Camping at Bear Hill

At the time of writing, Bear Hill has two Hipcamp listings at the same property. One is for tent campers, one is for those who want to take advantage of the "Love Shack" or RV parked on the land. We were Kevin's first tent campers, participating in the First Camper Club. I received special pricing from Hipcamp for leaving a review and photos.

First the good:
-The full price is right ($20/night for tenters) and compared to the nearby WI State Park and their steep camping and vehicle fees, it's a good deal
-Kevin is nice and genuinely wants you to have an amazing time while you are there
-There is a large fire ring with nice seating, a large shade awning with wings to keep you out of the sun on hot days plus an electric fan to move the hear out, and even a grill to cook on
-Two tables for prep and serving, plus a picnic table
-Lots of nice details around the camping area, like handmade decorations and structures made from reclaimed and leftover lumber
-The. Nicest. Pit Toilet. Ever. Seriously, wet wipes provided, humorous calendars, etc.
-Water is available to tent campers from a hose, shack & RV have hookups
-Free firewood; maple and pine
-Showers are available if needed, we didn't
-If you plan it in advance Kevin the host will take you out on his boat on the WI River. He also has two kayaks for rent and can put you in for an hourlong float. We had plans so didn't take him up on either offer.
-Kevin gave us an excellent tip to go 2 miles away to the local's swimming spot on the WI River, ask him for directions

And here's some constructive feedback:
-Kevin has only had a few guests through Hipcamp so far, so he seems more used to personal guests. While he was kind and very helpful, he stopped by several times after the initial hello with more information and questions. I think all this information could be presented in the listing, on a single piece of paper, or in the initial greeting by the host. Our group is self-sufficient and tends to prefer quiet and privacy while camping so every consecutive visit felt more like an interruption.
-The tent camping area is also where you park your car, which puts it right behind the Love Shack structure in view of the windows. Also, the Love Shack and the RV are less than a few hundred feet away from and in full view of Kevin and his wife's house. There is a small clearing in the woods that might provide more privacy to tent campers, I'd love to see him use that or otherwise clear a more private/remote area away from the house, RV, and shack. If he does I would probably go back.
-Kevin had surprise family guests, a couple with his 3 year old grandson, staying both nights in the Love Shack. The listing says "one group only" and we weren't really there to socialize so this made for an awkward first night. Kevin apologized, this may really have been a fluke.
-Listing could mention driving instructions for arrival once you're in the driveway. He had us drive around to the left and through an opening in the fence behind the house, this was a little hard to see late at night when we arrived. You'll drive over grass, but it's grass over hard sand so AWD probably not necessary.
-Kevin has at least two dogs but did not mention them in the listing. Some folks are allergic and some folks don't get along with dogs, so this should be mentioned.
-There are some other listing issues - as tent campers we did not get a flush toilet or tap water, the tent camping listing says $20 night and $60 night in different places.

Overall we did have a nice stay, and the property was empty the second night so we felt more comfortable using the communal areas, which are set up quite nicely and made car camping easy.

I would recommend this listing, just be aware of the details!

My husband and I stayed here in the park model camper over Memorial day weekend. The property is very well maintained with a large fire pit, communal picnic area with grill, and a pit toilet for tent camping (both campers have flush toilets). There is also a shed with grilling tools and camp chairs (in case you didn't bring any like us) The model camper had everything we needed: a bed, couch, small table, kitchen area (fridge, sink, microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, plates and utensils), and a bathroom with shower. It was very pleasant to stay in especially when we had overnight storms one evening. The hosts had a fire going both nights which was very nice, and it was clear enough on one night so we could do a bit of stargazing.

The property is about 15 minutes away from the Dells, and close to 3 state parks. There is a gate to get in and out, but it was easy to open and close on our own (though our hosts were nice enough to open it for us many times).

We had a very pleasant stay, and are looking forward to coming back with a bigger group soon!

