We had an absolute blast staying here and can't wait to return sometime again in the summer. The photo was taken right by our campsite. So beautiful waking up to this in the morning. We saw SO much wildlife in the 30 hours we stayed there. Fish of all types, deer, wild turkey, toads, owls, eagles, and even a porcupine! The stars were beautfiul and the park in well maintained. Porta potties we're throughout the park and close to our sight, they were clean too. There's a little shop nearby with everything you would need from fresh bait/fishing supplies to grocery items like raw meat and butter. They also had snacks, sodas, beers and we saw a few to go orders of pizza leave too. Such a beautiful lake and amazing representation of Wisconsin wildlife. There's boat launches and kayaks launches in the park. It is also bear country so inform yourself on rules before staying! read more

Buckhorn State Park - Waterfront Campsite - Parks Near Me - Necedah, Wisconsin

We've gone camping at Buckhorn State park 2 times now at two different camp sites. We stayed at lake side campsites both times, which are offer a lot of space, very private with complete tree coverage, and small private beach access to the lake. We drove in to the campsite, park, then have a 400 yard walk to each campsite. There is the option to boat into some of these shore line campsites as well. The only down side to camping here is the mosquitos are pretty crazy during the high mosquito season in the summer. They weren't bad in late August, but when we recently camped there in July, everyone had 20 mosquito bites. If you go during the mosquito season I highly recommend a screened in room to hang out and cook. We couldn't hang outside of the screen room longer than a few minutes before being attacked by a lot of mosquitos, no amount of bug spray helped that situation. Our group of friends that we camped at here plan to keep coming. It's about a 4 hour drive from Chicago, just about half an hour north of Wisconsin Dells read more

Buckhorn State Park - Sunrise from our Campsite - Parks Near Me - Necedah, Wisconsin

Came to Buckhorn to camp two summers ago. We do an annual camping trip at Mirror Lake State Park, but decided to try something new. This park is lovely! We had a lake shore campsite which was awesome. There was a trail entrance very near our site, so we walked that a few times. Our site was great. It was HUGE! We were pretty close to the bathrooms which was convenient. The bathrooms themselves, though, were pretty gross. Now I know it's a campground. I get that. But of all the state parks I've been to, these were the worst maintained real bathrooms (ie: not outhouse style, but real flush toilets and running water). I would absolutely still go back and camp here again, though. The lake was full of blue-green algae when we were there which was a big bummer. Not that any of us wanted to swim, but we did have to keep a close eye on the dog. HE really wanted to swim! In the mornings the whole shoreline was just covered with the stuff. The majority of it would wash out during the day and the dog get to splash around a tiny bit, but we had to be very careful. I know that's not the park's fault, but it's a geographical downfall, and for that I had to take a star. The drive into the park is lovely as well! I took so many pretty pictures. I really like the area that this park is in. There isn't much to offer as far as conveniences near by - expect a drive into Mauston if you suddenly need something. But even that is only a short jaunt away. There IS however a small pizza shop/small store (weird, I know) very close to the park that you can order for pick-up from. We did this one night, it was really good pizza! read more

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campground has nice sized lots, but the flies will carry you away. Nasty! then the mosquitoes start. $7 for wood which was nothing more then kindling. Not impressed with Minn. State Parks. Go to Michigan if you want nice parks for a nice enjoyable experience! read more

Excellent place to go fishing or boating. I'm from the area and love going there!!! Great choice!

I agree with Jeremy N. Make sure to call and check about mosquito and tick season. We brought a deet-free, "natural" mosquito repellant that did squat against the heaviest mosquito swarm I've ever experienced. This was also the trip where I was introduced to ticks lol. Even with long sleeves, pants, socks over pants, a jacket, and hat in the hot weather, we still got multiple mosquito bites on our face, hands, and through our clothes. Found about a dozen ticks on us underneath our clothes. Had fun though hiking, setting up our tent and campsite, kayaking for the first time, cooking meals, ears of corn, making smores, experiencing a rainstorm at night. Ty Dad for giving us the tarp to place underneath our tent, otherwise we would've been soaked lol. Also, we saw the cutest porcupine! The porcupine waddled and tried to climb a tree, but changed its mind. Friendly employees. Would like to return during non mosquito/tick season. read more

