America’s Camping Report Card
Wisconsin
#8 of 43 for camping
Better than 83% of graded states · overall grade B+ — campers like it.
Graded on 6,418 written reviews from Wisconsin - no star ratings, just what people wrote.
The breakdown
Letter grades reflect how campers actually felt about each topic - A means they loved it, not that it beat other states.
What campers praised
- beautiful park98
- beautiful scenery66
- beautiful place50
- beautiful area41
- beautiful campground37
What campers warned about
- lake with motors2
- little shade2
- little shade, small trees2
- water level very low2
- weedy beach2
- Praised by
- 54.6%
- Warned by
- 1.6%
- Rank
- Better than 98% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.530 (±0.013, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- hiking trails46
- great trails23
- good fishing19
- hiking16
- nice trails16
What campers warned about
- limited hiking3
- limited things to do3
- few hiking trails2
- limited hiking trails2
- not good for power boats2
- Praised by
- 42.0%
- Warned by
- 2.5%
- Rank
- Top-ranked among graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.395 (±0.013, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- spacious sites64
- nice campsites45
- great campsites33
- large sites29
- nice sites20
What campers warned about
- sites very close together10
- sites close together7
- small sites, little privacy5
- sites a bit close together4
- sites too close together4
- Praised by
- 42.8%
- Warned by
- 7.4%
- Rank
- Better than 83% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.354 (±0.015, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- clean bathrooms79
- very clean77
- well maintained75
- clean73
- well kept40
What campers warned about
- bathrooms need more attention2
- bathrooms not cleaned daily2
- dirty bathrooms2
- filthy bathrooms2
- grounds need mowing2
- Praised by
- 28.4%
- Warned by
- 5.6%
- Rank
- Better than 36% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.228 (±0.013, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly staff39
- friendly people18
- friendly hosts13
- friendly and helpful hosts11
- friendly and helpful staff10
What campers warned about
- camp host absent3
- no camp host3
- no camp host present3
- annoying host behavior2
- host absent until saturday2
- Praised by
- 15.2%
- Warned by
- 3.1%
- Rank
- Better than 2% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.121 (±0.010, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- bathrooms and showers31
- restrooms18
- clean bathrooms17
- restrooms and showers17
- hot showers13
What campers warned about
- no showers19
- showers closed9
- no cell service7
- shower house closed7
- bathrooms and showers5
- Praised by
- 22.9%
- Warned by
- 11.9%
- Rank
- Better than 60% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.110 (±0.014, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- quiet90
- very quiet71
- quiet campground47
- quiet atmosphere34
- quiet and peaceful17
What campers warned about
- highway noise18
- train noise14
- sites close together8
- trains nearby7
- interstate traffic noise5
- Praised by
- 15.6%
- Warned by
- 12.1%
- Rank
- Better than 14% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.035 (±0.013, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly campers12
- family friendly10
- dog friendly6
- friendly people6
- friendly fellow campers5
What campers warned about
- disabled-access trail request1
- locals have trouble getting in1
- locals think it’s theirs1
- neighbors looked rough/unsettling1
- non-lakeside campers feel intrusive1
- Praised by
- 2.8%
- Warned by
- 0.3%
- Rank
- Better than 55% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.026 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- reasonably priced7
- $15 per night5
- great price5
- reasonable price5
- affordable4
What campers warned about
- full price despite missing amenity2
- $1 for 5-minute shower token1
- $10 electric fee1
- $10 quoted vs $33 at check-in1
- $11 entrance plus site fee1
- Praised by
- 3.3%
- Warned by
- 2.7%
- Rank
- Better than 31% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.006 (±0.006, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- close to town9
- close to home5
- easy access5
- easy to find5
- easy in and out3
What campers warned about
- far from home3
- hard to back in3
- hard to find3
- close to highway2
- long narrow turnoff2
- Praised by
- 5.9%
- Warned by
- 6.3%
- Rank
- Better than 36% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.004 (±0.009, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- safe8
- felt safe kayaking2
- called about forgotten item1
- chain-link fence at overlook1
- daily sheriff patrols1
What campers warned about
- limited cell service2
- 100f heat made stay untenable1
- 30amp felt unsafe1
- animals near tent, snake encounter1
- appears taken over by homeless/drug users1
- Praised by
- 1.0%
- Warned by
- 1.6%
- Rank
- Better than 81% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.006 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy check-in3
- reservable and first-come sites2
- reserve specific site; pay online2
- reserved adjoining sites2
- able to pull in and call in1
What campers warned about
- couldn't find phone number for help2
- hard to get reservations2
- more lake sites reservable2
- not told showers were closed2
- online reservations required2
- Praised by
- 1.7%
- Warned by
- 3.1%
- Rank
- Better than 69% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.014 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- dog friendly12
- pet friendly7
- dogs allowed4
- dogs welcome3
- dog-friendliness2
What campers warned about
- no generators allowed3
- 24-hour check-in rule1
- 24/7 quiet hours1
- 4 adults max per campsite1
- after-hours decal process1
- Praised by
- 1.0%
- Warned by
- 3.4%
- Rank
- Better than 91% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.025 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- few mosquitoes5
- no bugs4
- bugs weren't bad2
- mosquitoes not bad2
- barely any mosquitoes1
What campers warned about
- mosquitoes20
- lots of mosquitoes12
- heavy mosquitoes6
- poison ivy everywhere6
- bugs; bring bug spray5
- Praised by
- 1.1%
- Warned by
- 8.1%
- Rank
- Better than 19% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.069 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 6,418 written reviews, 37% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
We read every written review of a campground in Wisconsin and used AI to label what each camper praised or complained about, across 14 topics. A topic’s score is the share who praised it minus the share who complained, and the letter is absolute: A means campers loved it, F means they were frustrated — on a fixed scale, not a curve. So a topic isn’t marked down just because another state scored higher. Switch to Raw numbers to see the share who praised vs. warned behind every grade.
The rank (Wisconsin vs. other states) is shown separately, because most states are genuinely good overall — the ranking is what tells them apart. The overall grade is the average of the topic grades, weighted by how often campers raise each one.
Only states with at least 2,000 reviews are graded, and every topic carries a 95% confidence interval from its sample size.
Topic weights
- Scenery15%
- Campsites15%
- Cleanliness13%
- Facilities12%
- Staff & hosts10%
- Things to do9%
- Crowds & noise8%
- Getting there6%
- Bugs & weather3%
- Booking2%
- Value2%
- Rules & policies2%
- Safety2%
- Welcoming1%
Methodology v3-absolute-grade-plus-rank | 43 states graded | updated June 2026.