Bong State Recreation Area

For my first RV experience on May 3rd -5th I stayed at Richard Bong Recreational Area for the proximity to my home. Using the online reservation system I booked two nights at $30 each for 30 amp electrical service, plus a $7.75 convenience fee. Also, as a WI resident I purchased an annual admission sticker for $28. If you're from out of state and don't have an annual pass, the state parks requires a daily admission sticker - which on average runs $11/day, but some of the more popular parks can be as much as $16/day.

Typical Wisconsin park with sites relatively close together but separated by trees and bushes, although with the late spring this year the foliage was a bit sparse. Sites were mostly filled. Most are flat with gravel pathway and range in size. Behind the sites there is a picnic table and fire ring with cooking grate. Mine was in good order and I saw many people using them. You can buy firewood on your way in at $6/bundle - each bundle is probably good for one evening bond fire. If you arrive after the entrance office closes you can register manually although I found it a bit confusing since I had pre paid. The camp host stopped by on Friday night and I suggested I stop at the Ranger station first thing in the morning to make sure all was in order and avoid a ticket. . I did so and they provided me the registration slip to post by my site.

I was in site 140 and due to both the rain and my inexperience I had a bit of a challenge backing in and I created a bit of a rut. This particular campsite was pretty small and my 18' camper + 16 foot TV was all that would fit. The rain made things a bit muddy - but can't complain, although I might look for a slightly larger site with more room behind it - but this was literally the last sight available when I booked online.

Bathrooms had flush toilets and showers and were very clean. Plenty of hiking trails - mostly flat and sometimes shared with equestrian riders (so make sure to look down now and again) and great place to bird watch - especially for duck, geese and cranes at the west end. There are a few beaver dams as well and I caught a glimpse of deer passing through the trees. It's a marshy low land area so lots water. Have to watch out for ticks - it's a Wisconsin thing. Mosquitoes were not out yet due to the cold spring but will be. I think I was the only camper without a dog - hope they all had tick collars or front-line.

Although virtually all sites were filled, campers were very respectful - no blaring music or loudness. My site was spotless although without a lot of grass so a bit muddy due to all the rain we've been having. Other sites had much more space and greenery. On the west end of the area there are UTV and motorcycle trails, but none of that bothered me - not sure if they were even there.

Since civilization is close by cell service was full and at times you could hear highway noises if a band of harley's drove by. Dump station on the way out had easy access with a working flush hose.

So the park is OK, mosquitoes are just out of control but I guess should have expected that being surrounded by nothing but stagnant water. The biggest gripe I have with this park is how expensive it is, talk about hidden fees! Non electric is 18 per night but after you add to the cart it changes to 23 a night (5 dollar surprise fee) so we stayed two nights and after the hidden fees and another 10 dollars to just book the site it cost 55 total! Don’t forget when you get to the park it’s another 11 per day for the daily use fee or 38 (non resident) for the year. So if you want to spend close to 80 dollars for a weekend with a non electric site this place is for you. Also, for such a big park they only have 1 dump, after all the fees you’d think they can afford to put another one in. Also, they have hunting nearby so don’t be surprised to hear guns going off.

Summary:
This is a great state park that has something for all ages & activities. All state parks in Wisconsin require a pass to get in....as of 2016 $28 per year - resident. Living in the area - this has been our go to campground to test drive our camping digs from tent, pop-up, travel trailer, & now 5th wheel.

I would challenge anyone to name an activity this state park doesn't have.

• Camping/Group Camping for Cub/Boy Scouts
• Boating
• Fishing
• Hunting
• Dog Training (Hunting & Dog Sleds)
• Falcon Training
• Swimming/Beach
• Model Airplanes - Paved Runway
• Hot Air Balloons/Hang Gliders
• Birdwatching
• Sky Gazing
• Nature Center with wild animals & butterfly rearing
• ATV/UTV Motorcycle trails
• Cross Country/Hiking/Biking/Equestrian Trails
• Sledding
• Golfing

History
Bong State Recreational area was originally going to be R.I. Bong Air Force Base for medium bombers in the 60's. Three days before the two concrete runways were to be poured the project was cancelled. In the 70's the state bought the land and turned it into a recreation area mirroring Richard Bong's life & interests.

Richard Bong is from Superior, WI and is the leading U.S. ace with 40 confirmed kills in WWII. His life typical of northern WI revolved around the outdoors, hunting, & fishing. At a young age he was introduced to aviation which cemented his path to becoming a pilot. A tragic accident in the P80 Shooting Star ended the life of this decorated Army Major of the Army Air Force.

Bong State Recreational Area is a tribute to Richard Bong Army Air Force Ace & Medal of Honor recipient.

We stayed in site #234E which was a non-reservable site in the Sunrise CG area. Most of the sites in the 200's had huge backyards with lots of privacy. I was here in July and the only draw back were some pesky mosquitos, not intolerable but just a pain. Would love to camp here in the fall. Good birding location. I needed to be near Chicago and found that although this is a bit further than Illinois Beach S.P, I really preferred the sites here.

May need reservations in the summer, unless you can come mid-week and get a non-reservable spot.

We had to pay an additional $30 for a Wisconsin park entry pass. We stayed in the Sunrise Campground on the east side of the park, in the 200 loop. We were impressed by the size, spacing, and privacy of the sites here, which is the main driver for our good rating. Most sites have a thick stand of trees and shrubs between them for nearly complete privacy, yet have plenty of grassy area left over for camping. There were a couple areas along the road where scraping against low-hanging branches was unavoidable. We also had to back up our 37' motorhome all the way to the wood blocks at the end of our site in order to fit our car in front. We did spot a few sites that should support longer RVs. In almost all cases the camping area was behind the site rather than next to it---picture a lollipop where the stick is where you park your RV. Usually we don't prefer this arrangement, but it worked out well for us here. Our site #223 was close enough to one of the water spigots that we were able to refill our fresh tank halfway through our stay using three hoses (75' total). The spigots inside the campground aren't threaded so a water bandit or other adapter is needed. The campground host (Randy) was very friendly and helpful. The showers were pretty old, run-down, full of bugs, and the water was lukewarm at best. After our first shower we decided to just take navy showers inside the RV for the rest of our stay. There are miles of trails in the park, though we ended up turning around early due to mosquitos during our attempt at walking the trail. AT&T and Verizon both worked well. We would stay here again.