Devil's Lake State Park

Stayed here 10/24-29/2021 the Quartzite campground that I stayed in has a dedicated entrance to the north that makes entering and exiting the campground much easier than going through the park. The showers were individual and hot. There is a separate family bathroom/shower. Some sites are small and not very level. It really depended site by site. Sites are gravel and more level in the inner loop. During the week most people were in smaller campers along the trees in the outer loop.

There is hiking on both the west and east sides of the lake. The hiking on the east side can get really steep. The trail over there starts near the shore then goes straight up not quite a cliff but close. There is a gentler loop trail on the west that still has a climb but isn't at steep.

I went to Reedsburg just northwest to go biking on the 400 State Trail. It's a gravel rails to trails that I used a road bike on but a mountain or trail bike would be a better fit.

What a beautiful park, we were among the trees in Northern Lights. The site had a little bit of a ditch (paved) that caused a small dip that made backing and pulling out if you have a low rig could be difficult. The trails were fantastic, this is such a great park. We were just passing through the area, but will definitely go back again!

The park has many challenging hikes that offer fabulous views. The park can get quite crowded on weekends, especially on the easier trails by the lake or on the beach. We have a class A motorhome and originally had a site reserved in the northern lights section. But it was impossible for us to even navigate the roads let alone get into a site. The trees and levelness of the sites just didn't allow our unit to get in. So we switched to the Quartzite section. While we could get around the roads in this area, we had to try different sites to find one we could get into or that we could level our unit. Site 45 is wide open but not very level. Out front wheels were off the ground and we still couldn't get level. This is a great site for tents only. We then tried #52 but also couldn't level. I believe the campground website states that this site is a level one. Don't believe what they put on the website for any of the sites. Again, we have a 37' Class A so our issues were unique. But we did see some creative leveling contraptions being used on many of the trailers. For tent campers, this is a great campground as they have a lot of nice grass where you can set up. We'd stay there again but only if certain sites were available. All sites were well maintained and we saw cleaning crews in the baths on a weekend.

The site pricing was high enough to expect a much more level site than was the case. It sloped at least 6 inches from one side to the other with no placement of the trailer not requiring an excessive amount of blocks. The park was very crowded which is not unexpected but the atmosphere seems to draw a very noisy crowd with very loud music the competes with the loud music of other sites. Dogs are left to bark for what seems like hours and there was even a dog fight as loose dogs encountered each other. On the plus side there is lots of big trees that give each site a sense of privacy and the lake is scenic enough. But the only way to get a good night sleep was to be locked inside with the a/c running to drown out the noisy crowd. Perhaps there are better supervision over park rules when the parked is fully staffed.

The good news about camping in the “off” season is fewer crowds; the bad news is that many of the perks (concessions, boat rentals,etc) are not available. After summer during the week, the only campground available is Quartzite (I believe there are two others plus a group campground). The bathrooms in Quartzite were new and very clean. Not all sites are completely level but most of the electric ones are. Trails are plentiful and some are quite challenging but offer fantastic views. Trails are well marked. We were there on a cold, cloudy day but I think it is the best time to visit.Of all the Wisconsin State parks we have camped in recently, Devil’s Lake is the best!

We stayed in the Quartzite campground, mostly because we read that it was more accessible for big rigs. We had a reservation and followed Google Maps to the park. The drive in was a little unnerving, lots of trees and very few signs to reassure you that are went the right way. But, we did and pulled in to the parking area for camper registration. It was 2pm on a Sunday (father's day) and while we expected the park to be busy we thought most people would be leaving, not arriving. It was packed and the line in the building to check in wound around the small space. Even so, the check in process was fairly quick and painless.

To get to Quartzite campground you actually leave the park briefly, but even with a big rig is wasn't bad. Our site, #99 was a bit of a challenge. Most of the sites have gravel that has been overgrown with grass. Ours had a slope on either side of the narrow pad, so getting as close to centered was important. We did the best we could, but had difficulty leveling and ended up tilted downhill on the door side. We have an additional step we use and even with that we had a large step down since the entire site slanted down from the pad. Many of the sites have this same problem, but there are some a little flatter. Some others slant up or down along the pad, which would make leveling difficult as well.

The campground is very open, but you aren't right next to people and some trees are scattered around. The 50 amp hookup worked without any issues. There are a couple composting toilets, as well as a main bath house. The showers were ok for a state park, but we didn't use them. There are water fountains and faucets in a few places, but you'll need a container to use them.

The park itself is huge and we didn't come close to exploring it all, I suspect this is the biggest attraction at the campground. They say they are completely full every weekend, so plan in advance or arrive very early on Friday morning.

We had no AT&T signal, but our Verizon had 2 bars and LTE without our booster. I will note that even in Baraboo there was little to no AT&T signal.

I would stay here again if I wanted to visit the park, but I would be more particular about our site.

This is one of the most popular state parks in WI for a reason, the views are incredible and the range of outdoor activities you can do here are endless. We stayed in the Quartzie Campground, which just had new shower/toilet areas built and new pit toilets.There is no privacy between most sites and some of the sites are not very level. The park has great hiking, but the campground is very busy.

Big rigs be very careful....the entrance to the park is a long winding tree covered road and best to stay in the Quartzite Loop and enter off of County Road DL. Rock climbing, swimming, scuba diving (local dive shop closed though), hiking, biking etc. If you want to do it outdoors this is the place to go. If you want to go outside the park there isn't a better location in the state.....Wisconsin Dells, Circus, Scenic Drives, Wineries, State Capital, Parfrey's Glen, International Crane Foundation. If you can't find something to do here then you don't like the outdoors!

This densely wooded state park offers lots to do; from boating, fishing, and swimming in Devil's Lake to amazing hiking and nearby sights. The only reason I'm not giving it a five star rating is due to the low tree branches and uneven sites. Large rigs beware and stay in the Quartzsite Loop. Even entering the state park to the camper check-in had us a little concerned with our 5th wheel.

For those of you with low profile trailers or tents, you'll love this place. The other two loops offer some very private sites amongst dense vegetation. The restrooms were very clean and the individual showers provided privacy and plenty of warm water.

The town of Baraboo is home to the Ringling Brothers Circus Museum. There's a twice a week farmer's market and the International Crane Foundation is a must see for anyone interested in conservation, ecosystems, and learning about international efforts to save endangered cranes. The Wisconsin Dells is a popular place for kids - bring a thick wallet. It is very commercialized and attracts lots of folks from Chicagoland.

This is a very popular state park. We made a reservation 5 months in advance and were still unable to book a site over a weekend. During the week, there appeared to be enough available sites for drop-ins. We camped there the middle of August.