I strongly encourage calling the park office before heading there to get the mosquito report in late spring/early summer. It's simply not worth camping if they're freshly hatched. Ticks can be bad too depending on the time of year. With that said, this park is one of my favorite state parks in central Wisconsin. The walk-in sites are all pretty secluded and private with most of them having access to the lake. Boat owners can even access some of the walk-in sites by water. There's a few spots to buy wood on the drive in, but you can also buy wood from the ranger station. There's a gas station/general store nearby too if your beer somehow manages to disappear from your cooler. read more

We camped at Buckhorn SP with a group of friends over Labor Day weekend. Because it was a holiday weekend they made us reserve the site for all three weekend nights even though we were only camping for two- at $18 a night not a huge deal for a group to split the extra night. The ranger station was open until 9pm on Friday and they sell wood for $5 a bundle. The map is a little confusing so it is good to have them point you in the direction of your site, especially in the dark and *low cell service*. We stayed in backcountry campsite 45. They have a decent amount of car camp sites as well which we didn't check out. Parking for campsites 30-45 is down a dirt road with a lot of potholes. The backcountry sites are walk-in with varying lengths of walk to the sites. Of sites 30-45, 45 has the longest walk buttt no one walks past your site to get to theirs. Although 'backcountry' makes you think of a hike-in, it is really like a 6 minute walk on a grassy trail the width of a car. When we checked in they gave us access to a locked cart specific for our site to haul our gear (nice that you don't have to share carts). If you're not opposed to wheeling your gear down a trail in a cart, the backcountry sites are worth it for the privacy if you like being loud, have dogs or just like to get away (from other people)! There was a port-a-potty about 2 minute walk up the trail from our site and a pit toilet at the parking lot. The site was a nice size, we had four tents, the campfire ring, a cooler area next to the picnic table, and even space for a bags set up.The lake was a 39 second walk down a trail from our picnic table and when we went swimming it felt like we had the whole bay to ourselves. The shore was forested, not beachy, and had some poison ivy so at our site at least you couldn't really hang out by the water, you had to be in the water or back at the camp site. The bay we were on was very shallow and you could walk out a long ways. If you brought a boat you could tie it up to the shore, we opted instead for floaties and frisbees. We did walked a few of the marked trails on the west side of the peninsula but didn't last too long because of the bugs. I would go back to Buckhorn, especially on a hot summer weekend when you wanted to do more lounging in the lake than hiking; in the meantime I want to keep exploring Wisconsin's other state parks! read more

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Let's talk skeeters. I've been camping in Wisconsin for decades and never experienced a swarm like this. That being said, like any element of nature it's manageable if you're prepared. Deep woods bug spray, pet-safe options for the dogs, a nice smokey campfire and some patience are must-haves. Any time you move around (setting up camp, getting out of your tent in the morning) it was like a scene from Hitchcock's Birds, but things settled down around the fire. Flying pests aside the sites are lovely and private. Castle Rock Lake is beautiful and definitely worth a visit. read more

We had a gorgeous site, however as others have said it is very, very buggy. Several campers around us gave up and left before the 1st night. We had brought spray for us and our campsite, and had canopies, which kept the mosquitoes at bay a bit, unless you ventured toward the edges of the site. The ticks were a problem, and in fact, we discovered a couple of weeks later that my 4 year old son took home Lyme disease as a souvenir of our camping trip! In summary, beautiful place, but we will never go back to camp. read more

Buckhorn state park is a great park. Not huge, just right. They have wilderness camping, (just you and the mosquitos!), group camping, and a whole new camping area opened just two years ago. The new area will handle just about any sized rig or tent! Many of the sites have electric and water. The sites are huge but wooded for privacy. Water is very near, with access in several locations. A boat launch is very near right in the park. Buckhorn also has a handicap accessable cabin with roll in shower and roll on fishing pier. Firewood is available right in the park also, as a concession by the friends of the buckhorn group. Shopping, limited, is right outside of the park entrance at the buckhorn store. The buckhorn cafe is just another quarter mile down the road. A childrens play area and swim area is right on the beach. And a cold water rinse shower is right there. Biking, hiking, canoe rentals, and kayak rentals are all available at the park office. There is a GPS course for GEOCACHING also, with GPS units available for free use from the park office. You just can't beat this park. Bring your own insect repellant, but is you forget, it too, is available at the park office. read more

