Wisconsin State Parks

I'd recommend Merrick State Park. The park itself is nice enough. It's on the Mississippi river, with good sized campsites that have reasonable privacy. The thing I like most about it is that it's on Rt 35, which offers some of the greatest road tripping in the USA. The bluffs and riverscapes along Rt 35 are beautiful, and the distribution of little river towns and villages is ideal. Every 10-or-so miles brings you to another quaint settlement with a favorite watering hole or cafe or bakery. Venture into the surrounding hills for a taste of wine country, and be sure to visit Vino In The Valley for a really unique outdoor dining and entertainment experience. Other recommended daytrip adventures within 40 miles of Merrick: slurp some scrumtious locally made ice cream on the comfortable patio at the Nelson Cheese Factory in Nelson, sample regional wines at the tasting room and courtyard at Villa Bellezza in Pepin, stick around town for nachos done differently at the Pickle Factory just down the road beside the river, do some sidewalk shopping in the enchanted hamlet of Stockholm, climb one of the mid-west's twistiest roads to the most magnificent possible view of the Mississippi River at Buena Vista Park in Alma, suffer a ridiculously limited beer selection just so you can float in the Dam Saloon barge outside Fountain City, and eagle watch everywhere - but especially across the river in Wabasha, MN, home of the National Eagle Center. While you're in Wabasha, order a bowl of the hearty soup at Slippery's Restaurant and pull up to a window seat. The Mississippi rolls by so closely that you'll feel like you're on a riverboat. Merrick makes a great base camp for all this and plenty more.