Camping is always a welcome alternative to a hotel room. Aside from being significantly less expensive, there’s something truly rewarding about the freedom you enjoy when exposed over night to the wonders of nature.
It’s perhaps the departure from the routine of daily life that makes camping a favorite pastime for so many. Around the Madison area, throughout Dane County and across the state of Wisconsin there are dozens of campgrounds for residents and visitors to enjoy.
David Giroux works for the University of Wisconsin System. This summer he took his three daughters to Yellowstone Lake State Park near the town Blanchardville for an overnight. When on a camping trip Giroux says life for his family takes on a completely different meaning.
“When we pull out of the driveway on our way to the campground, “Camping Rules are now in effect,” he says “And that means all dietary restrictions are off. Kids don’t have to worry about sugar and dad doesn’t have to worry about his cholesterol. When we camp we live well!”
Camping is a way for Giroux and his girls to get away from it all. They leave behind the job, schoolwork and conventions of behavior that define life in the city. Once the tent is set up and the camp is established Giroux immediately wades into the task of feeding his girls. “And really for me that’s half the fun because it involves everybody,” he says. “Somebody has to run with the jug to go get some water to boil for pasta.”
While camping, the mundane tasks we’re likely to take for granted at home suddenly become our primary focus. The world and our lives shrink down to the basic functions of eating and sleeping. Giroux says the experience of camping gives his girls a much better appreciation for the value of being actively engaged their lives.
“ They realize too that with this experience comes a little extra responsibility,” he says. “They’re going to have to lug the water, wash the dishes, tote the firewood. Those things that at home would be considered chores or in even some cases as punishment become part of the enjoyable experience.”
Once people get past the notion that camping is a lot of hard work that requires skill and expertise, enjoyable experiences outdoors overnight are there for the taking. Sarah Bolser, the assistant manager of Lake Kegonsa State Park, says her facility is expanding to offer 96 campsites for reservations this summer. “We’re full to capacity most weekends,” Bolser says, “But 12 of our sites are available on a first-come-first-served basis for people who want to camp at the last minute.”
More 30 campgrounds near Madison include Kettle Moraine, Big Foot Beach, Mirror Lake, Governor Dodge and Buckhorn. All offer tent camping, many have hookups for motor homes and some have rustic cabins to rent. Reservations are recommended but not required at all facilities. On weekends during the summer most campsites fill up pretty quickly so plan ahead.
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