This is a well maintained park. Excellent tent site. We will definitely visit again. A few words for those who know nothing about nature. There will be mosquitoes out there. Especially from mid May to the end of June. Don't like skeeters? Camp during the cooler months. Great park. read more

There is so much to do here, but we only stopped by to check out the grounds. The park is well kept and the beach area is spacious. My only complaint is that there were mosquitos all over the trail leading up to an observation tower. I had to run all the way back to my car to avoid getting anymore bites. read more

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A group of friends and I went camping here the first weekend in June. The 1.25 mile hike to the campsite wasn't bad except for the fact that there were mosquitos everywhere biting at us the entire hike in. It didn't help that the hike in was surrounded by swampy water which mosquitos tend to breed in. We reserved two campsites along the lake (18 & 19), which were fairly nice but kind of small. Being next to the lake was really nice and kept our campsites cool, for the most part. The only downside to it is that you hear carp splashing in the water all night which was kind of annoying. There were a lot of trees giving shade and privacy from other campers/campsites which was a plus, but that left barely any room to do/put things after tents were up. In addition, there was nothing really to do once we got to our campsite. We fished and some went swimming but other than that there really wasn't much we could do unless we wanted to hike the 1.25 mile back to the car and endure the torture of the mosquitos biting at us endlessly. We initially reserved 4 days, 3 nights here but we ended up leaving after the first night because everyone was bitten up and a couple were finding ticks on them left and right. Overall, I don't think I would ever go back. I'm not a big camper but this was one of my worst experiences. I suggest that if you love the outdoors and are okay with a lot of mosquitos and ticks, this place is for you. If you don't like them/can't handle the large amount of them I would suggest going elsewhere. read more

This was our first visit to this park and I have to say that I am a fan. The employees working at the office where you check in for camping were knowledgeable and friendly. The tent sites at the park are some of the best I have seen in the State Park System. You can't drive to most spots, but they have carts you can use from the parking lot to your site. I would recommend spot #25 if going to camp. Many of the spots are tight on the water, so be careful with small children. The only downside, and it is not their fault is loud music coming from across the water at a club/resort. Will visit again! read more

The group campsites are beautiful and well maintained. There are however a few things to keep in mind: 1. You have to drive to the showers as there is no walking path that will get you there... On arrival at the showers you will have to wait as there are 3 for the entire campgoround... Ridiculous 2. The toilet that is within walking distance is a moderately clean pit toilet... Probably serviced before and after camping season... It's pretty disgusting - you may just want to bring a bucket or freshette 3. The lake is beautiful and refreshing and algae full... Bring an extra suit and shower immediately after swimming or boating read more

My husband and I almost cancelled our reservation because of the poor reviews we read about this park on other sites. We are both extremely grateful that we didn't, because we had a wonderful experience. This park is beautiful. The land is diverse, and is home to an abundance of wildlife. We saw cranes, turkeys, deer, several types of snakes, a variety of birds, many small mammals, turtles, and even our first wild lizard in the state of Wisconsin. The rangers were friendly, did not intrude on us at all, yet were more than happy to answer our questions and tell us about the activities they had going on that weekend. Yes, you can hear the music from the bar across the water, but it quiets down pretty early, and it's honestly not that loud. We actually had to struggle to hear it well enough to try to guess what song was playing. What we could hear clearly at night were a few species of owls, and a chorus of frogs. The canoe and kayak rentals were NOT expensive by any means. In fact, the prices were a lot less than quite a few other parks we have been to, and the variety of kayaks and the amount of time you could rent them for were impressive. The firewood was not expensive either, I admit you could probably find someone selling it for less, but I don't mind giving the state park system my money for the convenience of getting firewood on the spot. Our site was beautiful, it was right on the water, with stairs leading into the lake. The beach was large, with a small area designated for enclosed swimming, but swimming was allowed beyond that area as well. There are several fishing areas, showers, activities at the amphitheater, a park, tower, wildlife blinds, interpretative canoe trails, the list goes on and on. Now onto the mosquitoes. Yes, they are bad here. We had a THERMAcell, sprays, patches, burning scent sticks, candles, and a screen tent. The thermacell kept them at bay at the site, but when we went from the site to the car, we were bit up like crazy, despite the sprays. But it was worth it. We plan on making another reservation for the future. read more