Remember when summers were about campfires, catching frogs, and staying up late under the stars? At Winding River Campground, we bring back those timeless family moments with 25 acres of peaceful nature, towering trees, and the quiet charm of the Little Yellow River.
A perfect campground for families, nature lovers, and those of all ages looking for a peaceful escape. Nestled between New Lisbon and Necedah, Winding River Campground offers easy access to Castle Rock Lake, the Wisconsin River, and miles of hiking and rock climbing trails. Leave behind the noise and rush of urban life and trade it for crackling campfires, towering trees, and the quiet beauty of a spring-fed pond. Reconnect with family and friends through the simple joys of nature—swimming, playing games, and unwinding under the stars.
Ways to Stay
Reviews
First time staying here and the owners were awesome and more than helpful and so friendly. Quite place to camp although you hear some traffic off Highway 80. They are updating utilities and the camp store is coming along nicely. Highly recommend a stay here.
What a great campground. Lila and Randy are so friendly and helpful. The grounds are beautiful with flowers, solar lights and really cute street signs. The seasonal sites and campers are neat and well maintained.||We had two sites: one camper and one tent. The sites were very roomy with fire pits and picnic tables and a good combination of sun and shade. We had a nice view of the small pond and used the campground's kayaks for a quick paddle. We enjoyed activities out and about during the days and relaxing, quiet mornings and evenings at the campground.||The bathrooms were really clean. It seemed like the women's bathroom had just been cleaned every time I went in there. And such darling pictures on the walls!||Area Activities:|- Pickleball at Lions Park in Mauston|- hauled our bikes to Hustler and biked to the tunnel - very cool! |- geocaching all around including right at the campground entrance|- Buckhorn State Park: hiked, picnic, beach and biked. Google showed bike trails in Buckhorn SP but the paths are very sandy, so we don't recommend biking in this state park!
What a great campground. Lila and Randy are so friendly and helpful. The grounds are beautiful with flowers, solar lights and really cute street signs. The seasonal sites and campers are neat and well maintained.||We had two sites: one camper and one tent. The sites were very roomy with fire pits and picnic tables and a good combination of sun and shade. We had a nice view of the small pond and used the campground's kayaks for a quick paddle. We enjoyed activities out and about during the days and relaxing, quiet mornings and evenings at the campground.||The bathrooms were really clean. It seemed like the women's bathroom had just been cleaned every time I went in there. And such darling pictures on the walls!||Area Activities:|- Pickleball at Lions Park in Mauston|- hauled our bikes to Hustler and biked to the tunnel - very cool! |- geocaching all around including right at the campground entrance|- Buckhorn State Park: hiked, picnic, beach and biked. Google showed bike trails in Buckhorn SP but the paths are very sandy, so we don't recommend biking in this state park!
What a great campground. Lila and Randy are so friendly and helpful. The grounds are beautiful with flowers, solar lights and really cute street signs. The seasonal sites and campers are neat and well maintained.
We had two sites: one camper and one tent. The sites were very roomy with fire pits and picnic tables and a good combination of sun and shade. We had a nice view of the small pond and used the campground's kayaks for a quick paddle. We enjoyed activities out and about during the days and relaxing, quiet mornings and evenings at the campground.
The bathrooms were really clean. It seemed like the women's bathroom had just been cleaned every time I went in there. And such darling pictures on the walls!
Activities:
- Pickleball at Lions Park in Mauston
- hauled our bikes to Hustler and biked to the tunnel - very cool!
- geocaching all around including right at the campground entrance
- Buckhorn State Park: hiked, picnic, beach and biked. Google showed bike trails in Buckhorn SP but the paths are very sandy, so we don't recommend biking in this state park!
We had two sites: one camper and one tent. The sites were very roomy with fire pits and picnic tables and a good combination of sun and shade. We had a nice view of the small pond and used the campground's kayaks for a quick paddle. We enjoyed activities out and about during the days and relaxing, quiet mornings and evenings at the campground.
The bathrooms were really clean. It seemed like the women's bathroom had just been cleaned every time I went in there. And such darling pictures on the walls!
Activities:
- Pickleball at Lions Park in Mauston
- hauled our bikes to Hustler and biked to the tunnel - very cool!
- geocaching all around including right at the campground entrance
- Buckhorn State Park: hiked, picnic, beach and biked. Google showed bike trails in Buckhorn SP but the paths are very sandy, so we don't recommend biking in this state park!
This place was a godsend with cool clean waters for our littles to play when many other lakes in the area had algae bloom. My girls (5/7) learned to kayak in the kid sized kayaks in no time to reach the inflatable play center. I swam too and having been in several Wisconsin lakes it doesn't get much better. Facilities were clean, great signage, and friendly owners. Hope to be back soon!
Me my wife and 4yo son stayed in one of their tent sites this past weekend for wa da shuda days. The owners were very friendly and welcoming. Lots of stuff for the kids to do and a quiet campground. Mainly for rvs but has 2 tent sites. Has a nice little store for your necessities. Also has wifi which was really nice. Highly recommend!
