Ottawa Lake Campground

This campground is part of the Wisconsin State Parks system, which ended up meaning a hidden fee was involved. I’ll get to that later.

Check in/out is 3:00 PM. This is later than what I’ve seen from most places, but that’s not a huge issue. We arrived at just about 3:00 PM exactly. There was a young man (late teens) working the window. He asked if we wanted a day pass, or to purchase a year pass. Remember, we are pulling a 35’ camper, so it should be obvious we are here for the campground. Given the choice of one day or a year, I chose the one day. I think it’s reasonable to assume an initial fee is paid to enter the state park, with your camping pass covering the rest of your stay (This is how the State Park works near me).

The kid prints off a receipt, and puts a piece of scotch tape on it. This is the day pass sticker apparently. He then says nothing about camp registration, information, or directions.

I pull through, guessing we will figure it out. We had an electric only site, so now I had to find the water fill station. I observed a line of campers at the dump station, but did not see an obvious water fill station. After a couple of laps around the campground, I went back to the front building to ask the kid.

I’m still not 100% certain the kid understood what a dump station or water fill station was. I specifically asked if the water fill station and dump station were in the same area, and was told no. The kid described the water fill station as being across from the dump station in a different area. This was not correct.

The water fill station is the same type of setup as the dump station wash out hose, only blue instead of red. It is exactly the same spot as the dump station……

After waiting in the (now growing) line, I filled the water tank and headed to our site. We were on site 328E. The site is built into a mound/hill, with wood on either side and in back of the RV parking spot. There’s just enough room to center your rig and put your slides out on either side. Also, you will have to back in uphill, as this site is the last in a row before going downhill (see photos).

I had planned to combat the narrow space by lining my door up with the wooden stairs leading up to the camp area. I found this to not work, since there is a grade front to back. I had to back all the way in if I wanted to be anywhere close to level front and back.

Once settled, we really liked the spot. It doesn’t feel like the neighbors are close, and it has a rather spacious camp area (away from your rig). There is another review that mentions the highway noise, and it’s correct. HWY 67 runs right behind this spot, and it has moderate traffic.

The next day, I had to run to the store for a couple of things. Upon returning, I was asked for my pass. I informed the young woman (again, late teens) I was camping and paid entry the day prior. She told me it did not matter, and you must pay the entry fee for each day you’re at the park. I asked why this wasn’t built into the price of the camping spot, but she just kept repeating that it was on the website (while this is true, it’s in a completely separate section of the website and not linked or explained in the campground registry page). From their tone, I got that they must get pushback often about this (which begs the question why not just build it into the price of the sites?) At the time of our visit, it was $11 for out of state guests, and $8 for in state guests (per day).

I used one the the three shower houses. They were what you would expect from a State Park. Nothing fancy, but clean enough and what you need.

There was a large park area and a beach for swimming. There’s also a boat launch and pet swimming area. Be aware there are a LOT of “No pet” areas, including the walking trail. Basically, pets are only allowed along the drive path and at your site. They allow pets to swim near the boat dock area, but they can’t be at the parks or beaches. We felt like there were a lot of rules given the number of signs we encountered. It didn’t prohibit us from enjoying ourselves, but it did make it seem like we were constantly thinking about rules.

All in all I wouldn’t advise anyone AGAINST staying here. But if for whatever reason we came back to the area, we would look for something else.

Ottawa Lake was our very first campground when we started tent camping 20+ years ago and remains one of our favorites today. The one thing this property doesn't have and really needs: a concession and rental stand. If you need provisions, it's a 10 minute drive into Eagle (albeit a very nice drive especially if you have a sports car).

But that's the only gripe. In the recreation are the beach, picnic area and fishing pier. There's a woodshed for firewood at $6.50 for a bundle. The state forest offers some of the best mountain bike trails in the region. Regular hiking trails are abundant and vary widely in difficulty (this is a very hilly area). Horse riders will love the options available to them. There is even a large, state-owned public firing range located about 10 minutes away. Geocachers (like us) can choose from over a hundred hides within a 10 mile radius.

In the campground itself, the electrical sites are mostly level and well spread apart. Even the partial shade sites have enough vegetation surround them to maintain privacy. The shower building is of an earlier design and probably should be replaced. We're self-contained so we don't use it anymore. There is some road noise coming from Hwy 67; the sites in the higher numbers are farther away from the road.

The DNR is still operating under COVID protocols, meaning you must have a reservation and check-in is contactless. Ottawa Lake will always be on our regular rotation.

Ottawa Lake Campground is within the Kettle Morraine Southern Unit in Southern Wisconsin. The Campground has numerous sites for both RVs and tents. Very standard WI state park camping, with paved roads and gravel camping pads. 30/50 amp hookup. Clean bathrooms and wells for water close by. Fire wood for sale at $6/bundle. Free fishing poles available to fish in the lake. Numerous activities for kids including swing sets, swimming in the lake and various learning actives about animals, bugs etc.

Most of the sites are flat but there are a few that were pretty slanted and might be problematic for larger rigs. The sites along the east side of the grounds back up against HWY 67, a quite busy two lane highway with lots of traffic. If road noise bothers you, avoid these sites. The good news is that if you're in one of these you can sneak out the back, cross the road and get access to the Moraine Ridge Trail - which then leads to Scuppernong trails and the Ice Age Trail. Otherwise you have to drive to the trailhead park entrance and pay a fee. Hikes run from 3 to over 10 miles. The trails are excellently maintained and well marked and range from easy too advanced. True to Wisconsin, I didn't see a single piece of trash on my 6 mile journey. Luckily I didn't see any ticks either!

Wooded sites. Clean bathrooms and showers. Electric 50 and 30 amp
Hookup.
Some sites will take large class A motor homes.
Back in sites.
Lake nearby.
Swimming beach at the lake.
Dump station.
Water nearby.
Tent, non-electric as well as electric sites.
Total of 254 sites.
Horse group camping.
Hiking.
Friendly staff.