Today we left Madison Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota after three weeks bouncing around campgrounds in the Madison area.

Lake Mendota County Park has a convenient dump station on a paved loop next to their restrooms and bath house. With our water full and waste tanks empty, we headed north towards Lake Superior.

By lunchtime we were making sandwiches in this riverfront park in Sauk City. A nice water view, access to the”Great Sauk State Trail” and the adjacent Vintage Brewing Company are just a couple reasons to stop here.

The sandy Wisconsin River shoreline was tempting on a warm July afternoon, but we wanted to get further north before nightfall. 

Just before five we found an open site at Chippewa Campground in Chequamegon National Forest. We had  covered an additional 189 miles north. 

The site was big enough we could turn and face the window side of our van towards the Chequamegon Waters Flowage. 

National forests offer some of the best camping values anywhere. Here’s the sunset from Beaver Loop Campsite P6 at only $18 per night ($9 with Golden Age Pass).

Looking back from the water’s edge, the setting sun illuminated our campsite. It wasn’t long before full darkness set in precipitating the calls of loons and sandhill cranes.

Campground Map

Reservations can be made for Bass and Hardwood loops. Beaver and Rustic loops have first come first served sites. More info is available at the US Forest Service website.

Today’s route covered 212 Miles from Madison to Chippewa Campground near Medford, Wisconsin.