. The park features 8 miles of Lake Michigan beaches, with eye-catching limestone cliffs ascending above the water in a marvelous showcase of Wisconsin's Niagara Escarpment. In addition to its sublime lakeside views and forests, Peninsula State Park also features more modern attractions, like the historic Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, the accessible Eagle Tower observation deck, and the informative White Cedar Nature Center. There's even a golf course, concession stands, and an outdoor theater right along Lake Michigan's shores!

Peninsula State Park's South Nicolet Bay Campground is one of Wisconsin's most acclaimed camping destinations along the Great Lakes. Writing on TheDyrt, reviewers note that South Nicolet Bay provides a perfect blend of waterside views and a wooded canopy overhead, with plenty of terrific access to the park's many recreational activities. They also note that the campground has "[l]arge, private sites" with "[l]ots of nature to enjoy," while virtually everyone raves about the campground's "stunning views." Amenity-wise, South Nicolet Bay's 143 campsites include 54 electric sites, bathroom facilities with hot showers, and convenient walking paths to the nearby Nicolet Beach. Overnight rates can vary, but reservations here are usually between $28 and $53 per night. If South Nicolet Bay is booked full, Peninsula State Park also offers developed camping at the North Nicolet Bay, Tennison Bay, Weborg Point, and Welcker's Point Campgrounds. 

The Lake Michigan shores along its eastern border are not Wisconsin's only Great Lakes coastline. Much further north, Wisconsin also boasts an extensive coastline along the formidable Lake Superior. Given Lake Superior's prestigious reputation among all of the North American Great Lakes, it's no surprise that Wisconsin's slice of Lake Superior shore has many of the state's best outdoor destinations. One of them, the bewitching Big Bay State Park, may also be Wisconsin's best spot for lakeside camping. Unlike the other parks on this list, Big Bay State Park is actually located on an island, providing it with virtually unlimited access to glorious Lake Superior views via its several miles of vibrant Great Lakes beaches. 

The island in question is the phenomenal Madeline Island, the largest of Wisconsin's acclaimed Apostle Islands archipelago. If the name Apostle Islands sounds familiar, it's probably because of the much more famous Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, which protects many of the Apostle Islands as part of a stunning National Park Service-administered site. However, though Apostle Islands National Lakeshore does have some camping spots, Big Bay State Park's main campground is actually the best-reviewed camping spot throughout all of the Apostle Islands. With 60 individual campsites featuring electric hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings, the Big Bay State Park Campground provides a cozy camping adventure with picture-perfect views of Lake Superior. Campers can also enjoy Big Bay State Park's shoreline trails, beach boardwalk, and other recreational opportunities, or perhaps venture even further to explore Madeline Island's lovely towns and lakeside attractions.  

With extensive coastline on two Great Lakes and around 15,000 smaller lakes, Wisconsin certainly has no shortage of amazing lakeside camping options. Narrowing these options down to a list of just five, therefore, required a few different considerations. First, we needed to determine whether to even include Great Lakes camping options on this list in the first place. The Great Lakes, after all, are great for a reason, and their massive size and vast beaches often resemble oceanside vacations much more than they do intimate woodland lakes. When people think of "lakeside camping" in Wisconsin, a vast, ocean-like coastline along the Great Lakes may not be what they have in mind. 

Still, the Great Lakes are officially "lakes," and we therefore decided to include them in our list. However, we also wanted to ensure that Wisconsin's Great Lakes campgrounds did not dominate this list. We ended up deciding to include two Great Lakes campgrounds—one on Lake Michigan and one on Lake Superior—while limiting the remaining three to campgrounds on smaller, inland lakes and reservoirs. 

Once we decided on this configuration for our list, we then focused on determining the precise method for ranking Wisconsin's campgrounds according to reviews from seasoned campers. To this end, the website TheDyrt.com proved especially valuable. As both a website and a mobile app, TheDyrt is a convenient way for campers to provide reviews, critiques, and commentary on campgrounds they've visited. This allows us to see a cumulative rating for each campground and see which campgrounds get the highest average rating from the most individual reviews. TheDyrt also provides helpful summaries of the aggregated reviews for a particular campground, which helped identify particular features that make a specific campground stand out.