Of the formal campgrounds we stayed at on our monthlong journey from Virginia to Idaho and back, Winding River was by far our favorite. The hosts were warm and funny, the campstore perfectly stocked and the sites we stayed at were large. RV campsites were set up in a way that gave us extra privacy and didn't make us feel like sardines. The campground dog, a beautiful and friendly black german shepherd took to my white shepherd husky mixes and they were instant and playful friends. It is clear that the owners are taking this very seriously and are committed to making their visitors - no matter how long or short the stay - feel like they matter. We were travelling through back home to Virginia after visiting in Boise Idaho and we honestly were just expecting this to be a sort of unremarkable location. We were were delighted to discover it was so much more!
felt extremely safe here as a solo female traveler !!! the owners told me they have many solo female travelers stay with them as they’re driving through and i totally see why. i honestly just chose this campground because it was one of the cheaper ones in the area - and i’m so so glad i did !!
the couple that owns the campsite are over the top when it comes to caring for their guests. i was given two free bottles of water, was lent an extension cord, and they even offered me coffee in the morning and their office to take my zoom calls in. the couple live onsite in a house and showed me where their door was and insisted that i do not hesitate to knock in the middle of the night should i need anything or feel unsafe. of course none of that was needed and my stay was perfectly safe and comfortable - but it just showed me how much they really care !
most of the people staying at the campground were families with lots of activities/toys for kids to play with. the showers were free, bathrooms were clean, and there is a little shop on site that sells snacks, bug spray, etc.
they also have free wifi throughout the campground ! it was not strong enough to use for my zoom call but it worked perfectly for everything else (even streaming netflix and youtube videos).
it’s nothing fancy - but it is certainly a lovely, safe, clean, and inviting place that i would feel confident suggesting other solo female travelers to stay.
the couple that owns the campsite are over the top when it comes to caring for their guests. i was given two free bottles of water, was lent an extension cord, and they even offered me coffee in the morning and their office to take my zoom calls in. the couple live onsite in a house and showed me where their door was and insisted that i do not hesitate to knock in the middle of the night should i need anything or feel unsafe. of course none of that was needed and my stay was perfectly safe and comfortable - but it just showed me how much they really care !
most of the people staying at the campground were families with lots of activities/toys for kids to play with. the showers were free, bathrooms were clean, and there is a little shop on site that sells snacks, bug spray, etc.
they also have free wifi throughout the campground ! it was not strong enough to use for my zoom call but it worked perfectly for everything else (even streaming netflix and youtube videos).
it’s nothing fancy - but it is certainly a lovely, safe, clean, and inviting place that i would feel confident suggesting other solo female travelers to stay.
Awesome spot and great owners! They're really doing a lot of work to improve this campground and I could see the results. It was very clean and organized and they were extremely helpful/friendly.
I booked this spot because it was close to the highway and I needed a "stop and go" type of campsite -where I wouldn't be too far from cell service and could get back to driving quick and easily. (T Mobile wasn't the best when I wasn't on the highway) Luckily, they have a good wi-fi setup installed that allowed me to continue my work while I was there -which made me spend most of the day there instead!
I would 100% stay here again!
I booked this spot because it was close to the highway and I needed a "stop and go" type of campsite -where I wouldn't be too far from cell service and could get back to driving quick and easily. (T Mobile wasn't the best when I wasn't on the highway) Luckily, they have a good wi-fi setup installed that allowed me to continue my work while I was there -which made me spend most of the day there instead!
I would 100% stay here again!
What an absolutely amazing campground! We have a seasonal site and love the peace and tranquility! Owners are always on site to address any issues that may come up. Everything is kept clean and well groomed!! The campground mascot Elsie is always ready to play fetch with you. We absolutely love it here!!
Outstanding. A very family friendly camp ground. All sites and facilities were clean with new updated pavilion and activities for adults and children, with more planned for the future. The pond seemed to be a big hit with the kids swimming and catching frogs. If you want to party and get loud this may not be the place for you. We enjoyed the quiet laid back atmosphere very much and the other campers were friendly and the owners were very helpful with everything from check in to getting you settled in your site. We will definitely visit again.
The campground is very nice to camp at the owners are super nice and the people that camp there are super nice to super place to go camping and I love the peace u have there everyone should try camping there there prices are very good there to
We got a seasonal site in May of this year! The owners (Lila, Randy) are absolutely wonderful! They are constantly working on improving everyone's stay and everything is spotless! Bathrooms and showers are always clean, stocked and sanitized! The variety of activities for all of the family goes above and beyond anyone's expectations! The camp store is stocked with all of the camping items you might have forgotten!! The best icing on the cake is Elsie!! We so look forward to a fun game of fetch anytime she's outside!! You definitely want to check this campground out!! We love it!!
Had a wonderful stay at this campground. Camp hosts have done so many improvements to this place, it just looks great!! Good job. Would highly recommend.