Campgrounds and RV parks near Blue Mounds, WI

Blue Mound State Park has more than 20 miles of hiking, off-road biking, and cross-country ski trails, two observation towers, and the only swimming pool in the Wisconsin state park system. The park also connects directly to the Military Ridge State Trail, a rail-trail that runs from Dodgeville to Fitchburg along the ridgeline. Governor Dodge State Park covers more than 5,000 acres and has two lakes, Cox Hollow and Twin Valley, with swimming beaches, boat launches, and paddle-craft rentals in season. Stephens' Falls is a short hike from the park road. Tower Hill State Park preserves a rebuilt 1830s shot tower above the Wisconsin River and has a canoe landing for paddlers running the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway. Cave of the Mounds, just outside the village of Blue Mounds, is a common rainy-day stop for families.

The main camping season across southern Wisconsin's state parks runs from early May through late October. Camping reservations are required and can be made up to 11 months in advance of your planned date of occupancy at Governor Dodge, Blue Mound, and the other Wisconsin state parks, and weekend sites at Twin Valley routinely fill by Friday evening in summer. July and August are the busiest months and also among the wettest, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Spring brings variable weather and mud on unpaved trails, but wildflower displays across the Driftless Area peak in April and May. Early fall is often the best combination of dry weather, cool nights, and foliage color, which typically peaks in mid-October on the ridgelines around Blue Mound. Winter camping is possible but limited. The Blue Mound State Park campground gate is closed to vehicles from roughly December 1 through April 1, and access is on foot or ski only. Tower Hill closes for the season, while more than 30 sites at Twin Valley in Governor Dodge remain open to winter campers, with a few plowed sites and water available at the park office.

The terrain around Blue Mounds is rolling to steep. Blue Mound State Park sits on top of a mound roughly 450 feet above the surrounding Military Ridge, so approach roads climb noticeably and some campsites are unlevel. Bring leveling blocks for larger rigs. Sites at Blue Mound and Governor Dodge are wooded and shaded, with picnic tables, fire rings, and access to flush toilets and shower buildings. Tower Hill is more rustic, with vault toilets, no electric hookups, and only about 10 to 11 tent sites, so it suits smaller rigs and tent campers rather than large motorhomes. Cell coverage is spotty in the valleys, mosquitoes can be heavy near the Wisconsin River in midsummer, and firewood should be bought locally to comply with Wisconsin's rules on moving untreated wood.