Willow River State Park

1034 County Highway A, Hudson, WI 54016, USA

Address:	1034 County Highway A, Hudson, WI 54016, USA
Phone:	+1 715-386-5931
Site:	dnr.wi.gov
Rating:	4.1
Working:	6AM–11PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–11PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

Mark Leisman

Willow River is a beautiful Park, however there are some definite problems there. The bathrooms and showers are filthy and it is obvious no one really checks them if they are cleaned well and cares if they ARE clean and sanitary for campers roughing it not expecting perfection. They pour a little toilet cleaner in the toilets and swish but there is mildew in the showers at times and bugs crawling on the walls everyday. The walls of the restrooms and floors havent probably been cleaned in the 300 park since it opened in for Spring 2013. The campsites are nice and shaded in the 300 area but if you are unlucky to camp in the 100 or 200 areas, be prepared to be hot as hell and not have any shade. The 100 and 200 areas have a ton of Copperhead snakes so watch for them in that area and on the trails. The deer are everywhere. The flowers in the prairie area are gorgeous all through the summer. The nature centers programs appear to be run by someone who is a bit lazy. We showed up at 11:00 am Saturday July 19th for a"How to make different kinds of camp food" class there and the instructor showed up two minutes before we did. It had stopped raining at 10:30 am from the night before. But the sun was shining at 11:00 am. The sidewalk was starting to be dry. No fire started, nothing ready for us, the girl said she was told to cancel the days program by the Nature director if there was less than 7 people and it rained the night before. Their food budget was not high so they would do it another day. There was 4 kids and two adults and herself, how much more people were needed? People DO COOK AFTER IT RAINS WHILE CAMPING OUTSIDE! She instead decided she would take out Lanie the snake instead ... :( What a change of plans.. I would of left before it rained in the morning instead of taking my tent down wet waiting for the class AND I would of brought the ingredients for everyone to learn. You get the feeling the nature center programs are unorganized and the room was decorated pretty and interesting but not taken care of by the staff. The counters and walls obviously have not been taken care of by the staff to insure they stay nice. It is a mess. One thing I have to say is that the beach water is warm and nice when you wade in it, however everywhere you walk is a pile of crap from either geese or dogs to get there, so you do this hop dance to get out to the beach from the parking lot and then decide Yuck, no place to lay a blanket down anyway without feces so you leave. People take their dogs all over the beach are even though they arent supposed to because there is no enforcement for no dogs on the beach. Regarding the fishing, it sucks really it does. 4 times we have went there different times of the day and caught nothing and the people we have talked to caught nothing. Camped 8 times there for the weekend in a tent during the summer of 2013. Bring a rake to sweep away rocks from the gravel put down for RVS THAT go onto the tent area in the different campsites. THE WATERFALL IS PRETTY by the way but not safe and supposed to be restricted,there is caution tape because of people falling on the rocks and spraining ankles so you have to climb over the fences to get in and venture around. No patrolling of the area. Oh and there are some huge and I mean huge raccoons that about 2-3 am come up from the lake in the 300 area, they look like little bears they are so big and they can knock your coolers over and get into everything looking for food, just sayin ;) be sure to put your food away. The deer are pretty brave walking in the campsites also...All in all it is close to Hudson and a hop skip and a jump from the Twin Cities.. That is why we go there to relax..

Packersrulealways

Used to be a great place. Havent been back since they removed the disc course, and built the new ranger station. Used to be just a state park, now its everything they can do to turn it into a profit center without regard to the landscape or people who try to enjoy it. They used to have a really nice lake, but now its just a giant mud pit. Wish theyd think these things through before doing them. Taking the dam out at Cty A/E and this one has ruined more fishing spots than anything ever could have. Oh, and btw, a trash can, or two go a long way. just because you dont have cans doesnt mean people will magically not have any trash. Just becomes an inconvenience for everyone. I wonder what happened to all the turtles, and fish? Probably just died, but these "conservationists" probably see that as a good thing.

Anna Bohanon

Beautiful falls. Great hiking trails (lots of hills though). Check in was interesting... we were required to list first and last names as well as date of birth for everyone that was staying with us (seemed very strange for a weekend camping trip). There is no lake because it apparently got drained. So dont plan on swimming. The campsite we had had absolutely no tree coverage and it was very difficult to stay cool (we stayed in the 200s campground). There was a gas station not to far down the road which was nice for getting ice and any other supplies needed. If you need too dump trash, there was only one dumpster we could find that was for camper use, that was located by the 100s campground. Its an okay park, but Id rather spend my money on a nicer park to be honest.

Thomas Martin

Willow River is a great campground with a amazing waterfall and lookout tower to the east, and a lake beach and fishing docks to the west. There is a nature center, and some very good hiking trails for those not looking for very long hikes. There are 3 camping areas, the 100s, 200s and 300s and my recommendation would be to stick to the 300s if you want shade since it is very wooded - but spots vary. There is also a kids playground in the 300s. The 200s are sparser, but have some growth (planted trees still growing), but the 100s are positively barren and I would only recommend if you can deal with camping in an open field. Kids love this campground, but like most state parks, a bit short on kid activities like some private campgrounds provide.

Aaron Dennis

I love coming here to hike all year long. The new trails on the north side of the park are great and usually deserted during the week. Check out the waterfall area as it is very cool. The hills provide one heck of a workout!!! Ive only camped in the 300 campground area and it is great. With regards to the review written by Mark Leisman I sincerely doubt there are "a ton of Copperhead snakes" in the camping areas and along the trails as there are no copperheads within hundreds of miles of this area. There is a very slight chance of an encounter with either of the 2 species of rattlesnakes (both protected) that live in this area. Any other snake encountered would be nonvenomous and therefore harmless.