Help finding a Hammock Campground in Southern WI

[MAB Chicago]

Hi All - New to Hammock Camping and looking for a good place to hang in Southern/Central Wi. Looking to hike-in and fish (if possible) while field testing my new Hammock skills

Any thoughts or suggestions on Hammock friendly campgrounds would be appreciative.
Thanks!
MAB Chicago

[brotherbadger]

If you are dead set on hiking in, I'd recommend heading north to the Nicolet National Forest. There are tons of trails with tons of small lakes(i'd recommend the Luna White Deer lake area myself. Just stay away from Franklin Lake. That's very tourist heavy) and you can camp wherever you want.

I know Wyalusing State park is Hammock friendly, but that's a car camping setup. Still immensely beautiful and worth a trip though(need to reserve a spot months in advance). Devil's lake is the same way, I believe. I live in SE Wisconsin, and most of the good trails(Ice Age, ect), don't allow camping off of designated areas down here as it's all private property. You can always do the Ice Age Trail and reserve one of the Shelters, and use the trees around the shelter if you like. The Kettle Moraine Southern Unit is probably the best hiking in SE Wisconsin.

[MAB Chicago]

Thanks Brother Badger. Great suggestions. Love Kettle, I've gone mountain biking and cross country skiing there.

What about GOVERNOR DODGE, one of the backpacking sites, ever been there to hang?
MAB

[brotherbadger]

I've only tent camped at dodge, I'm still fairly new to hammock camping so I'm not certain about where it is allowed and where it isn't.

[Dux]

Every Public campground in SE WI that I've gone to has let me hang. Basically consider hammocks the same as tents. They are agressively cutting down Ash trees so the hangable sites are dwindling and constantly changing. Ottawa Lake, Pine Woods and Bong have hanging and fishing with plenty of hiking. Totally agree that the KMSF-SU has some great views and trails.

Depending on where you park, all "hiking in" in SE WI is measured in minutes and feet, not hours and miles.

[RedBadger]

Kettle is good all around - very busy though , Dodge is great for hanging and has great hiking trails. For Dodge bringing a canoe or kayak is also a good idea, nice little lake with great scenery.

[xrayit]

Been thinking about spending the money for the WI State fees, car sticker and state trail pass but didn't know that Bong allowed hanging.

[Dux]

I have hung at Bong many times, they don't have any problem with hammocks. Not as many great hanging sites since they started cutting down every Ash tree in sight a few years ago, yet there are still plenty. Most sites have at least some trees. With a little creativity more than 1/3 of the sites might be hangable.

For kids, there are crafts and guided nature hikes at the Visitor Center most weekends Memorial Day to Labor Day. Less frequent opportunities outside that date range. Speaking of the Visitor Center, they have a bunch of great taxidermy mounts of local wildlife as well as some live critters. Well worth seeing! There's hiking (Lots of trails of various lengths. None of the hills are very steep and there are shady spots along the way. They have great maps for free to carry with, maps at major trail intersections and color coded posts along the trails. Even benches along the way with the bench number and phone number on it so you can call and say, "I'm at bench #11, how do I get to the Sunrise campground?"), mountain biking, ATV-ing, fishing, swimming, bird watching and camping during the summer. There are playgrounds and baseball diamonds. Horses and guys training dogs for hunting are common sights. The RC plane area can be pretty cool when the guys are doing acrobatics. Some weekends the rocketry buffs shoot off 4'-5' tall rockets. That's always neat.

http://www.bongnaturalistassociation.org/events/

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/getoutdoors/we.html

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/name/richardbong/

Let me know if y'all get serious about a trip to Bong. I can dig up a list of my favorite hanging sites for ya. Been meaning to update it anyhow since I saw they were cutting again this winter. I have stomped every square inch of Bong in every season, much of it regularly for many years. I have found all of it worth seeing.

[El Guapo]

Thanks Brother Badger. Great suggestions. Love Kettle, I've gone mountain biking and cross country skiing there.

What about GOVERNOR DODGE, one of the backpacking sites, ever been there to hang?
MAB

I checked out the backpacking sites this summer and they all look pretty good. I think there are six spots. I remember that #5 looked the best to me. About a 5 min walk from where you park and I think some decent bathrooms nearby (if that matters).