Mendota County Park Campground

We spent Fourth of July weekend here as a base for exploring the Madison area. The campground is about 7 miles from downtown and literally in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

Sites are semi-shady in most cases and reasonably spaced. Our site backed up to a small prairie and was more private than most. We were close to the road, so there was the usual road noise. The waterfront section of the park is about a 1/4 mile from the campsite and has pavillions, a boat ramp, restroom/showers, a beach and playground.. The dump station is next to the restrooms.

Nearby is the Pheasant Branch conservancy with trails for running, hiking and riding. Marshall park, close by and also along the lake, is a good place to rent kayaks, paddleboards and power boats. To the north is Gov. Nelson State Park.

The Madison fireworks shows were easily visible from the park's shoreline. It was a great place to spend the holiday!

Nice sized sites and mine was level. We have been here multiple times and have always had a nice stay. Some road noise. There is a small swimming beach for the kids. Boat camping as well. 30 amp service but no water hookup at the sites. There is water available. Lots to do in the area. There is usually a camp host who will answer questions and sell wood but there was none this stay. Was able to purchase from the park ranger. Facilities are all closed because of covid.

This is a small county park with electric available. Most of the sites are large and spaced out, though it is a bit more crowded in the center of the loop. The setting is mowed grass and mature trees o you can count on having a full view of your neighbors. But tat's OK because people from Wisconsin are nice. Most sites have some amount of shade from the mature trees, though a few have only a few hours of shade. The park has some nice amenities as others have mentioned. If you enjoy hiking, the Pheasant Branch Nature Area is a short walk away and has some nice trails. As does Governor Nelson State Park which is a few miles away.

We stayed here en route one night. The sites are large and level, and many are under trees. It was small and quiet, The park is a nice nice spot on the lake (campground not on lakeshore), where we had a glass of wine in the evening, maybe another person or two in the park, no one else at the beach. There is electric, water located centrally near the dump site elsewhere in the park, but all close, as it is small. Bathrooms are closed for COVID. Good cell signal, not sure about WiFi.

This was a last minute booking and we loved it. The person on the phone was SO helpful. We had a great spot under huge trees. The place was full and a bit tight, but comfortable on every level. Easy to use the water to hose down our van and fill up our water tank, too. You could walk over to a small beach on the lake. The first night we were there a huge wind, thunder and lightning storm blew in in early hours. A giant limb snapped and just missed us and everyone else. Phew! I believe that was a unique situation and otherwise super safe. All rangers were so friendly! Great cell service and close to town. It was also less than a half mile from an excellent dog park. Love these well-maintained county parks!!

This is a lovely little campground! Just 30 sites, though it feels like half that and is super quiet. Thirty amp power is reliable, though not using the water as the potable water spigot is right next to the dump station. Too close for comfort! The waterfront is pretty, but weedy as this is the west side of the lake. At the moment, it is also quite stinky as they've been working on dredging sediment or some such. Would stay here again, but would be sure to come with a full tank of fresh water.

The campground is basically a mowed park field with some mature trees around it. No privacy from neighbors and the campground is on the roadside of the park instead of the lake side of the park. Because of its location, you are going to hear road noise.

Relatively short walk to the bath house and the lake. Bath house seemed old, showers were not something I wanted to use but would do so in a pinch.

Electric poles are old but power seems to hold steady. Strong cell signal on T-Mobile and you're quite close to Madison, University of Wisconsin, etc., so location could work well for lots of folks.

The sites are nice and level, and they include an aluminum picnic table and a fire ring.

$38 a night, when you include the reservation fee of $10, is a bit steep for what's here. I would stay here again if I needed a spot, but there are better places in the area to consider.

Clean, quiet park. Although it is situated near the highway, it really wasn’t that noisy. The camp host, Tim, walked up to us as we were getting settled. He introduced himself & offered an extension cord since the electric box post is shared with neighboring site. They keep several on hand to lend out with refundable deposit. We had one of our own, but appreciated the kind offer & warm welcome. There is a dump station & potable water (spigot off side of water fountain in front of bath house). Sites seem fairly flat & standard, comfortable, campground spacing between neighbors. We would stay again if passing through the area.

We stopped here as our first night on a 10 day trip. Easy to get into and out of with a water fill and dump station. Beach would not be ideal for swimming. Nice playground. Only downside was the showers were not all that clean. Overall a good overnight stop.

Not a huge campground, and mostly surrounded by neighborhoods. There is a small amount of lake access, which is great! We spent some time fishing (no bites) and enjoying the view.

Depending on your site, the electrical hookups may be quite far from the gravel pad, so an extension cord is needed. Luckily the host has spares and will loan them out (thank you so much, Lee!).

I only wish there was more privacy between each site, but ultimately the sites are fairly large and you still feel separated enough that you aren't overhearing each others conversations or anything like that. So overall it was good.

Site was close to level side-to-side. Only about 1.5" of blocks needed on one side to get perfectly flat.

Campground felt safe and family friendly. Would stay again.