Lake Ottawa Recreation Area

Nice, dog friendly campground. The area is beautiful. There were no open vault toilets or any running water when I went (August 16th-17th) but there were porta potties that were surprisingly clean. It's easy to find and close enough to the city while still being quiet. If you have neighbors you'd be able to see them, but I was one of the only people there on a Wednesday. It's $18/night and there's an additional fee to use the recreational areas, but my site had direct access to the Lake.

The current hosts as of July 2022 are wonderful, (so is their dog, Lily ❤). I've never seen the bathrooms so clean in all my 25+ years of camping there. The hosts have been taking such good care of the campground. Nice new blacktop throughout, highly recommend this place!

I think this was the BEST campground I have ever stayed. Very accommodating. The other folks in the park were a great welth of knowledge and just cool people. After going through Door county last week avoiding the public Bathrooms I was pleased to see the restrooms here were cleaned every day and smelled like flowers and fresh cut grass. We will be going back!

Stellar scenery, crystal-clear lake water and a nice swimming beach. Most campsites here offer plenty of privacy and a fair amount have lake views. A substantial hiking trail system connects with the campground. When I visited in summer 2021 there was no drinking water available throughout the entire campground and beach. Water spouts were posted as unsafe to drink, but operable nonetheless. Things improved in 2022 and drinking water was available at several points in the campground, though there were still no working water spouts in the half of the campground furthest back from the entrance. On the bright side, the Ottawa National Forest finds ways to keep this area open for visitors, in this case partnering with a third party to run the campground. The nearest alternative national forest campground is just over the state line at the Brule River. It’s been gated for several years due to budget shortfalls in the Chequamegon Nicolet and is slated to be entirely dismantled soon. Hats off to the Ottawa National Forest for keeping this area open and well maintained, aside from some issues with the water systems.

Beautiful outdoor playground