One of the most unique outdoor experiences is a Wisconsin River camping trip. There are no permits and no fees for canoeing and camping on the sandbars along the river from Prairie du Sac to Prairie du Chien. There are not many camping spots like this that are free. It is an unbelievably good time.
Bad etiquette camping on the Wisconsin River
Related: Paddling Wisconsin River for best canoe camping
Wisconsin River camping
The one hitch in the plan is that Mother Nature is in charge of providing the camp spots. The sandbars only appear when the water is at normal water levels. When the water is high, many of the sandbars are covered.
You can camp in the woods, but the woods are swampy and full of poison ivy and mosquitoes. The serendipity of Wisconsin State Riverway experience is not the same unless you can camp on a sandbar.
Wisconsin River camping – A big group needs a big sandbar
On busy summer weekends, especially if the water is high, competition for sandbars can be high. I have been on many a sandbar and seen jealous canoes roll by later in the evening looking for their home.
Sandbar invasion last year
In fact, a group of guys pulled into our sandbar last year and camped on the other side. In my 30 years on the river, this was the first time this happened. This is usually seen as bad etiquette camping to impose on another party’s solitude.
These guys moved farther away into the brush and they did not bother us. The next morning when we paddled past, they apologized for moving in, and they explained there were no other spots open all the way from Spring Green.
Getting geared up for bad etiquette camping on the Wisconsin River
Canoeing the Wisconsin River with the Friends of Chicago River
This past weekend, I joined fellow guides from the Friends of the Chicago River for a weekend camping trip on my favorite river. We had a sandbar in mind, and we paddled steadily all day in hopes of getting it before someone else. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, it was occupied.
We paddled downstream for a couple of miles, and the only sandbars we found were either too small for our group or they were not vacant. Then we came around the corner and there was this majestic, beautiful, golden brown sandbar that looked like it was 80,000 acres in size. It was the size of three football fields. Way on the far west side of the sandbar appeared one single tent.
Wisconsin river camping- The other tent way down at the other end of the sandbar
We were tired and ready to stop. To make matters worse, the next day’s take out was only a couple miles away. If we did not find anything soon, we would just end up paddling all the way to the Mississippi River and miss out on the sandbar camping experience.
The other option was finding a smaller cramped spot. Of course we could camp on the far end of the big camp spot. Surely the camper way across would not mind.
Bad etiquette camping on the Wisconsin River
We decided on the latter and started to set up camp. We could see the guy on the other side of the sandbar looking at us through binoculars. He was so far away he looked like an ant. When it became clear to him we were not leaving, he aggressively approached us.
He confronted our leader and informed him it was bad etiquette to move in on a sandbar that was already occupied. We told him we had no choice and needed to camp somewhere. He asked where we were from, and when we informed him Chicago, he said “figures,” and stormed back to his tent.
Bad etiquette camping – Cooking out on a Wisconsin River sandbar
I can understand his point, but. . .
He does have a point. No one camping along the Wisconsin River wants a group of 20 people to set up shop on their door step. When sandbars are at a premium on a Saturday night in the summer; however, you may not get a sandbar to yourself. This is especially true when you are occupying a piece of ground bigger than Lambeau field and Soldier’s Field combined.
If you do want a huge sandbar to yourself then consider either taking a smaller space or come to the Wisconsin River and camp on a Wednesday night. Similarly, If you come to a busy restaurant on a Saturday night, you might not get a booth.
When there are limited resources, it is necessary to share
The point of this post is not to call out the guy on the other side of the sandbar. I have been in his shoes, and I understand his point of view. This conflict is larger than a small tiff over a campground on the Wisconsin River or at a state park.
Leaving some cut firewood to offset our bad etiquette camping
It speaks about consideration, tolerance, and placing yourself in the other camper’s shoes. When the young men moved into our campground last year, we were all a little annoyed, but we did not go over and confront them. We were annoyed because we were only thinking about our own experience. When they apologized and told us that they had nowhere to go, we then saw things through their perspective and understood that they had nowhere to go.
I hope our neighbor went back to his campground and had at least half as awesome a time as we did. I hope our presence did not detract from his weekend paddle on one of the greatest rivers in the world.