Right when we got in we are greeted by Kevin it was dark, so Kevin walked us to our site in the car when we got there we're pleasantly surprised by the size of the "Love shack" to us it seemed like it was pretty far from the house being we are on their land we're happy to share with whoever might be there next to us because it was also pretty separate from the jayco which is also available to rent. Upon waking up I'm getting a good lay of the land it did seem that you would currently share a very large fire pit with the other campsite as well as a shaded area where there is tables chairs grills Etc. There was another family it was camping next to us but I will add that's Kevin does prefer that only one family or group is camping in the entire site at once and if there is one family and one of the units and not one in the other he will automatically let you know that there's already somebody there this particular weekend was 4th of July weekend and everything was booked up I pleaded with Kevin to allow us to come anyway and everything worked out very well! Overall there was plenty of free wood plenty of space to Rome good distance from the dells and close to watering holes and bars. Kevin also has a nice size boat that he likes to take you out onhe also has a couple of kayaks he will rent out to you as well as drive you to the drop and pick you up at the pickup point. Overall the experience was absolutely amazing we felt like we found new friends and Kevin and his wife. we would highly recommend saying here!!

Never thought camping in someones (Big) back-yard would have been so fun! Kevin and Sherrie are kind and flexible people, with interesting past histories! I will never forget them. Loved their dog Bear as well. Kevin took us out on his boat in the morning, it was beautiful. He is the best host, so informative. Night life close by.

This was our first experience with hipcamp and we couldn't have asked for better hosts. Kevin and Sheri met us at the gate and showed us around. We decided to stay in the camper because we didn't need or want a lot of indoor living space. The camper is exactly as shown, completely stocked, clean and comfortable. We brought our dog Bella up with us on her first camping trip ever, and were very nervous about letting her off leash. Kevin assured me that the area was safe and completely fenced in, so we gave it a shot. We introduced her to their awesome dog Bear and they made fast friends. Our first day, Kevin gave us directions to the swimming hole and our family spent the afternoon on the river. That evening, we cooked steaks on the grill and Kevin shared with us some amazing blueberry brats, along with some fresh veggies from the garden. Kevin and Sheri took us out to the koy pond and showed us Kevin's awesome new garden. They got the fire going with Kevin's "weed burner" that seemed a lot like a flame thrower (haha) and we sat up talking and star gazing until well after midnight. Sunday morning Kevin and Sheri took us on a wonderful boat trip around the dells, around all the beautiful nooks and crannies, then rented us their kayaks, dropped us off in the river and met us back at the swimming hole about an hour later. Beautiful scenic kayaking trip with a sandy island we stopped by for a quick rest. Sunday evening we got rained on but still enjoyed the fire and sat under the awning for a bit chatting before bed. We had one of the best experiences ever and will definitely be back.

Our family feels so blessed that we found this little slice of heaven. Kevin has invested so much time and care in his facilities. We absolutely loved the quiet and the beauty. Kevin took us on a morning tour of the river and showed us all the local favorites. His dogs were sweet and our dog had a great adventure exploring the fenced property. We stayed in the trailer with a super comfy mattress and all the details we needed. Do yourself a favor and meet Kevin and his sweet wife. They are kind and open hearted folks. I wish we lived closer.

Had a great time at the camp. We got double booked some how so we go upgraded free of charge to the love shack! It was was nice. Come with a nice bed. Coach that can be a bed! It also comes with pots, pans cups, plates a d anything else you need. He supplies the wood for ur fire pits. And there is a shed with stuff in it, that u can use while you are there. Also there is a hot tub to use. He offers a private boat ride on the river that’s would take 3/4 hours. The cost is $100. It amazing and he brings u to an amazing beach and scenery that’s on the river. You can rent a canoe or kayak for cheaper. And he will drop u off and pick you up.

Awesome experience... Kevin and Sheri are nice hosts.. everything is very well accommodated and maintained. We just relaxed couple of days. Very near from Dells and Wisconsin river. Highly recommend and we will definitely go again!!

We had a fantastic stay at Bear Hill! Our hosts were more than accommodating and we had everything we needed. The camper had a microwave, fridge, shower, dishes/utensils and more than enough space for the 3 of us. The outside picnic table was a great setup too with a grill, fire pit, and canopy. Kevin loaned us a canoe to use on the Wisconsin River, which had amazing bluffs and sand bars for swimming a relaxing. They even gave us some of their fresh veggies from their garden! I highly recommend this site!!