Family, Friends, FUN!

Our camper!

Our firepit!

          

  

Hey campers! So, in every blog post I have been talking about campgrounds that you have to make plans to go to, and you have travel to them. In this post I am going to change it up! This time campers, we are going to a fun place called Mallard Lake Family Resort. Mallard Lake is located in Webster, Wisconsin. Mallard Lake Resort is a place where you can keep your camper there all year long! There are 52 sites at Mallard. Everyone there is super friendly! It is kind of like a town of campers in the summer because everyone goes up at the same times. This campground is a place for everyone. If you wanted to settle down, and not travel around to go camping then this is the place for you.

Haning on the trampoline!

            There are many things to do for young and old at Mallard. There is a lodge that has a restaurant in it, a game room, and even a hair salon. There is a beach right on the campground (It takes 2 minutes to walk to) with a good sized lake for boating and swimming! They have a trampoline in the swimming area that you can jump on and off of! They also have a volley ball net on the beach to play a fun game of sand volleyball. When you get hungry you can stay on the beach and grab a hotdog, burger, and more from the beach concessions! When we are up there we go to the beach a lot. It is a ton of fun going tubing and skiing. You also can get really tan by lying on the beach.  There is a fishing house ( to clean the fish), so if you want to have a fish dinner that night you can go out on the lake and catch some nice sized fish! Away from the water there is a playground and a skateboard park. There is also a basketball court, and a putting green! You can also go on good old hikes and bike rides. These are just the many things you can do in the summertime! In the winter times there are snowmobile trails, a skating rink, and sledding hills!

Friends!

            We have had a site here for about 6 years, and we love it. I have made so many great friends, and had so many wonderful memories at Mallard! If you want to just try it out and see if you like it they also have spots that you can rent for the weekend. I love when summer comes around because I know that means I am going to Mallard Lake Family Resort! Oh… How I love to go camping!  

         

Up, Up, and... Up!

Swinging bridge

Hey campers! Scared of heights? If so, this next place might not be for you. For the rest of you Jay Cooke State Park will be great! Jay Cooke is located in Carlton, Minnesota. Jay Cooke is 8,818 acres of nature with a variety of wildlife in it. You can find white-tailed deer, black bears, timber wolves, coyote, and many more beautiful animals. At Jay Cooke you can also see the beautiful blue St. Louis River.

Some of the exciting things to do at Jay Cooke include horseback riding, biking, and hiking! There are many trails for all three activities. The biking trails include mountain biking, and normal tour trails. My favorite was the hiking! For people who don’t like heights this is the part you will not like. One of the best parts of the hiking, in my opinion, was the swinging bridge we had to cross. The swinging bridge was suspended over the raging St. Louis River. It was so fun crossing the bridge! I remember my dad was on one side of the bridge, and I was on the other side of the bridge. Guess who was in the middle… my mom, the one not a fan of heights! We kept jumping on the bridge to make it shake for a good laugh. It was so much fun, but my mom didn’t laugh until she got across! Another one of my favorite parts was the high cliffs we were hiking on. At one point we came to a picnic table that was secured to a tree because we were on such a steep cliff. You might seem a little skeptical thinking why would I want to go up that high? But, think about it, the higher up you are the more you can see. Let me tell you it is a spectacular sight when you get up that high! It is very beautiful.

The bench chained to the tree!

I have been to Jay Cooke three times. Each time it is more and more exciting. This is definitely a must see place for all you campers! While you’re there be sure you get the chance to see all the beauty I did, by going hiking! Oh and don’t forget that bug spray of yours…Campers: Nature's way of feeding mosquitoes. Oh… How I love to go camping!

It's biking time!

Hey Campers! For all you bikers out there this next place would be a blast! Even if you are not a biker you should definitely try out this next place. This next campground is called Tunnel Trail Campground. Tunnel Trail Campground is located in Wilton, Wisconsin. Tunnel Trail is yet another beautiful, fun campground.  There is definitely a lot of scenery, but to see it you have to get out on the trails!

The beginning of the tunnel

Tunnel Trail campground has one of the more fun bike trails I have ever been on! The trail is called the Elroy Sparta Trail. This trail is an Old Chicago- Northwestern railroad bed that has been converted into a hiking/biking trail. I suggest you bike this route if you would like to get farther along the trail. The trail is 32 miles long. We turned around after about 8 miles. The best part of trail hints at the name of the campground! There are three tunnels throughout the trail. We hit two of them in the 8 miles. When you get to the trails you have to get off of your bike, and turn on your flashlights! Yes, it gets pretty dark in the tunnels. It also gets very cold! It’s a nice cool off from riding in the hot sun. It is eerie, but cool in the tunnels. You can hear the echo of everyone’s voice, and every once in a while you might feel a water drop from the top of the tunnel. When you get out of the tunnel it takes a second for your eyes to adjust back to the sunlight, but it is well worth it! If this sounds fun to you, but you don’t have a bike they also have bike rentals there!  When you get back from you biking or hiking trip there is a heated pool area, miniature golf, and a game room that you can relax and hang out at!

