Wisconsin Camping
Our Wisconsin camping trip included five nights in two campgrounds, both of which were State Parks. There are a few things to know about camping in Wisconsin during COVID-19. One, the campground offices are not open for check-in. You just drive to your assigned site. Two, you must have a vehicle permit and you are expected to pay online for it before entering.
Kettle Moraine State Forest, Pike Lake Unit
Pike Lake Unit is a pretty, small campground in Hartford on Pike Lake. Though we were there in the middle of the week, it was mostly occupied. We had a large electric site, but the area where our camper and SUV was parked was in full sun. Unfortunately, there was a heat wave while we were there, so air conditioning was a must.
However, there was a nice shaded area on one side of our site that provided a nice place to sit in the shade.
Hiking to the Tower
I was happy that my husband agreed to take a hike to a tower in the campground. I have struggled getting enough exercise and the hike was a good one which required some effort. Fortunately, the trail was totally in the shade, which made it relatively cool. This was one of my favorite parts of the campground, but was probably my husband’s last favorite.
The 60 foot tower is at the top of Powder Hill, which is a Moulin Kane, formed from glacial rocks. They had the tower closed and blocked from climbing. I would have liked to climb it, but not enough to go through their barricades.
We had a rainy day where we just hung out at the campground, but we did go into Hartford in the rain for ice cream for dinner. We’re old, so who’s to stop us.
Historic Cedarburg
Cedarburg is small town founded in 1885 and is a suburb of Milwaukee. It has some interesting architecture and an old covered bridge.
The town has many buildings that were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Most of the shops in this little town were closed, but we had a nice lunch at the historic Stilt House. The outdoor seating was right by Cedar Creek, a large tributary of the Milwaukee River.
Milwaukee was just twenty miles away, so we drove through the city and stopped briefly at Riverwalk. It was very hot and we were tired, so we headed back to Hartford.
We checked out Pike Lake before we went back to the camper. It was a busy place and the lake was lovely. We weren’t tempted, which I took as proof we are old.
Wisconsin Camping in Chippewa Falls
Lake Wissota State Park
Lake Wissota campground is larger than Pike Lake with over a hundred sites. Our site had no electricity and we were planning to use our new generator. But, we discovered that generators are not allowed. I must use a nebulizer twice daily, so it was a health issue for me. Park personnel were working to allow special permission to use the generator when a sweet young lady in the office discovered a cancellation. They were most helpful in solving my problem and moving us to one of the few electric sites.
Our site had a large open area at the back. It was too bad that we did not have friends along with us to hang out.
Chippewa Falls
Chippewa Falls has one of the nicest parks we have ever visited. Because many businesses are closed, we really appreciated being able to enjoy this safe environment. Riverfront Park was one of my favorite stops in Wisconsin in this new pandemic world.
The park has a shady swing where you can sit by the river.
We have never seen solar powered benches before. There were also several places with electrical outlets. This park has so many amenities for its visitors!
We were concerned about finding clean and safe bathrooms on this trip because of the virus. The park was great in this area! The building below is an enormous park bathroom that is modern and was exceptionally clean.
Lunch at a Winery
We were more interested in the food truck than the winery. However, they limited the number of people inside the winery and were wearing masks, so we went inside for a tasting. We bought a couple of bottles of wine and some sausage and cheese.
The Island Vibe jerk chicken was delicious. We had our chairs with us, but there was no available shade. So, we ate in our car, as so many meals are eaten these days.
The Place We Didn’t Go
Leinenkugel’s Brewery is a major Chippewa Falls attraction. The inside tours are not currently occurring, but we thought we might stop and try one of their beers. When we saw the number of people inside and how close together they were, we passed on this. It had me really wanting to try the beer though, so we got some at the local grocery store. It was pretty good.
In Conclusion
This was the first time either of us have visited Wisconsin. The pandemic made it difficult to interact with the people and experience its culture. We logged more time in the campgrounds than our typical trips. The state is beautiful though and our few interactions with its residents were positive. If you are interested in our trips to other states, check out our page, States Visited, a Campsite Resource.
Stay safe out there!
