Indian Trails Campground — Hotel in Town of Wyocena

We camped here last weekend. We expected our time here to be phenomenal based off the fact it was so highly rated and a family run campground. Pluses are that there was so much to do. My oldest son and nephew really enjoyed kayaking around the lake and we enjoyed the new pool the first day. As a parent with little children, I especially liked the kiddie pool. My two youngest had a blast! We also liked the indoor pool which seemed totally ignored by fellow campers (which was nice for us as the water temperature was much cooler and it was out of the blazing sun). The mini golf feature was nice for the price. The site was clean and level, the shade was very welcome, the picnic table was sturdy and clean, and the fire pit was well maintained. Now for the cons. While the new pool was nice, it was so full the second day that I didn't feel safe having my children in there. Also, the kiddie pool had some children that were obviously way too old to be using it. I know it's hard for young people to pay attention when they are having fun, but having 13+ year-olds romping in a pool meant for toddlers is very unsafe. The store was rather cramped and hard to move around in. Many of the items in the shop were so hugely inflated that we simply did without. The store staff was very kind, courteous, knowledgable, and helpful. The outside staff on the other hand made me feel like a criminal. I made the very small, easily corrected error of parking on the gravel (which was where I thought I was supposed to park as the signpost was directly behind it, splitting the site numbers and the space was wide and long enough to fit two cars next to each other and two vehicles behind them). Instead of politely asking me to move, a male staff member abruptly said "Move your truck. You're in someone's spot. They paid for it so move." He was so curt I was taken aback. I apologized profusely and said I would move it immediately but the scowl on his face made it clear he was unhappy with my mistake. Another family member also encountered the same man just a few moments later regarding their dog laying in front of the trailer to which he said something to the effect of "put that dog on a leash or go home." I understand enforcing the rules but a little politeness would have boosted my rating and the overall enjoyment of my stay. Speaking of rules, we were in a tent surrounded by RV's, campers, motorcoaches, and trailers. The rules clearly state that all outside lights and noise need to be completely shut off by 11 pm. Two of the trailers behind us totally violated this rule by keeping their lights on all night, shining right into our eyes WHILE WE WERE IN THE TENT and the other keeping their pop/country mix going at top volume until 12:15. We remedied the prior by hanging a blanket on that side, which isn't fun when you're tired and just want to sleep. I guess Mr. Curt Rule Nazi had gone home for the night as nobody stopped either of them (and the office was closed so nobody to report it to). The men's bathroom had a wad of chewing tobacco under the urinal screen all weekend and there was menstrual blood on the back of a toilet seat in the ladies room for the same length of time. All in all, if you don't break any rules, don't mind others breaking them unchecked, and have some awesome family joining you, you'll have...

Cons: ||If you book a site in the middle you will be on top of other campers. There are maybe 10 spots in the back that seem like they are more private, but they are farther away from activities. The whole thing just seems to be set up to try and get the most campers into the spaces. ||The pool was just ok, with no slides or anything but a concrete hole. The kids pool is pretty small but at least had a small slide and a few water features.||The pond with the inflatables is crawling with something that bites, could be little snapping turtles, or maybe some type of fish. But three people in our group got bitten, stopping the kids from wanting to go swimming. And it was common knowledge, other people were talking about how they had the same experience and one person we spoke to that has a permanent site there said they won't go into the area at all||There is no riding your bikes at night, even with proper lights. We have never camped where that is a rule. As a family we enjoy riding at night and having to tell the kids they couldn't do it was disappointing. Plus it was the Christmas in July weekend, but you couldn't even ride around to see everyone's outdoor decorations.||Also there is no motorized bikes as well, I'm not talking about motorcycles, I mean the bicycles that have a small battery to assist going up hills, so just a heads-up there (we don't have those, but our neighbor did, she was retirement age, and this is one of the few ways she can enjoy biking and was disappointment she couldn't ride around).||No remote-control cars at the sites, electric cars (even our 5 year old's little toy car) are not allowed at the site, but you can do it at the DMX track, and all gas power remote control cars not allowed at all.||Many people cleared out, maybe because of the storms, or maybe because they were constantly being told what to do, leaving us with a little bit more room so we started to play golf, with wiffle balls, just putting a bucket a few yards away and trying to hit into the bucket. Got told we could not play golf as it would ruin the grass, which is a joke. There is no grass, just weeds growing out of sand. I'm pretty sure the campers, camp mats, tents and cars will do more damage to the grass than we would. On top of it, the man who came by to ask us to stop could have approached us much better without the attitude. When he said he was worried about the grass I almost laughed out loud based on the condition of the "grass."||The indoor pool is freezing cold with way too much chlorine. Every single one of us came out with blood shot eyes, even if we didn't swim because the chemicals were so strong, not only in the water but also the air.||Pros: ||Bathrooms are clean and nice||The sites in the back seemed nicer with more space||The gift shop was nice and the staff there was friendly||They did a great job of cleaning up the garbage bags at the sites.||*The Christmas in July was a nice touch and there was nice gifts and fun things for the kids. ||||There are way too many great camp sites in Wisconsin, both private and state run. We have been camping for years and because of this, while our time there wasn't horrible, we will...

Check in: the office area is very crowded. They have the most extensive "souvenier shop" that I've ever seen at a campground. Maybe take some of those knick knacks out to make room for open space for people to stand. Other than that, it was quick and easy.

The office building also houses a wonderful snack bar with all the kids' favorites (ice cream, deep fried snacks, etc.) The staff was very knowledgeable and efficient.

We camped on a theme weekend, and WOW, this campground took the theme to the max. Excellent job on the campground's part to really decorate and plan for all the activities. My tip: research ahead of time what the theme is here for the weekend you're camping. We did not do that, but clearly the other campers did and they all came very well-prepared to participate in the activities. (Some activities worked better if you pre-planned and brought certain items from home. Some other campers even made up special tshirts just for the weekend that fit the theme.)

Our sites were #6 and #7. They were only ok. Right on the main drag, so there was a lot of traffic all day long. Site #6 was grassy enough to put up the tent, but had a large sewer drain in the middle of the site (it didn't stink though). #7 was all gravel, so we put the camper on that site, as there was not enough grass to put up the tent there. The fire pits were large and the picnic tables were sturdy. (I felt the need to comment on that, since often you get fire pits that are tiny or too deep or not cleaned out, and sometimes picnic tables are so old they are sagging and about to break.) The site itself was average - not the biggest site or the smallest site we've ever camped on. It had some large trees, but not enough to block for privacy.

The kids loved all the activities. The indoor pool was cool, but it was a great option to have when it rained. The mini golf course was in excellent condition for being at a campground - usually they're "hand made" types of mini golf courses in poor condition, but this was right up there with your standard mini golf course that you'd go to at home. The outdoor swimming area was great with all the inflatables for different age groups. The sand beaches were wonderful, and it was awesome that parents could sit anywhere along the swimming area and see their kids - it's all built up beautifully with picnic tables and steps and places to watch your kids as they swim. We also canoed in the "lake" - it was 4 or 5 ft deep at the deepest. Okay for an hour with young kids, but older kids would get bored with it real fast.

Bathrooms: the showers were free, but you couldn't control the temperature. They looked nice with modern tile and pine planking, but there was lots of hair in the drains both times I showered.

All in all, it was a nice campground. While I'm not dying to return, I had a wonderful time, and so did the kids. Maybe if my site was a little more off the main drag, with a little more space and privacy, I might be setting up my reservation for next...