I hope you can go to this campground and experience the fun tunnels like I got too! Just don’t forget your flashlights. The flashlights will definitely come in handy at this campground! Oh…How I love to go camping!

Heading to the end of the tunnel

Fun in the sun!

     Hey Campers! This next place is an excellent place for kids! It is located one mile north of Waterville on the North Shore of Lake Sakatah. This campground is called Kamp Dels!  Kamp Dels has a beautiful view of Lake Sakatah, and is also full of many beautiful trees. Now, if you are looking for the peaceful quiet of nature, then in my opinion this isn’t the place. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s an excellent place to go. It just focuses more on activities then nature!

Getting ready to go fishing...

            Kamp Dels has many kid oriented things to do. I went here when I was about six, and I had a blast! This campground has its own outdoor waterpark and pool, two playgrounds, a petting zoo, horse trails, and pony rides. Think about it, if you were a kid you would have a blast.  I know I did when I was younger, I loved this campground! Don’t worry though; there are also activities for everyone else! There is fishing and boating on the gorgeous lake Sakatah. The first time I went fishing I was at Kamp Dels! I remember it was very windy on that day. I couldn’t wait to get my Barbie fishing pole out. My dad hooked the worm on, and before I could get it in the water the wind made the hook fly back and catch on my shirt. Let’s just say I was done fishing for the day, but it definitely made a great memory to look back and laugh at! Other things you can do would be to go biking on the 50 miles of paved bike trails.  There are also many different sports fields like softball, tennis, and a basketball court. You can gather people and get a game started! I remember I did not want to leave this campground. There were so many fun activities to experience! This is a good place to go for some water fun, and dry fun!

            If you go, I hope you have as much fun as I did. Make sure you plan out time for everything, and just relax and have fun! If you go fishing make sure it isn’t too windy on that particular day!

Oh… How I love to go Camping! 

So many things to try!

          

              Hey campers!  Eagle Cliff Campground sound fun? Well, in my opinion it is! Eagle Cliff is located in Lanesboro, Minnesota. The campground itself is not amazingly beautiful, until you get out on the trails. Out on the trails and by the Root River there is a lot of wonderful nature. There are many different animals and plants you can run into too.  

Eagle Cliff Campground has a whole list of things to do! You can go hiking and biking, which is what we did for the majority of the time.  When we were there we went biking along the Root River. The Bike ride is a gorgeous one. Plus once you get to the end of the bike trail, there is a cute little pie and ice cream shop that has very delicious sweets! It definitely motivates everyone to get to the end of the trail.  You can also Kayak or Canoe on the Root River; instead of riding along the side of it. You can also go fishing, hunting, horseback riding, get a cave tour, go on a trolley ride, or go mushroom hunting! There is also a high ropes course, an apple orchard, mini golfing, or you can even go on an Amish Tour. Some of these things mentioned are in Eagle Cliff Campground, and others are right outside of the campground in Lanesboro. As you can see you will not have much down time if you want to try to fit everything in! Or, you might just have to go to this campground a couple times! I had a blast trying out these activities. You might be leery of trying some of these activities, but just remember it is always good to try new things!

            This campground is great to go to with family or friends! I know I had a blast going with my family. After a day’s worth of activities don’t forget to relax and enjoy the nice, warm fire! Oh…How I Love to go Camping!

The good thing.org

Back to the Beginning!

Panoranio.com

               Hey campers! You know what I am ready for… Summer! I think it is time to start planning the summer camping trips. For this camping trip let’s head out where the enormous Mississippi river starts… in Park Rapids, Minnesota at Itasca State Park! Itasca is the oldest state park in Minnesota. This park has more than 32,000 acres and more than 100 lakes. This State Park is filled with beautiful sights and smells. There are trees and wildlife everywhere you look. You can find birds, deer, bears, wolves, and more. I remember seeing a ton of deer, especially on the walking paths. I didn’t run into any bear when I was out there, but it sure would have been amazing if we did!

            This state park is filled with many exciting things to do. My favorite thing to do was walk across the Mississippi river! Yes, you read that right. You might be thinking well, how it that possible if the river is really wide and deep. Not at the start of the river it isn’t. The start of the river is only about 20 ft. wide. We walked back and forth across it about 20 times because we wanted to be able to say we walked across the Mississippi river. If you go to Itasca that is definitely one thing you cannot miss. Other fun things you can do would be to go on a hiking trip and explore the nature of the place. You can go on a biking trip as well, and explore the nature as you go by, instead of on foot. You can also do both, that is what we did. We took one day for hiking and one for biking. Trust me, going hiking and biking is well worth the beauty of the place.  You can also get some fun history lessons while you are there. You can go see Itasca Indian cemetery to learn about their story, and what happened to them. You can also go visit Wegmann’s cabin, landmarks of centuries gone by.

            There are so many beautiful sights, and so many fun things to do.  You better start planning the trip now. I know I am, even though I have already been to this campground. I am definitely ready to go back. I hope you go and have a blast. It is so cool to be able to say you have walked across the great big old Mississippi river!  Oh…How I love to go camping!  

Making my way across the Mississippi River