As a close to our summer break we went on a big group camping trip with some of our close friends. I had been researching campgrounds in Wisconsin for places to visit throughout the winter months and found Willow River Wisconsin State Park campground. It turns out one of the families that joined us had stayed there many times before and loved it, so we decided this would be our goodbye summer location.
I just love this photo I took while we were on one of the many trails. This one lead us to the waterfall. Yes, that is right it has a beautiful breath taking waterfall!
Look A Real Waterfall
The waterfall was the main reason why I wanted to camp at Willow River State Park. It was a bit tricky getting the little kids across the rocks on the side of the waterfall, however, we managed to make the trip. It was amazing.
The waterfall isn’t the only place to have fun at Willow River State Park. We also played on the beach with our water toys (the Sliver Creek Paddle Board and Float Squad’s Aqua Lily Pad).
Little Kids Love Riding
The Malibu Paddle Board
Kids are always lining up to jump and play around on the pad. We make sure to give out free rides to everyone who wants to test the water mat.
Ryan’s favorite thing to do with all the kids is to get them to try their best to stay standing while he works at making them tumble. It is a blast to see who can defeat Ryan!
King Of The Pad
After an afternoon of water time, we enjoyed some time on dry land. The state parks are great at hosting educational activities for campers during the weekends. This time we were able to see real live hawks in action!
The children were also able to play with stuffed birds. Gross, but they seemed to really like this no matter how much I tried to stir them away.
Isaiah was in a daze as he watched a snake cage. This was the first time he has ever seen such a sight. I am not a huge snake fan, so I hope we don’t see any snakes any time soon!
There was an animal hunt and a place to shoot a fireman hose at a t-ball stand. My kids thought it was cool to dress up like a firefighter.
Most times we don’t make it over to the events being hosted, but now that we have seen what one is like I am betting on us making sure we don’t miss out during our state park visits.
So Many Things To Do & See
Willow River State Park was filled with photogenic scenery. When and if you travel to Willow River be sure to pack an extra SD card.
I Would Love To Try Fly Fishing
Back At The Campground
Group camping is the best. As you can see our little people loved having their own friends to play with during our stay. They created games and they spent hours among a fairy house they designed. It was wonderful.
Our Site
We had a bit of a hard time backing the camping trailer into our spot, so make sure you research your length to the parking pad with the campground. This site would have better accommodated a pop-up camper.
We actually stayed in the 300 loop which is much more wooded then the 100 (grass) and the 200 (a few trees). We also didn’t have an electric site and we didn’t like the heat! Ryan took over that business and you find out what he did in this post HERE.
The bathrooms here were dirty, but not scary. You will want to make sure you have good shower shoes for the bathroom areas. I also wasn’t a fan of the plastic curtain that was supposed to cover you while you were undressed in the shower area. It didn’t work well – giving everyone a peek at my backside!
The girls camped out in our Cabela’s Alaskan Guide tent for the weekend. Lucky for our girls Ryan put the cover on where the luck was not as good for our friends staying in their tent. They got to wake up to a nice early morning sprinkle! Making memories!!
If you want to camp out here, check out our guide on renting an RV here.
A Hammock Getaway
We put a couple hammocks up alongside of our site for anyone to relax in during the weekend stay. This one above is from Hummingbird Hammocks. It is super small and a perfect hammock for backcountry campers. Full review coming soon. That path you see leads through the campground woods and actually brought us right to our friends campsite. The total of kids we had camping with us was 15! You can imagine how much fun they had running up and down the wood chipped path.
I Was Happy With Coffee
Check out our complete guide to camp coffee.
4.5 Stars For Willow River State Park
I would definitely stay at Willow River State Park again in the future. Even with the condition of the restrooms. I was impressed by everything else.
Check Out More Wisconsin Camping Below:
Happy Camping – Kelly
Willow River State Park1034 County Highway A
Hudson, WI 54016
715-386-5931
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Kelly’s passion for the outdoors permeates both her personal life and her professional role as a member of the Parks & Recreation Board in Maple Grove, MN. Whether she’s camping with her family in their camper at a state park, pitching a tent in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), or even glamping in their backyard, Kelly’s enthusiasm for embracing nature is unmistakable. This zeal extends to her role on the board, where she actively contributes to the acquisition, development, and maintenance of city parks and trails, enhancing leisure and recreation opportunities for all residents.