Campgrounds and RV parks near Cornell, WI

Cornell sits along the Chippewa River in northern Chippewa County, Wisconsin, and serves as the gateway to Brunet Island State Park, a 1,300-acre park at the confluence of the Chippewa and Fisher rivers. The area draws RV travelers with a mix of state park camping, private lakeside resorts, and county parks along nearby Lake Holcombe, an impoundment of the Chippewa River just north of town. Options range from electric sites at Brunet Island's South Campground to full-hookup resorts such as Big Swedes Resort Campground and Silent Waters Campground on the Lake Holcombe shoreline. Cornell itself provides groceries, fuel, propane, and laundromats within a short drive of most campgrounds, and it anchors the northern end of the paved Old Abe State Trail, which runs 19.5 miles south toward Chippewa Falls. The setting is quiet, forested, and water-oriented, with paddling, fishing, and cycling as the main draws. The town's location also puts campers within reach of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail and several small county parks along the river system.

Sites at Brunet Island State Park are reserved through the Wisconsin State Park system, which uses an online reservation portal and a phone line at 1-888-947-2757. Reservations can be made up to eleven months in advance, and a Wisconsin State Park vehicle admission sticker is required in addition to the campsite fee. A limited number of sites are held for first-come, first-served arrivals. Private campgrounds around Lake Holcombe, including Big Swedes Resort Campground, Silent Waters Campground, Uncle Saltys Golf and Camp, and the Lake Holcombe Lions Park, are booked directly with each operator by phone or through their websites, not through the state portal. For summer weekends and the fall-color window, booking several months ahead is advisable, particularly for waterfront or full-hookup sites.