Campgrounds and RV parks near Linden, WI

Governor Dodge State Park anchors the area's outdoor recreation. The park contains oak and hickory forest, sandstone bluff outcroppings, Stephens Falls, and two lakes (Cox Hollow and Twin Valley) with launch ramps and swim beaches, plus hiking, cross-country ski, mountain bike and horse trails. Electric motors only are permitted on both lakes. ATV and UTV riders base out of Pecatonica River Trails Park in Darlington, which sits adjacent to the Cheese Country Recreation Trail, a multi-use rail-trail through Lafayette and Iowa Counties open to ATV, UTV, bicycle and snowmobile use. Paddlers launch canoes and kayaks on the Pecatonica River from the same park. At Wisconsin Riverside Resort in Spring Green, families float the Wisconsin River by tube, canoe or kayak. Nearby cultural stops include Taliesin and the American Players Theatre.

Peak RV season around Linden runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, when all local campgrounds are open and staffed. At Governor Dodge State Park, limited supplies are sold at the Cox Hollow Beach concession stand from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, and firewood is sold in the Twin Valley and Cox Hollow campgrounds daily in June through August and on weekends in May, September and October. Lake Joy Campground and Wisconsin Riverside Resort typically operate through the warm-season months from spring into fall. Shoulder seasons bring cooler weather and thinner crowds. Fall is a strong window for hardwood color and hunting; the equestrian campground at Governor Dodge is open from May 1 through November 15. At Pecatonica River Trails Park, plan around the seasonal water shutoff: water service is turned off to campsites, the bath house and the dump station from November 1 to April 15 every year. Winter camping is limited but possible. More than 30 sites at Twin Valley remain available for winter campers, with electricity, pit toilets and water at the park office.

Sites in the Driftless Area are typically wooded and rolling rather than flat prairie. Governor Dodge State Park has 269 standard campsites split between Twin Valley and Cox Hollow, with electrical hookups at 80 sites, showers in both restroom buildings and trailer dump stations at both campgrounds. Water and sewer at the site are not offered inside the state park. For full-hookup RV travel, the private parks and Pecatonica River Trails Park are the better fit. Pecatonica River Trails Park has 41 designated sites: eight electric sites under a walnut grove with 30-amp service, 22 open sites with 50-amp service, nine full-hookup sites with 50/30-amp service, water and sewer, and two non-electric sites, plus a dump station and shower building. Expect stronger cell signal in Darlington, Dodgeville and Spring Green, and weaker coverage inside the state park's valleys.