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4.5
239 votes

Willow River State Park

1034 Cty Hwy A, Hudson, Wisconsin 54016 USA

$
Budget
Open Now
Thu 6a-11p
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
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“3,000 acres of beautiful forests & river”

With nearly 3,000 acres of prairie, forests, and panoramic river scenery, Willow River State Park offers year-round recreation opportunities in western Wisconsin. The park is about five miles northeast of Hudson, and has a campground, a boat launch and a 400-foot beach and picnic area centered on 172-acre Little Falls Lake.During summer, the park’s friends group, the OWLs, rents out canoes to provide boating access to the lake.

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Reviews of Willow River State Park

21 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

4.7 Access
4.9 Location
4.7 Cleanliness
4.8 Site Quality
4.6 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G/5G

Confirmed by 16 users | Last reported on December 04, 2023

AT&T 4G/5G

Confirmed by 6 users | Last reported on October 15, 2023

T-Mobile 4G/5G

Confirmed by 5 users | Last reported on December 04, 2023
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  • 2 Reviews
  • 2 Helpful
January 24, 2015
Rated 5.0

Wonderful campground for our family with young children, great location for day trips to the mall of america. and beautiful sights to see while staying here! This May will be our 3rd time camping here and we still have sights to explore at the park.

1 person found this review helpful
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Reviewed by
Campendium

February 24, 2017
Rated

You are just a few minutes from the freeway and the city of Hudson, but you feel like you are lost in the wilderness. The RV sites are large and well cared for. The park is beautiful, and has lots to explore. The waterfalls and trails around it are among the hidden gems of the midwest. We love this park and plan to stop back there whenever we are in the area.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: -

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: -

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

  • 142 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
July 15, 2017
Rated

There are few options for state park/county park camping near Minneapolis/St Paul. This state park is just over the river in Wisconsin, 8 miles from the border which allows for easy access on the interstate to get to all the amenities of the city. Yet, it feels like you're in the middle of no where.

Sites in the 100 and 200 loops are surrounded by mostly low brush and most sites are fully enclosed by bushes and shrubs making the sites very private. Sites here are also mowed to the brush line which helps with the ticks. Solar is fine in most sites. The 300 loop is fully in the woods; a little chilly with more mosquitoes. There is a mixture of first come and reservable sites. First come is handy in the summer as all weekends are booked. There is also a mix of electric and non-hookup sites.

There are beautiful waterfalls just a mile walk away and plenty of easy nature trails to keep you busy. The lake is drained right now while they repair the dam.

Easy access to the dump near the 100 loop with garbage and recycling.

The bathroom and showers are great and clean..and have adjustable shower head flow so you don't have to suffer through a pin needle mist. The sites are also very well kept and clean.

The prices are a little annoying with out of state residents charged $5 more a night. Also, the daily entrance fee is $11 for non residents so our $18 non hookup site ended up being $34. However, the annual state park pass is only $38 so it could quickly pay for itself but we were just staying one night in WI. Electric/water sites are $10 more.

Cell phone access was great all around.

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roadtripper996029 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $34.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 142

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

T-Mobile 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

September 21, 2018
Rated

We stayed here on Labor Day weekend and it was busy!!! The park is just across the Mississippi in Wisconsin and many people come out from the city to picnic, enjoy nature and cool off in Willow Falls. We made a last minute booking and were able to get a no-hookups site in the 200 loop. The sites in this loop are big enough for larger trailers/RVs, have gravel pads and most seemed pretty level. Site 222 was wonderfully situated under a light canopy of trees that didn't shade our solar panels too much, and was separated from neighboring sites with vegetation, making it very private. It also drained well after a storm and was not muddy. The downside of camping in loop 200 (compared to 100 or 300) is there are no showers (just toilets) or a trash dumpster, so you have to go to one of the other loops if you want to use either of these. We also found that the dump station (in loop 100) had been engineered so that our tanks were slightly uphill and didn't drain very effectively. For those out-of-staters who are not used to this process, Wisconsin (like other Midwest states) requires a use permit for each vehicle (in addition to the camp fee) which can be purchased online ahead of time or at the park registration.

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Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 222

3 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

May 30, 2019
Rated

Nice wooded state park. Clean 30 amp with no water. Showers are cleaned daily and in good condition. Lots of foot traffic past site. Site is hard packed dirt with trees on all sides. It's a back in site slightly uphill.
Office sells wood and ice. Must also have a state park pass. I'm out of state so it was $13 day or $38 a year.
Nice trails, one to a water fall.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $40.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: E16

5 Access
5 Location
4 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

June 27, 2019
Rated

Willow River is a great little state park. We needed something close to Minneapolis, but didn’t want to go into the city. This park for the bill perfectly. It is very well kept. The sites are very private. You won’t see your neighbor if you don’t want to. There are some great hiking trails and the falls are spectacular. This park also has plenty of 50 amp sites. I would recommend this park anytime.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $36.00

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: 126

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

June 30, 2019
Rated

We were in the 100 loop, and it was just fine. Big sites with adequate privacy. Excellent bath houses with private showers that are clean and have benches and hooks... real showers not push button and you can adjust temp.

After driving through other loops, I think 300 or 200 would be preferable to 100. More wooded and further from entrance and highway.

The Falls were way cooler than I expected, though it is a tough climb back up the road...very steep asphalt road back up to parking area. But it’s very doable and the river and falls are stunning!

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 101

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

September 06, 2019
Rated

Was the only one in the loop I picked on a weekday in September. Close to bathrooms and fresh water. Had to drive to showers in other loop but showers were hot and clean. Provided firewood for $7. Site was quiet and not too close to neighbors. If there would have been any.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $26.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 224

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

October 20, 2020
Rated

Sites are big and private. The dump was still open but the only water is from the maintenance shed. Lots of geocaching. Pull throughs. Really like this park but at $35 plus an admission fee for just power that is pretty spendy.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $35.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 114

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

October 20, 2020
Rated

Nice park with good hikes and geocaching. Sites are large and private. Good place to stay but at $35/nt plus admission fees for just power that is getting costly. Dump was open but water was only on at the maintenance shed.

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Nightly Rate: $35.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 114

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

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Willow River State Park

1034 Cty Hwy A
Hudson, Wisconsin
54016 USA
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Hours

Open now until 11:00 pm
  • Sun - Sat: 6:00 am - 11:00 pm

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  • Check
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Unknown
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
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    Credit Cards Accepted
Max Stay
14
Affiliation
State park or forest
Sites Count
148
Last Nightly Rate
34.0
Lowest Nightly Rate
25.0
Back In RV Sites Count
15
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
39.0
  • Check
    Sites
  • Unavailable
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Check
    Showers
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    Big Rigs
  • Unavailable
    Boondock
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    Firewood
  • Unavailable
    Fifty Amp
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    Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Paved Sites
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    Dump Station
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
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    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through
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    Reservations
  • Unavailable
    Sewer Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Water Hookup
  • Check
    Potable Water
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
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    Rec Facilities
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Unavailable
    Open Seasonally
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    Permit Required
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    Back In RV Sites
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
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    Standard Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
  • Unavailable
    Vehicle Wash Permitted
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    Outdoor Seating
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