Name: Buckhorn State Park
Location: W8450 Buckhorn Park Ave, Necedah, Wisconsin
Size: Over 8,000 acres (including the two adjacent forest preserves) of oak barrens, pines, sand blows, riverfront, and one nice stocked fishing pond that is quite cute.
Activities: Hiking, camping, bicycling, birding, cross country skiing and snowshoeing, canoeing and kayaking, dog walking, fishing, geocaching, hunting
Reservations: Online, walk-up
Pros: Stunning wildlife, big skies, secluded camping, excellent birding, quiet hikes
Cons: The neighbors were a bit loud the first night, but that’s not the park’s fault. We all need to be more mindful of the way that water carries the sounds we make.
In late September my best friend and I planned to meet up for a ladies-only camping trip in Buckhorn State Park. I am somewhat confident that the reason my friend agreed to this trip is because neither of our husbands would be there to show-off or demonstrably out-camp us.
Buckhorn State Park is located outside Necedah, Wisconsin along the banks of where the Yellow River meets the Wisconsin River. My friend lives in Minneapolis, and I live in Chicago, so we picked Buckhorn because it was easy for everyone to meet in the middle.
Buckhorn is a notable park because most of the campsites are either hike-in or backpack-in. My friend is more of a glamper than I am. I am not the biggest fan of traditional camping, where you have easy access to your car or RV. They come with conveniences, sure, but they also tend to exist nearby other campers. For me, if I can see another human being from my campsite, then I’m not really far enough away from it all. My friend likes to tend fires and cook a series of meals, that’s her favorite part of camping. Buckhorn was a pretty suitable compromise between these two things. She got to tend to a fire for hours and cook a series of pretty tasty meals and I could not see any other people in any other direction.
Buckhorn offers 68 campsites and a 60-site campground. Each site comes with a picnic table and fire ring. Many sites come with a post to keep food and trash off the ground without hanging it in a tree (you’ll still want to take extra precautions, raccoons do lurk about.) There is one accessible campsite near the South Campground, Site 8, which also has an electrical hookup. Many of the trails are also flat and wide, which does make the trails a little more accessible for someone with a mobility device. Be aware that the soil can be quite sandy.
Camping is allowed year-round at a handful of sites within the park, but many (including the South Campground) close for use from October – April. I stayed there through September 20-24, so I was probably the last person to camp at that site this year, though I didn’t realize it at the time. Most hike-in sites are between a few hundred feet and a mile from the trailhead, but many sites offer the use of a cart, which makes hauling in gear and firewood much simpler. We stayed at Site 15, which was about .4 miles from the trailhead. Potable water, showers and toilet facilities are available at the trailhead. Portable toilets are located near the campsites themselves, so it’s a bit easier to enjoy the comforts of modern life shortly after your coffee kicks in.
The first night we stayed at Buckhorn we were fortunate enough to have clear skies. I’m a sucker for the stars and just kind of melt when I see the Milky Way. The second night saw thunderstorms roll through, so there were no stars and we huddled in our tents most of the night. The temperatures were okay, actually, they hovered between 50 and 70 for most of the weekend but there was plenty of rain.
The fungi on display were stunning. We also found evidence of deer and raccoons wandering through or near our campsite. On the trails we spotted dragonflies, monarch butterflies and caterpillars, legless lizards, frogs, earthworms, grasshoppers, woodpeckers and songbirds.
Buckhorn has about 10 miles of hiking trails available. Firewood and ice are available at the ranger’s station, and it offers enormous opportunities for relaxation in a secluded environment. The carts are a nice amenity for the hike-in sites and the trails are beautiful, flat and easy to navigate (but the signage could be clearer on some.) Overall, it’s an excellent little park and a great place to get lost in for a few nights.
