Camping in Wisconsin
State Parks and Forests

Reserving a Campsite
Reserving a Shelter or Building

Spend the night with nature in one of more than 4,600 campsites in Wisconsin state parks and forests.

A typical campsite is in a natural setting with road access, a fire ring, and a picnic table, and can be used by either vehicle or tent campers. But there also are backpack, walk-in, and canoe-in sites, sites with electrical hookups, and sites designed specifically for either tent or vehicle campers. Some sites are accessible for people with disabilities. Some are for people with horses. Others accommodate large groups of campers.

The reservations Web site has campground maps and details about each site. You can zoom in on the maps and click on a campsite symbol, or click "All the Sites in this Campground" on the menu below a park map and then click the site number.

Reserve a campsite

You can search for available state park campsites statewide and reserve a campsite by using the Web or by calling the toll-free number (888) WI-PARKS ((888) 947-2757, TTY (800) 274-7275). The toll-free TTY number for reservations is (800)274-7275. We do not accept written campsite reservation requests.

During periods of high use, you may experience temporary delays in connecting to the system. If you receive an error message, please try again later.

Holiday Weekend Reservations

A minimum of three nights reservation is required during Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends when the holiday is on a Monday or Friday.

For reservations for more than three nights including such a holiday weekend, you must call the customer service line, (800) 372-3607, rather than using the Web or regular reservation number.

When to Make Your Reservation

You can make reservations using the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The call center hours are shown below.

Most sites are reservable only during the park or forest's busy time, generally spring through fall or just summer. If the campground is open at other times, you nearly always can get a site without a reservation.

You can reserve a specific site 11 months in advance or as late as two days before you arrive. Reservations for the date 11 months away become available at 9 a.m. Central Time for both Internet and telephone customers.

One-night Reservations

One night reservations can only be made through the call center (not the Web).

Backpack and Outdoor Group Sites may be reserved year-round, up to 11 months before the night you want to camp for one night.

Regular (Family) Campsites may be reserved for one-night camping May 15 through October 31 only during that time period within the calendar year.

Paying for Your Site

Visa and MasterCard are accepted. If you don't have either, you must reserve by phone (not the Web) and ask the operator how to pay by check or money order.

There is a nonrefundable $10 reservation fee per site per reservation, an $8 fee for changing a reservation, and a cancellation fee of $5 per transaction. Other forfeitures may also apply in case of cancellation.

Availability of Campsites

Although some parks are filled for some dates, there are still plenty of campsites available. You can ask for alternate sites, campgrounds, or dates if your initial request can't be accommodated.

Not all campsites in the system are reservable--many properties maintain some sites as first-come, first-served for people without reservations.

Shelter and Building Reservations

Picnic shelters, indoor group camps, and cabins for people with disabilities are not included in the central reservation system; please use the appropriate reservation forms for those facilities. Print, fill out, and mail the form to the park or forest where you want to rent.

• Cabins designed especially for people with disabilities--application form (PDF, 21k)
• Rustic cabins especially for people with disabilities--application form (PDF, 16k)
• Indoor group camp--reservation form (PDF, 203k)
• Picnic shelters and amphitheaters--reservation form (PDF, 7k)

For more information on this topic see the questions and answers page or e-mail Wisconsin State Parks