Buckhorn State Park Campground

We usually stay at the east shore sites but tried the west shore this time. The shore was not as level as the east side sites but still sandy and shallow for swimming. We could hear the bar blaring music across the lake until 10 or 11pm . There are more trees now than the website pictures show so there is some privacy between sites. Mosquitos were the worst i have ever experienced. The second we got out of the car they were all over us. We used the heaviest deet possible nonstop.

We got one of the spots that you needed to hike out to but it wasn’t far at all. There were 2 other campsites beside us but they weren’t reserved so we were all by ourselves. We had a little slice of beach and it was very beautiful during sunset. Bugs were really bad at this time of year. A family of raccoons passed our tent during the night and sounded like they were playing in the water which was cute.

I went in 2 weekdays in early October and it was very quiet and calm. Nice facilities and campsites.

We camped on site 22. It was an easy walk from the parking lot to the site with the help of the provided carts. It was peaceful and lovely! It seemed like a good spot for kayaks and canoes given the lake access; it appeared shallow and sandy at this site. The porta-potty was clean and located in the parking lot. There was a basic fire ring with grill grate and a picnic table. Fish were jumping frequently. We were able to set up our screen house and tent with plenty of room to spare. The only reason I gave this 4/5 stars is because the mosquitoes!!! I know, it's nature in all it's glory but we couldn't leave our tents until sun went down so it was a bummer. We will revisit earlier in the spring in hopes of avoiding the bugs.

Snagged a spot (#102) right before the Memorial Day weekend. Spacious site, somewhat private because of the surrounding trees. If you want to be surrounded by hammock-able trees, i suggest sites 94-99. Our site was both close to vaulted toilets/water and shower building, which was a plus. Shower head pressure was lovely and hot water was great! One downside was that people were loud and playing music till midnight but oh wells.

Was worried about bugs but I think it was okay. Maybe we were there before it began. i did find some ticks on my camping chair though so beware.

Though we didnt explore much of the Buckhorn SP, we chose this site because it was under an hour drive from Mirror Lake SP and Devils Lake SP. Making a day trip to those parks and Wisconsin Dells was a breeze.

This park has a lot to offer.

Pros:

- Most of the sites were relatively large. We had 3 tents and 2 cars on our site and it wasn't a problem.

- The lake/beach access is a nice bonus.

- Newer shower house and bathrooms, as well as vault toilets

- Decent trails.

- No apparent highway noise.

Cons:

- Despite the large campsites, it felt very "car campery" to me.  The sites I observed didn't have much in the way of tree canopy, so it feels very open.  

- Lots of campground noise and not secluded.    

So, despite Buckhorn being well-appointed, it just wasn't really the campground for me.  I prefer a more rustic and woodsy atmosphere and this was not it.  I think it is likely better suited for campers/trailers than tents.

We had a walk to site on the water and it was very nice! Neighbor sites were a good distance away. No problems with mosquitos but lots of ticks. I could hear kids at the group sites but didn't really bother me. Carts provided for moving your equipment. Clean bathrooms.

Stopped here as I was making my rounds of state parks in the area, and wow what a gem. Really was impressed with the trails and also the walk-in trails to the campsites that were by the water. A very beautiful park. There were a few areas that were clear cut in order to remove some of the undesirable plants, but other than that it was first rate.

Our favorite state park that no one around has ever heard of. We had so much fun exploring the sheer wilderness of this place, all the different camping areas, canoe and kayak launches, picnic areas and trails. There are lake views (and beaches!) almost anywhere you look. The shower areas and vault toilets were very clean and were definitely on the new side (October 2020.) I hear the bugs get nasty in summer, but fall here is magical. The tower doesn’t offer much of a view, but it’s still a fun little walk. Highly, highly recommended.

Disclaimer: We exclusively camp at national, state and county parks and have no children, so can’t comment on the amenities you may find at private campgrounds.

We had a group in sites 17-18-19 the weekend of June 26-27, 2020. We boated in and some people also walked in with more equipment. Beaches are sandy and sites large and with 3 reserved it was very isolated. The 3 sites had one porta potty to share which was fine since we were all together. Only drawback was the bar across the lake was blasting music late into the night so sleeping was affected. There was also noise from boatloads of people leaving at bar close. Never saw any of the actual campground since we boated right to the site

Super clean campground. Enough space between campsites so you never really got super close to any other groups. Beautiful lake to swim in and nice trails. Also nearby a gas station to get any last minute necessities.

