Lake Kegonsa State Park

This is the perfect image of a rustic campground. Lots of electric sites, but also rougher ones. They each have a picnic table, a fire pit, and a nice well-maintained area for tents. Low light restrooms with compost toilets and water fountains nearby, but no showers. Fantastic for families, and wheelchair friendly. Very affordable, too!

We are big fans of state parks and this one did not disappoint. The campground is in a deeply wooded area about 1 mile from the shore of Lake Kegonsa. Sites reasonably flat, woodland floor with some gravel, and are well spaced, some with electricity (ours had). As with many state parks there is no water in the campground and you need to fill your tanks at the dump station. For those out-of-staters who are not used to this process, Wisconsin (like other Midwest states) requires a use permit for each vehicle (in addition to the camp fee) which can be purchased online ahead of time or at the park registration. The park is about 15 - 20 min from Madison and 1 1/2 hrs from Taliesin. We visited mid-week in August and the campground was largely empty and very quiet. A nice walk to the lake. We really enjoyed visiting this part of Wisconsin.

Lake Kegonsa State Park has two strong pluses: it's location is convenient to Madison, and the lake itself supports any water activity you desire. The park has the basic park amenities, but nothing special, such as a concession stand. The family campground is very mature, and it's in need of a facelift. Our site was difficult to get level on, and the 50 amp outlet on the pedestal was only working on one leg. We were able to fall back on the 30 amp outlet. The best sites in the campground were in the 30s and 40s. Due to COVID, Wisconsin DNR requires all sites be reservable. It's a good park, but not a great park.

UPDATE: We stayed again June 11-13, 2021 in site 91. This loop was closed last season. In this loop (sites 81-96) site 91 would be the only one we recommend. It is a paved pull-through, and while the spot had no shade, there is good partial shade in the grass into the early afternoon. It was also very spacious. The tent sites, by and large, were not very level.

NEW UPDATE: 6/25/23. Stayed in site 89. Verizon data now 5G, but only 1 bar. Could not stream with it. Do not recommend for work camping.

This state park is about an hour away from our home. Quick and easy check in. Firewood available for a decent price. Site was clean.

Good trails for walking our dogs!

Will definitely come back again.

We loved the heavily wooded environment and excellent privacy surrounding our site. The trees were full of chattering birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. The site was in good shape, neatly mowed and with hard-packed gravel on the main parking area. Despite the rustic setting, level was pretty good (just needed 1 block on 1 side). The park was an easy drive from Madison, so it made a great base for exploring the attractions in the capital city. It took us about half an hour to get from the park to the Capitol, and half the travel time involved Madison traffic/parking.

Negatives: The bathhouse is undersized for the number of campsites, and it is shared with day use visitors as well. Cleanliness was not great, but understandable considering the very heavy use. We hate those push-button timed showers, especially when the timers are very short. Sites are actually pretty close together so even if you don't see your neighbors you will hear them and smell their campfires. Hiking trails in the park are very limited. The cost was on the high side ($35 weekday, $37 weekend) for electric only and relatively few amenities. Some of the electric sites on the interior of the main loop had very awkward angles of entry; we were happy to be on the outside of the main loop. Internet service on ATT was poor, and the tower became completely overloaded on a busy holiday weekend.

Stayed with RV for 5 nights.

Pros:
-roughly 20ft of underbrush and trees between each campsite
-shady and quiet
-restrooms were a close walk and showers were hot
-20 minutes to Madison and 10 to Stoughton
-would also highly recommend the Bloody Mary at PS Pub

Cons:
-lake isn’t very close

Overall a really great value especially if you want to explore Madison and the surrounding areas. Sites are dirt/gravel but fairly level with some grassy area.

Stayed here July 28 -31, 2023. We must have landed here when they were short-staffed. Our site hadn't been cleaned. We had to pick up trash, food, and cigarette butts before setting up.
The bathrooms weren't clean or tended to during our stay. The dumpsters were overflowing.
Sites are small and woodsy, but your neighbors are close by.
On the plus side, it's close to Madison which has a fabulous Saturday Farmer's Market and Olbrich Botanical Gardens, which are super.
Madison has lots to see and good restaurants. Taliesin isn't far, either.
Looking at other reviews, our guess is that this must have been a tough, understaffed season, but I don't think we'll be back.

No one at the office when we arrived. Went to our site and no one bothered us. Site 91 is paved but somewhat sloped, we got level with some work. Most sites are private with trees in between. Bathrooms and showers are decent. 4 miles from I-90.

A little road noise from the entry road. Campground roads are good but narrow, with some tight turns and overhanging trees, it would be tough with a bigger rig. Several miles of good trails in the park.

AT&T cell service was fair, 1-2 bars of 5G, used the WeBoost to stream well.

Great park for camping! Mostly vault toilets which isn’t my favorite. But we found a great site with electric right by the only flush toilets. The bathrooms are very clean and the sites are beautiful!