If you are interested in camping on the Wisconsin River and do not have the gear, Wisconsin River Outings can get you a Wisconsin canoe and provides shuttle service.
Adventure on!
That guy had more, uh, gumption than I would ever muster, even in my most righteous mood. One guy accosting twenty people … and then dissing their home town? That’s the sort of dialogue that can get you a great view of the sky, as your bloated body floats down a river. Maybe you waterway denizens are more gracious in your protocol practices. As always, you’re my hero.
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I would not have been happy if I was in his shoes, but I would not have confronted any tresspassers. Plus, I never would take such a huge sandbar to myself. You are inviting this type of situation by doing that on a Saturday night in July. We did get a good laugh over it.
Yes, I feel for the lone camper and understand his disappointment, but you are right. You’ve got to face reality and accept it, if you can’t be gracious or, God forbid, friendly campers. I had the same situation on the Green River in Utah — a wilderness area, for cryin out loud, where the sand bars were all under water and our large group from Prairie State found a solitary man occupying a whole river bottom. He confronted us all indignant, but we were dead tired and needed to make camp. We never saw him all night and I doubt if we disturbed his sleep at all. A few drinks after dinner and we were done.
I think it helps to find yourself on both sides of the fence. It is difficult for some people to stand in other’s shoes unless they have been there before. Hope that your indignant camper and our unfriendly neighbor find themselves in a big group looking for a site and have the same thing happen to them. Then they will know they should be more open about sharing. On the flip side, if I am a solo camper, and a group barges in on my site, as long as they are considerate, I will understand.
It’s amazing how prissy people can get when they could simply share the stoke. I don’t get some of these folks these days…
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Interesting all the reactions I have received from this. Thanks for your input. I can see his side, but I think he was wrong to go so far as confront us and badmouth our home city.
I would been happy and hope for an invite to the party!
There’s a kayaking place off the coast of Vancouver Island that is similar. Very popular and you have to learn to share. If you don’t want to share I agree – go to it on a weekday when no one is around.
I love the way the guy lumped everyone from Chicago in as bad people. No wonder he’s camping alone.
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He was with his girlfriend/wife/significant other, which explains his need for privacy. I wonder what she thought of the whole situation.
Ted,
I enjoyed the post. If you’d ever have an interest in sharing your Wisconsin-centric work with our readers, drop me an email.
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Thanks,
Brian Otten
Digital content manager
Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com
Hi Brian,
I would love to contribute and I am familiar with your site. I especially have a lot of cross-country ski material to share as I do the Birkie every year and ski all around the state.
Great. Feel free to contact me via email at botten@wisconsinoutdoorfun.com or give me a call at 715-845-0702.
Thanks,
I see the sandbar on the river as no different than the huge shade tree in the park at an arts and crafts fair — no one owns it for them selves — mother nature owns it and ~she~ tends to be kind to those who seek out her shelter. The shade tree at the arts and crafts park came to mind from my younger mid-twentyish days. I was tired, I was hot (103 temps). I was badly in need of a place to rest in the shade and rehydrate. My eyes focused on the huge tree across the way at distance. At first I wasn’t certain I could walk to it, I was that bad in need of shade and rest. Approaching it, I saw a family of four who had clearly staked it out as their own, I apoligized and sat down, got my iced water and took in a deep rest. All of the sudden I hear screaming! The young grandchild that the grandmother was sharing her cola with began to coke on a huge peice of ice. Clearing the young child, no more than three years old, was in trouble. Up I jumped, rest was not an option or a consideration now. I kicked into action from my 9-1-1 Police Dispatcher training. All ended well and it seems that, for that afternnon at least, I was meant to be the one person to steal some shade from their private tree 🙂
The guy in your story must be the same guy who has road rage if traveling too slow in ~his lane~. Jurks are gonna be jerks wherever they go…
I thought sandbars were dangerous. Doesn’t the current suddenly change shifting the sand?
The sandbars do not shift that dramatically to make it dangerous unless there is high water or the river is in flood stage. If that is the case, you should not be on the river anyway. At low water, the Wisconsin River sandbars are placid safe places; however, people do drown in this river. If you are not a strong swimmer, always wear a PFD when swimming and/or paddling.