Campgrounds and RV parks near Dorchester, WI

Water activities anchor most trips in this part of Wisconsin. Council Grounds State Park makes a good base for enjoying the Wisconsin River, with a hydro dam adjacent, beach and boat access upstream for lake-type activities, and access below the dam for fishing. Otter Lake, near Stanley, is a 602-acre reservoir known for panfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, and walleye. On land, trails and family amenities fill out an itinerary. The area around Council Grounds is good for bicycling, mostly level, with a paved trail for about 3 miles in the city of Merrill, plus access to the Ice Age Trail winding through Lincoln County. At Wedges Creek Hideaway, campers use a shared shower and restroom facility, a picnic pavilion, a sand volleyball court, a playground, and a giant sandbox for children, with Saturday evenings during the summer featuring pizza, beverages, and live music.

Peak RV season in central and northern Wisconsin runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, when lakes are warm enough for swimming and every campground service is running. Council Grounds State Park is open to RV camping year-round, but several amenities, including the dump station, showers, and watercraft rentals, are offered mid-April through September 30 only. Many private parks also cluster their programming into these summer weekends. Shoulder seasons offer real advantages for RV travelers. Spring brings snowmelt runoff and higher water levels, and planned releases from the dam happen three times in spring for the benefit of whitewater kayakers and canoeists in the Merrill area. Fall delivers color and quieter sites, and foliage generally peaks from late September into mid-October in this part of Wisconsin. Winter is a serious cold-weather season here. Visitors to Council Grounds can cross-country ski, snowshoe, or hunt within the park. Most private campgrounds close or reduce services once freeze-up arrives.

Expect a mix of wooded state-park sites and more open private-park settings. The Council Grounds campground is typical of a middle-aged Wisconsin state park, with very good shade and uneven terrain that takes a little effort to level on. Council Grounds State Park offers 55 RV back-in campsites plus a family shower building and dump station in the family campground. Hookups vary widely. Otter Lake Park Campground has 22 wooded sites with 20/30/50 amp electric on every site, a fill station on-site, and use of the sanitary dump station at Chapman Park in downtown Stanley. Wedges Creek Hideaway offers 30 and 50 amp electric, water, and sewer hookups and accommodates vehicles up to about 50 feet. Bugs and firewood rules are worth planning around. Only certified firewood or firewood from within 10 miles of a state park is allowed inside, to prevent spreading tree diseases. Mosquitoes and biting flies peak from late May through early July near lakes and rivers.