Wisconsin’s State Parks Almost Completely Booked With Campers For Holiday Weekend

Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said Wisconsin state parks were 99 percent booked for camping through the Fourth of July weekend.

Officials said holidays are some of the busiest times for camping at the state parks, but according to Chris Pedretti, business operations section chief at the DNR, the agency is seeing increased interest in camping overall, even in typically slow periods like weekdays.

“Most weekends, and especially holiday weekends, are extremely busy every year with near 100 percent or 100 percent occupancy,” Pedretti said. “What we’ve seen this year since we reopened is just a general increase across the board even during the week and all weekends for most all properties.”

Gov. Tony Evers allowed the DNR to begin reopening state parks on May 1 with most campgrounds opening later on May 26, after they were closed due to health and safety concerns. Pedretti said the budget for the state parks is still recovering from the shutdown, but he said the increased interest in camping is a good sign.

Door County’s Peninsula State Park is one of the busiest state parks for camping, according to Pedretti. Jennifer Birkholz, the assistant superintendent at Peninsula, said campers were really excited about getting to return after the closures.

“Because of limitations everywhere else in the county with events and not having events going on, or other options, I think parks are being looked at as a really positive option to keep yourself busy with your family for the weekend.”

The increase in campsite reservations comes alongside reports of RV and boat sales booming, and as Americans look for ways to enjoy the summer weather while also staying safe as coronavirus cases surge in states across the country.

Pedretti said he thought there was a link between the pandemic and increased campsite reservations too.

“I think that there’s not as much travel with vacation plans this summer being impacted by what’s going on,” he said. “So people are staying closer to home or within the state and looking for opportunities like camping.”

Pedretti reminded campers to practice social distancing while out, in particular at places like showers and bathrooms where people tend to congregate.