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Camping at the
Kickapoo Valley Reserve

Campsite A 

Primitive camping is available at 26 sites identified on the visitor guide map. Sites include, vehicle-accessible for $15/night; canoe-accessible and hike-in, bike-in, or horseback-accessible only for $10/night. All campers are required to register and obtain camping permits prior to setting up camp; camping permits are available online or at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor Center on the day of arrival or up to 45 days in advance. Sites are primitive and do not have water or toilet facilities. Potable water and bathrooms are available at the Visitor Center near the parking lot and Village of La Farge Campground. Plan appropriately.

How to set up and pay for camping

PLEASE NOTE: 

River access sites are challenging and difficult to get to with full camping gear; banks can be steep and muddy as the Kickapoo River fluctuates regularly. Sites and their access are primitive.  Riverbank camping is not allowed due to dangers of flash floods. Please plan accordingly and expect that you may have to haul your gear up to 75 yards up hill from the river to a designated campsite.

Firewood

Registered guests are allowed to burn dead and downed wood found on the Reserve. Leave dead trees standing for wildlife. Firewood is available for purchase in La Farge or from local vendors.  Protect trees within campsites, chopping, marring, carving on, breaking branches, abusing them is not permitted.  Burning trash is strictly prohibited.

Leave No Trace - Going in the Woods
Please follow these simple steps when nature calls:

1) Find a spot at least 200 steps from any water source. 

2) Dig a hole 6-8 inches deep and bury human waste.

3) Pack out used toilet paper. 

OR

Get yourself to the nearest flush toilet or Porta Pot.

OR

Use a WAG (waste alleviation and gelling) bag and pack out all waste.

 

 
Leave No Trace
 
The beauty of the Reserve is unrivaled. To preserve it for future generations, we ask that you leave no trace of your visit.

"Pack it in; pack it out" - pick up and pack out all of your litter. Burying or leaving trash is unacceptable, as is burning items such as aluminum cans and foil, cigarette butts, bottle caps, glass, folding chairs, chemically treated wood, untreated lumber with nails or screws, plastics, or Styrofoam in your campfire. Only burn paper, cardboard, and untreated wood.

Please minimize your impact...
 - Use existing fire pits; don't burn garbage.
 - Observe posted camp area capacity limits. 
 - Prevent human waste from entering water. 
 -  Use WAG bags for human waste.
 - Leave the site better than when you found it.
 - Respect the serenity of the area - keep noise to a minimum.

-Observe quiet hours after 10pm.

Please treat the Reserve with respect. Future access depends on your stewardship. 

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Campsites in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve fall into three site types listed below:

Non-Vehicle Accessible – Parking is greater than 500 feet from the campsite. Site access is via trail or canoe.  No motorized vehicles are allowed at or access to these sites.

Vehicle Accessible – Seasonally maintained direct access for vehicles to the site.  Parking is available on the site. Call the Visitor Center to learn which campsite accesses are plowed in the winter.

Non-Vehicle Accessible-River – The site does not have a trail leading to it. Access is best via canoe or kayak. No motorized vehicles are allowed at or access to these sites.

Each site has a posted capacity limit. All are limited to 10 people. All campsites are intended for one group, family, or party.

Willow Camp (D) has four individual campsites and is for self-contained units only.

Large groups camping on the Reserve need to apply for an event permit at least 45 days prior to the anticipated date. Contact the Reserve office for more information.

 

 

Area Information

Emergency Alerts

 

The Kickapoo Reserve Management Board acknowledges that the state and federal lands that comprise the Reserve fall within the ancestral homelands of First Nations people including the Hooçak Nation. We recognize the sovereignty of the Hooçak and other First Nations and will work towards a shared future by continuing to create collaborative opportunities to protect and preserve these lands.

Kickapoo Valley Reserve | S3661 State Highway 131 | La Farge, Wisconsin 54639 
Phone: 608-625-2960 | FAX: 608-625-2962
kickapoo.reserve@krm.state.wi.us

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