This lake is very beautiful. It is hidden from the main road and you can't get access unless you…read morehave a cottage there or if you come through the narrow passage from a park. Be wary of the lake rules. The DNR is in plain clothes and will give you a citation for anything! He lands in th garage from the middle of the lake and has a Jon boat!

Awesome experience being surrounded by the beauty of the upper dells! Only wish there was more to…read morehike and that is accessible by cars and not just via a boat ride.

stunning such a nice informational ride out there beautiful walk. Would recommend for all agesread more

Busy, busy, busy during the sunset months, but sometimes, I can squeeze in a solo dip in if I go…read moreextremely early. The water is so refreshing, and I'm beyond pleased now, I've been in many Minnesota lakes myself, but the sunset is still more special on Sunset's shore than all of the NM shores combined. If you go before 9am or after 6pm, you'll perchance get my jg with a place to park your car and lay out that towell

Best beach in the state of Wisconsin!!! The lake is set in a small valley that adds to the charm…read more The water is clear and calm even on windy days and the sand is really great. Many people talk of how clear the water is (a lot of water by beaches in Wisconsin is muddy). Old pines provide shade on a small section of the beach and up on the grass too. A lot of tables and charcoal barbecues scattered about. Cell phones don't work here...bonus right! I've been to beaches in the Caribbean, Thailand and South America but this is my favorate North Woods syle beach. Sunset lake truly looks like something out of a movie or better!

This was my first time camping* in a county park, and it was enjoyable but definitely different…read morethan my previous experiences at state parks. For my stay at Petenwell, I use camping broadly as I had the opportunity to stay in a large and amenity-filled camper. Hook-ups for water and electricity at the site allowed for a fridge and freezer, a flush toilet and shower, and air conditioning. Not a bad set-up! For $250 a month you can leave your camper there and come and go as you please. As far as the park itself, it's well maintained, has a nice office where you can be ice and firewood and play pool and video games, has direct access to the lake, a sandy beach, and a kind, neighborly atmosphere. People roam the grounds on bikes and walk their dogs, and many have set up decorations and benches and made themselves a home away from home for the summer. What I wasn't expecting was how close together the campsites are - my past camping experiences have had sites divided by trees and some privacy; here you are pretty stacked. There is an open field for people to pitch tents, and our camper area was also a bit of a free for all. We lucked out, though, and our hosts were able to set up in a shady spot along with some other friends to create a large space between the campers with a fire pit and picnic tables that discourages others from setting up in the space. Despite the close quarters, the camp is surprisingly quiet. The most disruption came from all of the chirping birds at 4 in the morning - a much more welcome sound than screaming kids or drunk revelers. Bring some ear plugs and you'll be good to go!

Great county park. Well maintained , nice amenities, boat launch, bath house, sandy beach, kid…read morestuff , snacks . Once you visit you will understand why I give it 5 stars !

The owner was extremely friendly and even let us go out on the river, despite being 2 weeks from…read moreofficially opening.

Great place to go for relaxing and enjoying good vibes with friends. Staff is had the best customer…read moreservice Ive ever witness. Will be visiting again!!

We had an absolute blast staying here and can't wait to return sometime again in the summer. The…read morephoto 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!

We've gone camping at Buckhorn State park 2 times now at two different camp sites. We stayed at…read morelake 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

Came for the beach since I was told it was nicer than Mirror Lake State Park's beach. They were…read moresimilar, but Castle Rock's was slightly larger, and I'm told it has a nicer bottom, not as mucky as Mirror Lake. I wouldn't know for sure, though, since I didn't go in the water. I'm not a beach person, but my friends are and I wanted to be with them. I liked laying out on under the shady trees near the beach and watching the activities like a family group dragging out giant float after giant float (a camel, a rocker, a unicorn, a shark, etc.). They got them in the water, and then they promptly tipped them over whenever anyone in the family got on top of one. There were some friendly dogs there, but they weren't allowed on the beach, so one sadly got tied to a stake in the grass and had to watch their family have all the fun from a distance. Another cute 2-year old dog cried anytime anyone came near it, you could tell it wanted to play, but it's owner was an elderly gentleman who just wanted to sit in a chair and look at stuff (kind of like me). Maybe it's just me, but I would never bring my pet anywhere fun on vacation and then ignore it for hours. Anyway, it's a very crowded place on a beautiful summer day and if you like crowds and people-watching, this is the place for you. Lots and lots of people on the water boating, paddle boarding, swimming, etc. An ice cream truck came around a couple of times, there was volleyball nearby. My friends and I brought our bocce set and played a round. Nice mid-day outing.

This was a grade C campground. Wildcat Mountain is so named because the locals killed a wildcat…read morethere many years ago. The campsite we stayed in, #8, was directly across from the Park Office and was not secluded at all. We did see some other campsites that were secluded, but they all seem pretty close together, so if you're looking for privacy, search elsewhere. But the place was neat and clean, and the toilets were not bad at all. Not many bugs in June, in the toilets, and the toilets did not smell bad. The good thing about camping across from the Park Office is you get to use their beautiful facilities when they are open. The staff were super friendly and helpful. Just by sheer happenstance we heard on the radio that Natural Bridge State Park was in the area and it sounded cool, so we drove over there to see it and it's so beautiful! The Overlook Point here at Wildcat is also very beautiful and easy to get to. We walked most of the Starlight trail, until it got overgrown, but it was nice and level and an easy hike. The Amphitheater...whoa. This was definitely the most rustic one I've ever seen so far. And I can't imagine one that would be more rustic than this one. It's not bad, it's just small, the seats tip forward, the stage is barely a stage, I don't see how they can possibly hold productions on it, but what do I know? I'm not in the theater--I'm sure they make it work somehow. It's very intimate and cozy, let's put it that way. We came across a gigantic moth at the base of a tree and it turned out to be a Luna Moth, which after it emerges from its cocoon doesn't have mouth parts, so it can't eat! It lives a week to breed, and then dies! All in all, it's not worth a very far drive, but if you're in the general area and want to camp, it's OK. At least it was not noisy at night. Some really nice campgrounds have lots of nice features but are super loud in the evening. This one was quiet, and you could see tons of stars.

