Travel to Yellowstone Lake State Park in Blanchardville, Wisconsin

I visited Yellowstone Lake State Park in the middle of July in 2007 in Blanchardville, Wisconsin. Overall, the campground was run very well, and our time there was relaxing and enjoyable. There was much to do, and everything was within reach although the campground was boomingly successful.

Yellowstone Lake State Park is near the Illinois-Wisconsin border and is located in the western part of Wisconsin. The drive from Chicago was quite boring because there are no sights to see except corn, cows, and a few horses. For me, however, the drive was not too excruciating because the green surrounding the road was calming. The country roads were a bit confusing, but the people near the park were very nice, and one particular gentleman we asked for help was so genuinely pleasant. From the northern suburbs of Chicago, the drive was only about two and a half hours.

The campground is very busy, especially during the weekend in the middle of summer. I would highly suggest making reservations at least a couple weeks in advance because you do not have to get there early for the twenty non-reservable spots they keep available. Those spots fill up completely probably by noon on Fridays before the weekend.

For more specific information on the individual campsites, look online to find their website. There, you will find a map of the campground, and you can find a spot to reserve it online. Most of the sites are spacious enough for two large tents, and they obviously all have fire pits and a picnic table. Most spots are wooded enough to create shade in the majority of each campsite, and each site is separated from each other by trees.

There are many activities to do at and near the campground. You can pick up a newspaper outlining the nice hiking trails and other activities to do. There are about a dozen trails on the campground, and they each differ in length and level of difficulty. Just make sure to stay hydrated when going on a hike. Another main attraction is Yellowstone Lake, which is located right in the campgrounds. The water is not exactly clear, but it is clean enough for swimming and playing on the sand, although the beach area is small. The atmosphere is very safe because parents usually watch their children due to a lack of a lifeguard. The lake can also be used for boating and fishing. Canoes, motorboats, and paddleboats can be rented for use on the lake. The water is not too boring because there are large waves that come up while boating, and the lake is very large, providing plenty of room for loud motorboats and quiet fishing boats. For pet lovers, they can bring their dogs to the water in a pet area that is separate from the beach area.

The bathrooms are all pit toilets except for one new, modern bathroom with flush toilets and nice showers. This bathroom is near site 50, so finding a spot near there would probably be optimal since the pit toilets smell horrible. Nonetheless, even the pit toilet bathrooms are well-maintained.

The security at Yellowstone Lake State Park is very adequate. After all, it is a Wisconsin state park, so there are plenty of state rangers roaming the roads to keep order, although most of the people were quiet and followed the rules very closely. By about nine thirty, the campground was silent, and you could only hear your own company. One final interesting note about the campground is the lack of mosquitoes due to bats that they use. The park raises small bats that are released every night to catch mosquitoes. Usually a main target of mosquitoes, I came home with only two bites that barely itched. This is very innovative and effective. I would completely recommend Yellowstone Lake State Park to anyone with small children looking for a relaxing camping experience. Dogs are allowed and quite common- I saw at least a dozen different dogs during the weekend. We all had fun because the campground is clean and well-run by the state park.