I may be biased- because I really hate mosquitos and ticks but wow! The ticks here are so tiny they’re very easy to miss so look I it for those. Also the mosquitos never let up- even in the rain. As you can see in the pictures though, our site was fairly close to our own beach which was nice for fishing and swimming. Good fishing off of fishing pier and cool wildlife (pictured). Caught a sheep head and some white bass! Campsites are a nice distance apart and the bathrooms aren’t a far walk and are well maintained.

Site 12 - pack in was perfect! 12 yr old boys being BOYS all weekend- sun up to sun down. Clean showers - very rustic amenities but gorgeous park! Bugs late August were fine...

We stayed at site 17 which is a backpack site about a mile walk in from the nearest parking lot. The walk to the site was on a very nicely maintained trail, however we almost didn't make it there as we were all nearly carried away by mosquitoes. It didn't get much better when we got to our site, as they were everywhere.

Aside from the bugs, this was a great site withe a private beach access and great water to swim in on Castle Rock Lake. We didn't really treat this as a "backpack" site and we had enough gear for our family of 6, water toys and other accessories. That was a long walk with all that equipment.

For traditional backpackers, this would be a fantastic site, just make sure to bring the OFF spray.

Gorgeous campground in the middle of no where Wisconsin! Perfect place to camp if you like to climb at Necedah! There are a few lake entrances and at one of them we saw a couple large gorgeous cranes!

Truly enjoy a walk in site! Although the site we stayed at didn’t have a lake view, we explored a little and found some sites we want to stay at next time- right on the shore!

Hiking paths were great, the check in was seamless and we will be back!

We took an extended weekend to camp at Buckhorn. There is a bar that has live music close by and you can hear it at night. We were not on the sites closest to the bar so it wasn’t unbearable. We bug bombed the site when we first arrived and didn’t have many issues Friday Saturday. However, Sunday night when there were a lot less campers the biting flies became a problem. They were horrible!!

The bathrooms were rather clean easily accessible the showers were clean, private and free- however the water pressure was pretty bad - could only have 1/4 of your body in the water at a time.

There are many activities you can do : you can rent bikes kayaks canoes plus it is right on an inlet for the Wisconsin River and there are boat landings etc. There are some hiking trails but they are not overly scenic or require much effort.

My boys and I loved the hike in site we stayed at right on the water. Just far enough to feel adventurous but short enough to use the provided pull carts. Fun place across the water for a meal as well!

My friends and I go every year in July and grab a spot on the west side of the peninsula at one of walk-to sites 0.6mi in. Beautiful sunsets! Pretty secluded sites on the water. The water is shallow, warm and the bottom is very soft sand.

I have camped at the majority of state parks in WI... if you enjoy privacy they have a ton of hike in sites both long and short hikes I've done both. They provide carts to haul your gear. Lots of water front sites. The rangers are incredibly nice, super helpful and accommodating cheapest wood is at the little store just outside the park $10 for "half a wheel barrel" it was two nights worth for us. Fishing was good .. we've checked out a good majority of the hike in sites you really can't go wrong the pictures tend to be old on reserve America there are a lot more trees than pictured. I'd live here if I could. they do have an issue with biting flies/mosquitoes bring lots of STRONG bug spray.

This campground is nice. Good tent sites, camper sites and is well maintained. There are several hikes around and good fishing. I would recommend for the young and old alike.

I stayed here last summer and had a wonderful time. Our campsite was secluded and was right next to the water. There were steps leading straight into the water and it was fairly shallow with a lot of sand- perfect if you have kids. We were able to launch our kayak from the campsite but unfortunately didn't have much luck fishing. I know this area is typically good for fishing so I might just have to try again!

I have camped here several times. I have hiked in, backed in, and camped lakefront. All are gorgeous. The trails are beautiful with some wooded areas and some prairie. The hike in is just shy of a mile. The lakefront is a simple walk in, but you can launch your kayak or canoe from your site, which I did. The fishing is fantastic with Striped, Largemouth, and Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Musky, and all kinds of panfish. Many natural sites are within driving distance. Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the International Crane Foundation, many other fishing opportunities. Very minimal noise. Modern showers, fishing pier. Great for the family.