Camping at the English Pale Campground for Memorial Day Weekend, wasn’t sure what I was getting in to, as south west Wisconsin can be a mosquito haven this time of year before the dragonflies come out.
First of all, we met Cal and one his daughters (the painter) within minutes of arrival, and with our rather extended, which I did appreciate as it made us feel comfortable, conversation, we learned all about the land, the plans, the man. Gotta love a man with a dream and Cal sure has one. It’s a small campground right now, I think there’s seven spots, but keep on eye on this one as his plans are big.
The spots in the B section, where we were, are average size and I could see if it were to be filled it would feel a little cramped, but if you go with a group filling up all the spots would make it pretty cozy.
There are a couple tent sites down by the river which looked pretty awesome, as we saw them Jon our hike down to the river. As with anywhere in Wisconsin, bring the bug spray.
The property he has on the river is beyond excellent, large sandy beach, sprawling throughout the bends in the river. It’s be easy to stay secluded even with multiple groups down there.
Activity wise there isn’t much beyond that. Probably about a 2 mile hiking trail loop around the property, steep sandy hills though so it’s not a walk in the park.
The little town next store has a gas station and maybe a diner if it’s open.
Really a sweet spot though, not overpriced and pleasant people.Thanks Cal

Brooklyn Heights Rv Park really is a work in progress, as Vince has owned the property for only a year and a half as of this review, but what he has done to the land has been amazing. He has 10 Rv sites, seemingly big enough for decent size pull behind trailers, but we only had a Sprinter van. Each site has a fire ring and enough room to where your neighbors are “distant” neighbors. We saw the cabins, but didn’t venture towards them as they were mostly occupied, good for you, Vince.
He did have amenities, coffee and firewood, paid either with cash or Electronic payment, but we definitely carried in carried out, so no need.
The area itself was great for walking/ hiking, and I definitely recommend the Hendrick foot bridge across the Cheat River. It’ll give you a nice walk through Hendrick, as well as leading to the trail which used to be a railway way back in the day.
So, great place, things to do, and super helpful/ friendly host make it a very cool place to set up camp for a little while

Brooklyn Heights Riverfront campground, just outside of Parsons WV is really a neat little campground set right next to national forest.
Vince, the owner, came to meet us minutes after we checked in, and made us feel comfortable. He was on site for out entire stay in case anything came up.
The place is fairly new, about a year and a half, and was done up nicely to accommodate 10 RV sites and at least 6 cabins, along with a bunch of tent spots. All the spots were clean, equipped with a fire ring, and easy to get in to. The weather wasn’t great, but still the area was abundant with things to do and places to go. Parsons itself is a quaint little big town with just enough to keep you busy for a day.
Cool place, great nearby hiking. Check out the hanging bridge!

We contacted Noah not knowing exactly which site would work best for us, as we have a camper van, rather than carry in tent camping, and he recommended site #1. It turned out to be perfect, secluded, with plenty of room for our dogs to wander free without being totally “out there”. There appeared to be a good amount of hiking on-site, as long as you were ready to really bust out the machete, but we didn’t and started to look elsewhere for our hiking.
We decided to go to Pike Lake, but our first move was to stop at the Back to the Best General Store, where we met who we thought were the proprietors, but actually ended up being Noah and his wife, whose parents own the store. He suggested going to Holy Hill for the hiking, as well as the Ice Age Trail. Awesome choice!

Horseshoe Bend is truly a unique camping adventure, as the campground consists of 4 electric sites and and other land for tenters.
We booked on a weekend where we were the only ones booked, and while we tried to get a few of our camping friends to tag along, none could, so we had the entire property to ourselves and our dogs.
Upon arrival, Brady showed up to greet us and give us a brief history of the property. I won’t give it away, to steal his thunder, but it’s very interesting to hear all that has happened there over the years.
Since it was just us, the communal firewood was all ours, but there was plenty around even if there were more than just one group. Our dogs got to run free the entire time, which they totally enjoyed.
Brady did warn us about deer and turkey that might be campsite visitors, but take away a Bambi at the front gate, and a gobble gobble heard one morning, there wasn’t a single siting.
The entire campground is shaded by huge maple and oak trees, and was a welcome relief in the almost 90 degree weather.
Though there is supposed to be a creek that runs through the campground, it has since dried up and most likelihood is only active during a (very) rainy season. Two outhouses are there by the pavilion, and they were clean very usable. Brady was kind enough to give us a 30a extension cord to give us more options as to where to put our small camper.
Hiking on site is limited, as the property itself borders other private homes, but there is a county park nearby (9 miles of so) with trails and a lake for fishing, which we took advantage of.
Horseshoe Bend would be a great site for a larger group of campers, where privacy was wanted to do WHATEVER they wanted, as there really are no neighbors to speak of.
Or be like we were, a couple who got to enjoy the total solitude of a campground to ourselves, to enjoy the sounds of nature (abundantly), unencumbered by radios, traffic, and outside conversations well into the night.