Wildcat Mountain State Park is a beautiful but smaller gem in the Wisconsin SP system. If you're…read morelucky enough to reserve one of the only 20 campsites on a weekend, good for you! (We were not quick enough on the draw). But the campgrounds by the entrance look very nice. In 2020 it's all Do It Yourself parking passes and camp check-in. We enjoyed the lookout stop, complete with a "selfie station" to put your phone. We also did a nice, but mildly rigorous hike of the Old Settler's Trail. The 2.5 mile trail has some steep stairs and elevation changes (don't wear your fashionable high heeled boots like we saw an older lady struggling down the stairs with). Would love to see the trail marked a little better- markings seem to date back a few decades, and we got lost on a switchback. (Note: the nicer looking Hemlock Trail was closed off June 2020 due to erosion or weather.) We loved the hike and the park, and it was nice to have access to clean bathrooms. Sitting at a picnic table enjoying lunch, there was an incredible amount of great bird watching! And yes, a drive or cycle through this park is incredible.

I don't even want to rate 5 stars as this is a HUGE hidden gem. We stay nearby in warrens every…read moresummer and always take a day trip to Lake Wazee. It is beautiful and nothing like it in the Midwest (well what I have found) if you are in the area or have time traveling through you must stop. A day pass is $5 and well worth it. We always pack lunch and just enjoy the day. The water is SO clean and the beach sand is amazingly soft. Almost ocean like. Bring your floaty, beach toys and sunscreen and have the best day ever! New showers, bathrooms and even concessions on the beach. I like that there is NO lifeguard and no one hawking you about 'rules' *it can drop off pretty fast so be cautious about that. Lake Wazee is the best!

Lake Wazee Park and beach is amazing for $5 a car it's well worth the price. We have spent the day…read moreat the beach and on the lake. The water is clean and you can actually see the fish swimming in the water. Deep enough to scuba dive. Nice enough to kayak on. The beach is clean. Snack shack and clean rest rooms. It has it all for a nice day on the beach!

Highly recommended from our family. We loved the boat and service provided for the boat. Kat and…read moreJeremy helped us with our reservation and with getting out on the boat. They were both awesome to deal with. Nice size pontoon boat for our family of four. More people could have fit on comfortably. 8 would probably be a comfortable amount at most, but you probably could fit more. Not sure more than 8 would be as comfortable. Plenty of room on the boat. We boated the entire day and even fished off the boat. The boat has a depth finder and fish finder as one unit on the boat. The boat seemed fairly new and in great shape. Plenty of comfortable seating cushions on the boat. It could have used more cup holders, though. Plenty of storage under the seats and cushions. We did several stops to swim while out on the lake. The lake is not very deep (Castle Rock Lake) so go more towards the center of the lake to swim. There it was around 15-20 feet deep. You could anchor there with no problems. Awesome ladder on the boat to get back in the boat from the water. With four in the boat, plenty of room to fish. Casting or bobber fishing. Fish finder on the boat was a nice touch. It helped find good areas to fish, but we had no luck catching any that day. Smooth ride while boating on Castle Rock Lake. Not many boats on the lake the day we were out on the lake. We didn't see many boats on the lake the whole time we were there. That's nice that the lake does not get too crowded with boat traffic. The boat has a Bluetooth radio to connect your phone for music and a nice music system for enjoying your boat ride. Overall smooth experience reserving the boat in advance and then getting out on the water. Kat showed us how to use the boat and then we were off on the lake boating. Seamless experience from reservation to turning the boat in at the end of the day. Highly recommend renting a boat from them on Castle Rock Lake. Just so you know, they operate out of a shack next door to the Shipwreck Bay Bar and Restaurant. The shack is located on the hill above their docks. There is a banner on the side of the shack that says Castle Rock Water Sports. That is where you start your day. For lunch while boating, the restaurant by the boat rental docks, Shipwreck Bay Bar and Grill, is great and so is the Dirty Turtle Bar and Grill just North of there via water. TIP: When filling your boat with gas at the end of your boating day before turning it in, go to the Dirty Turtle Restaurant/Bar down the way from the Castle Rock Water Sports docks. It's about half a mile or less North of their rental docks by water. The gas pump is by the Dirty Turtle Bar and Grill itself. You will have to pull the boat all the way into the marina by water and up to the dock right in front of the Dirty Turtle bar where the gas pump is at. Dock your boat there and go into the restaurant with your credit card. Tell the bartender that you want to fill-up your boat and they hold your card and turn on the pump for you. Go back out and fill your boat to full from the pump. The pump hose is pretty long and will stretch most of the way down the dock to fill your boat no matter where you dock it. After filling your boat with gas, go back into the bar and pay. They can put it on your card or you can pay cash instead. Knowing all this would have saved us some time, but we figured it out, finally. Enjoy!!!

The entire booking process went extremely smoothly and our pontoon boat was great. Jeremy was very…read morehelpful, and helped us realize that we were charged too much for gas. He was also very nice and gave us a quick tour of how to use the boat.