POND CAMPING

The Aasen Family Farm Ponds property is set in the quintessential rolling hills of western Wisconsin. Just up the road from the small town of Whitehall. When I rolled through around dinnertime there was a band playing country music out in the park near downtown. It seemed like a summer town festival had sprung up for the weekend. Folks looked like they were having a good time.

Upon arriving at the farm you take a turn off the county highway, roll past a large chicken barn and slice through corn fields on a paved drive towards the newer farm house. The campsite is set just on the other side of a small grove of trees from the house, offering enough privacy to feel like it's your own space. The hosts' two dogs were a welcome guest at the campsite a few times throughout our stay. Two ponds are set next to the campsite, below the lawn from the house, offering fishing and the opportunity for a quick dip in the water. The host families kids even came down fishing in the morning. I'm not sure anything was caught, but that's fishing sometimes. You can also take advantage of a number of inner tubes, an inflatable kayak and paddle boat. A charcoal grill was set up for us to use and firewood was available.

The host family was amazing on all accounts. We were greeted upon arrival and shown around the property. Being the first hipcamper's to the site they also dug a brand-new fire-ring and greeted us with a gift basket of homemade cookies and other goodies. They were very gracious and available for anything we needed throughout the stay.

There is a basic farm bathroom in one of the barn sheds, but it has warm water and was welcome after a night of camping. It's just a short walk down from the campsite.

Dina and family were very welcoming and accomodating and fun. The natural spring, ponds and view were amazing. The site was shaded most of the day and was relatively private. We fished in their pond and places their son suggested. It was our first hipcamp experience and we had a great weekend in a place we probably would never have explored otherwise. We will go back when we have a free weekend. Thank you Dina and family!

I loved staying here so much!! I swam in their pond with their dogs who were amazing. Set up our tent on the site behind some trees and had privacy there. Our host was also so nice and funny and made us coffee in the morning. I would for sure stay again.

The host was kind but I would not book this site if others are also staying. There was no shade, fire circle or picnic table at our site. The highway is relatively loud. The pond was great and our little kids loved the sandy beach.

Response from Dina, the Host, on June 10th, 2020

I am so sorry you feel this Way, we have campfire designated spots and the one you booked was over by the trees where the shade is, you choose to not use the desgnated spot you booked. Also tables are by request only and I would have been happy to have provided you one if you had let me know. We are a hipcamp and have 5 campsites. No private campsites due to it being in our yard. That's what we love about hipcamp, sharing our place with others. We did show you where your spot was but you choose to camp in middle of our field wich isn't safe for a fire. I wish could have taken the time to let us know as I would been happy to make your stay better.

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A fantastic property with a great pond to play in. Great for kids! The views and property itself were great - places to roam, walk, swim, etc, but needs to go in the hosts basement for bathroom and shower shared by the whole family.

Campsite itself was great with a great place to have a fire but expect kids and animals (dogs and chickens) to be walking through and making visits. Lacks privacy but the description says you're part of the family! Had a great family Midwestern farm feeling.

They should change the description regarding any coffee or food offered (we were never approached or asked) and using fishing poles from the garage ... we asked if our kids could fish a few times and hosts seemed annoyed like they've never done that before. After one afternoon of one fishing pole they said no more.

Might go back, might not. Great for kids.

We stayed at Dina & Justin's house for our annual family camping trip. There was 12 of us with 2 campers and one car camp. We were half kids and half adults and 5 dogs. So we were a big and active group.
The things we were pleasantly surprised by:
100% the pond. It's well kept, fun, and was absolutely the highlight for all of us, especially the kids.
Their kids, dogs, and chickens were around most of the time that we were there which was fun for our kids.
We were the only ones there so we were able to set up how we wanted to and were able to spread out as much as we needed.
There was a remarkably small amount of bugs.

What we wish we knew before we booked:
-Based on the pictures, we didn't know how close we would be to their house. We assumed that we would be in their back 40, but we were actually in their front yard, which was fine for us, but if someone is looking for a more 'camping' experience, they may be slightly disappointed.
-We asked 3 times before traveling what time they preferred us to arrive. We never got a response so we just showed up and there wasn't anyone there to show us where we should set up. We got it figured out, but it was a little bit of an awkward start.
-The amenities: although wifi and showers are listed, we weren't given information on either one. Wifi didn't matter to us, but if someone is expecting access or needing it to work remotely, that would be something to know ahead of time.
The shower, although listed on the provided amenities, we asked twice where it was and we were simply told 'In the basement'. Dina seemed reluctant to show us where they were for some reason and since her kid's bedrooms were also down there we weren't comfortable just opening doors so we didn't end up being able to access them.

Overall, it was a good stay, but if the pond weren't there, we would have had a hard time justifying the cost. I think if we were doing an adults only trip, we may have been disappointed, but it's a good place for family groups.

Response from Dina, the Host, on August 14th, 2020

We enjoyed having you!!!!! We will definitely update our information to make it clear that it's our yard and we share the place with our hip campers, I know I did mention this to the person who booked the spot. We are not a campground and this is our home as the pictures reflect. I will be sure to change how we meet and greet. I appreciate your feedback!!

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Dina was a wonderful, accommodating host. Made some great coffee in the morning and is doing a great job with her house! Highly recommend for a nice low key place off the beaten path.

Very hospitable, with a nice setup. All the amenities were available as stated. Friendly family. Beautiful view of the stars.

A group of us stayed on Dina's land and had a great time! Dina was very welcoming and encouraged us to feel at home. The man-made ponds and available paddle boat were a great touch, and we enjoyed taking advantage of the little creek across the street for a nice walk. Though where we set up wasn't far from the house, we had a nice patch of trees in between to give us some privacy. We would definitely recommend this spot!

Response from Dina, the Host, on May 31st, 2020

We are so happy you enjoyed our place, thank you for the amazing review.

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