Camp Namekagon

This campground is near Hayward, WI, which is a very cool town to visit. It is a smaller town but was fun to walk around and relax. The campground is quite small with only 30 or so sites. The staff is awesome and extremely helpful. We went for a run down the street and didn't see one car in over 30 minutes - it is definitely in a quiet area. We did not opt for river tubing but many of the families did. The campus is quite large and makes it easy to walk your dog or just feel away from everything.

The red barn is one of the coolest features of the campground. And - they have draft beer inside.

Only drawback (reason for 4 stars) - you park on the grass and it was on the longer side.

Stayed here two weeks in July so I could attend the World Lumberjack Championships held every year in nearby Hayward. I think they are held for 2 days with one day being the semi-finals or preliminaries and the next day being the Finals. I went the entire weekend, but could have easily just done the Finals. But I would definitely plan on doing this if you are in the area.

The campground is clean and nice. I don't remember the sites having pavement, but most sites were grassy and fairly level. Many of the sites sit up on a level plateau above the restaurant and office. The restaurant/bar on premise is nice so you don't have to get in to a car if you want to go out instead of cooking. The owners were super nice and accommodating. I liked site #26 which was on a hill but I think even a better site would be #29 which if I remember correctly was at the end. Since it was Lumberjack weekend, it was pretty full.

So for the fun part of this area, KAYAKING or canoeing on the Namekagon River. This is premier Midwest kayak area with so many access points its amazing. Maps of the Namekagon River access points is available at the office or at the visitor's center a few miles away. All the access points are well marked. The campground will even run a shuttle for you. I was lucky and had friends up so we just staged two vehicles at each end of the route. Q likes to swim while I kayak and she was in heaven and usually tired after each 5+ mile trip. You can easily go any distance you want. Some of the places have short rapids that make the trip that much more enjoyable. There are a few hiking trails but really come for the kayaking or Lumberjack/jill championships. If you aren't here for that weekend, there is a shorter show in Hayward.