Best Tent Camping Wisconsin – 4th Edition

There is nothing quite like tent camping in Wisconsin. The variety of state parks, national forest campgrounds, county park camps, and even some city campgrounds offers something for every level of camper. However, some are better than others if you are looking to get away from it all. Outdoors writer Kevin Revolinski, a Wisconsin native, teams up with outdoor guidebook writing legend Johnny Molloy to put together this 4th-edition collection of Wisconsin’s best tent camping sites in a series published by Menasha Ridge Press. There are 50 campgrounds listed in the book, divided evenly into four regions of the state: Northwest, Northeast, Central, and Southern Wisconsin.

Now these aren’t necessarily Wisconsin’s most popular campgrounds; in fact, the subtitle of the book is A Guide for Car Campers Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos. So among the big state parks that fit that bill are also a number of obscure county parks or even campgrounds tucked into national forests — campsites the national forest doesn’t even list clearly on their website in some cases.

Each campground receives its own three pages complete with a quick overview chart of the key information: contacts, address, facilities, camp fees, rules, and restrictions. Concise directions get you to the front gate and the GPS coordinates are also present.

Each description gets into detail including some interesting points about the park and the area attractions, but also a site by site summary of where the best places are within the park itself. If a campsite lacks shade or privacy, it is noted. If you are looking for the one among them that offers a lake view, this is noted. Plus the maps of the campsite layouts offer additional insights.

All campgrounds are rated in six categories: beauty, privacy, spaciousness, quiet, security, and cleanliness, giving you a quick method for comparing your options for the weekend camping trip. At the front of the book, along with information about safety, preparedness, packing, and camp etiquette, is a collection of Top Five Campgrounds lists, which summarizes the best sites in the six rating categories.

The book is an obvious buy for campers from out of state, but even the most seasoned Wisconsin campers are going to find some new favorites among these best campgrounds in Wisconsin. If you are a paddler, you can find even more places to camp along several rivers in Wisconsin in my book where to go Paddling in Wisconsin.

See more books by Kevin Revolinski