#TeamFrankTravels: Camping at Governor Dodge State Park

Jump to Day 2

Jump to Day 3

We definitely couldn't wait to get over the cold weather so when the first signs of warmth knocked on Wisconsin's door steps, we grabbed the chance! Each year, I take a week off for Bear's birthday, and my birthday. Most of the time we plan on doing something for Bear's birthday week(end), and for my week I usually just use it to chill, relax, and craft.

Last month, for Bear's birthday we decided to camp at Governor Dodge State Park. I recently added on my bucket list to, hopefully, get to visit all state parks in Wisconsin.​ I really enjoy camping, and it feels good to just be away from the city and experience nature.

I find it most convenient to book everything online, and I'm actually very happy with the WI DNR website where you can book your preferred campsite. It gives you all the information you need, including the map, if it has water/electricity should you need it for an RV or camper, and the availability. It also has photos of the campsite, although it would be nice if it included the actual campsite size.

Check-in starts at 3pm and we arrived just on time to set up before the sun sets. It was still a bit chilly, but it was definitely a wonderful evening.

Day 2 - Rain, rain didn't go away

While I definitely love that I can book ahead of time online and pick the spot we like, and not risk having no available campsites left, one thing I dislike is the unpredictable weather. April and May are the months where the Midwest weather is confused if it's still winter, already spring, or actually summer. Funny that you can experience all these in one day. Needless to say, our 2nd day was rainy - very rainy, it rained all day!! I am actually impressed by our tent, we were dry all day despite the massive rainfall.

Unfortunately, we didn't really have much to do in the tent so we napped... and played games on our phone. The irony. Note to self - always bring board and/or card games. Even the pups were bored, sadly! Not gonna lie it crossed my mind to dance in the rain, but it was about 45 degrees out... so wasn't a smart idea at the time.

We were quite bummed and I feel like we sort of wasted Day 2. We attempted to extend our stay since we're scheduled to leave the following day. Well everyone's excited to go camping, and our site was already booked for the following day. We decided we would just enjoy the evening and the following day, and definitely will come back another time. 

For now, let's enjoy the moment! I found my new obsession - roasted marshmallows!

Day 3 - Stephens' Falls

Just like that, the following day was very warm and dry! The mud was mostly dry by noon.

We gotta make the most out of it, right? So we decided to do a short hike and check out Stephens' Falls.

Not sure if it's too early in the season or too late, or what LOL. But the falls didn't have much water to fall... corny. I know.

Overall, it was still a beautiful day! You can keep walking past the falls and there's a decent trail that's easy to go through. We didn't walk all the way since it's a long trail, that if I remember right, connects to other trails. We decided to head back home and call it  day!