Our 5 day camping trip to Governor Dodge State Park near Dodgeville, Wisconsin this week was great. The weather was almost perfect. The only downside was the nights got a little cool but that made sitting around the campfire more fun.

It was our first trip to Governor Dodge and we weren’t disappointed. The park itself is huge. It is 5 miles between the two lakes in the Park, both of which have nice beaches for swimming. The water at Cox Hollow Lake had a lot of algae on it so we swam at Twin Valley Lake which doesn’t have a concession stand but is less crowded. The kids loved playing in the sand on the beaches. It’s silky smooth and as my sister-in-law says, “is the color of cookie dough.”

Our daily routine included geo-caching (weren’t able to find a cache that is said to be a “stinky” one full of smelly things despite searching for it on two separate days. Our guess is that some animals carried it away), swimming, and a trip to the concession stand for ice cream (our favorites were blueberry cream pie, black raspberry truffle, and cotton candy).

The mosquitoes weren’t bad at all. I’m told there are quite a few bats in the area so they may be keeping the mosquito population under control. Gnats were bothersome though despite the application of massive amounts of insect repellent. We all have ankles full of itchy red bites as a “memory” of our trip.

There’s a waterfall at the park that’s a popular attraction although there wasn’t a lot of water going over it when we were there but the water that is falling over it is very cold. I just had to take a family member up on a dare and go stand underneath it. It felt like someone was pouring ice water over my head.

We camped with my brother and sister in law and three of their kids. Just like all our other camping trips, the time flew by. We didn’t have enough time to go visit a popular nearby attraction “The House On The Rock.” We’re hoping to fit that in next year when we go back.

The campsites themselves are mostly wooded and are big. Some have electric hookups and there is a dump station but there aren’t any water hookups. Plus, even though there were quite a few people staying at the campground it was really quiet and felt like we were out in the woods all by ourselves. It was great!

If you like camping where there are lots of hiking trails, geo-caches, lakes for swimming, horseback riding, and trails for biking, Governor Dodge is a great place to go. We met one family who love it there so much that they camp there 6 weeks every year.

If you do decide to camp there, reservations are highly recommended, especially for the electric campsites. People routinely book their trips to Governor Dodge up to 11 months in advance (as far in advance that is allowed) to get their favorite electric site on the weekends.