This year it looks like the weather is FINALLY cooperating and this weekend looks to be the perfect chance for folks to head out into the great outdoors. Wisconsin has an excellent camping culture as is evidenced by how many official campsites available in the State Park system.
Camping Program Manager for the Wisconsin DNR, Corrina Regnier says, “Memorial Day weekend is one of our busiest weekends. We have got over 6000 campsites and I expect them to be nearly all full.”
And that’s just in the Wisconsin State Parks system, that doesn’t even count the over 720 private campgrounds around the state!
With such a strong camping culture in Wisconsin, it’s not a surprise there are so many campsites.
“We have families who have been camping every Memorial Day weekend or every holiday weekend for years and years and then we’ve got families and groups that have maybe started to newer traditions,” says Regnier.
Well if camping is so popular, how can you make sure you get a site?
Regnier has a solution for the State Park Campgrounds, “We do have online reservations and, and by phone as well. And folks can make a reservation up to 11 months in advance for campsites, or you can show up and make your reservation same day as long as there’s availability.”
And don’t forget to take advantage of a nice feature while making your reservations.
If the campground you want to visit has no vacancies, Regnier says, “There are many people who plan in advance, and there are many people who change their plans, so as soon as folks cancel, using that Notify Me button allows you to get a notification giving you the opportunity to jump in and snag that campsite.
If you’re looking to venture out into nature for a camping trip, Regnier has some tips:
- It’s always a good idea to check for fire hazards before you go on any kind of outdoor recreation activity. And the DNR can help with that if you want to visit our Wisconsin DNR website which is dnr.wi.gov and search for ‘Wis-burn.’ That will give you an indication of the burn the fire risk at any given time.
- Make your fire in the fire ring that’s provided.
- Don’t leave your campfire unattended.
- Keep water nearby.
- Before you crawl into your sleeping bag at the end of the night, douse your fire really well, stir it, douse it again and make sure that all of the embers are cold.
- Fireworks are prohibited at all of our state parks and forests, all state lands. So keep those fireworks at home.
So there you have it, a tradition in the making! Head to the Wisconsin DNR camping website to get more information. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!
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