Door County, Wisconsin · Camping

Camping in Door County, with kids

Peninsula State Park is Wisconsin's most popular campground for a reason, and getting a site is half the challenge. Here's how to actually book one, which campground fits families, and the private backups with pools when the park is full.

By the Editors·Updated Sep 2026·8 min

Some links are affiliate links. We only point to places we'd send a friend, and it never changes what you pay.

The short answerTL;DR

If you want to camp in a Door County state park, plan around one fact: Peninsula State Park sites open 11 months ahead and can sell out in minutes. Book the second your date unlocks, aim for Tennison Bay (electric, near the beach) with kids, and if the park's full, fall back to a private campground with a pool and playground. Late September is easier to book than July, and gorgeous.

Camping is how a lot of families do Door County, and the crown jewel is Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek: 3,776 acres, eight miles of shoreline, and five campgrounds totalling 468 family sites. It's consistently Wisconsin's most popular campground, which is wonderful and also the catch, because getting a site takes strategy, not luck.

The real challenge · Read this firstHow to actually get a Peninsula site

A wooded site at Tennison Bay

Reservations open 11 months in advance at wisconsin.goingtocamp.com, and popular summer weekends can sell out within minutes of unlocking. The move is to know your dates early and book the instant the window opens. With kids, aim for Tennison Bay, the campground closest to the sand beach and the most popular with families, with electric hookups. A handful of sites (South Nicolet Bay 805–814) are first-come, non-reservable, a long-shot backup if you're flexible and arrive early on a weekday.

Field note

Two ways to beat a sold-out park: try for a late-September trip, when the fall colour is spectacular and sites are far easier to get, or use a campsite-cancellation alert service that texts you when a spot frees up. And always buy firewood locally, moving your own can spread tree disease.

From our family · travelling with a one-year-old

We'll be honest: tent camping with a one-year-old is a lot. If you're not sure, the gentler on-ramp is a cabin or glamping tent at a private campground, or Potawatomi's indoor cabin, so you get the campfire-and-s'mores magic without a baby in a tent. When the kids are a bit older, Peninsula's wide sites and nearby beach are hard to beat. Either way, we plan the first camp trip short, one or two nights, to see how everyone does.

The other state parkPotawatomi, and an accessible cabin

Door County's second camping park, Potawatomi State Park near Sturgeon Bay, is quieter and often easier to book than Peninsula. It has family and group campsites, and something special for families who can't do a tent: the Cabin by the Bay, a fully accessible indoor camping cabin designed by a committee of people with disabilities. It's a genuine option for a family with a baby, a grandparent, or anyone who wants four walls and a real roof.

Prefer a roof? Compare family cabins and cottages in Door County

Live rates for cabins near the state parks, filtered for families.

Check rates

The backups · Pools and playgroundsPrivate campgrounds

A private-campground pool and playground

When the state parks are full, Door County's private campgrounds are the family-friendly plan B, often with the pools, playgrounds and game rooms the state parks don't have. HTR Door County (the former Egg Harbor Campground & RV Resort) is a full resort-style base with glamping and amenities, central to the peninsula's five state parks. Frontier Wilderness Campground near Fish Creek runs about $35 to $125 a night (May–Oct) with clean facilities and a full events calendar, and it's a short bike ride from downtown Fish Creek and its famous fish boils.

Campground details, rates and reservation windows checked Sep 2026. State-park sites also require the standard Wisconsin vehicle sticker. Confirm current rates and availability before you book.

Keep planning

More Door County guides

Start here Door County With Kids: Full Guide →

The complete family field guide to the peninsula.

 Prefer a hotel Best Family Resorts in Door County →

Pools, kitchens and which town, compared.

 Outdoors Best Family Beaches in Door County →

The calm, safe-swim bay picks.

Before you go

How far ahead do you need to book Peninsula State Park camping?

Reservations open 11 months in advance at wisconsin.goingtocamp.com, and popular summer weekends can sell out within minutes. Book the moment your date's window opens. If you miss out, try late September (much easier and beautiful) or a cancellation-alert service, and note a few first-come sites at South Nicolet Bay.

Which Peninsula State Park campground is best for families?

Tennison Bay is the family favourite: it's closest to the park's sand swimming beach and has electric hookups. Peninsula has five campgrounds and 468 sites in total, so there's range, but Tennison Bay books up fastest for good reason.

Can you camp in Door County with a toddler?

You can, but tent camping with a baby or toddler is hard work. Easier on-ramps are a glamping tent or cabin at a private campground, or the accessible indoor Cabin by the Bay at Potawatomi State Park, which give you the campfire experience without a baby in a tent. Keep a first trip short, one or two nights.

Are there campgrounds in Door County with pools and playgrounds?

Yes, the private campgrounds. HTR Door County (formerly Egg Harbor Campground & RV Resort) is a resort-style base with amenities and glamping, and Frontier Wilderness near Fish Creek (about $35 to $125 a night) has clean facilities and events. They're the family-friendly backup when the state parks are full.

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The Editors · The Family Backpack

We plan family trips the slow way: reading everything, calling ahead, and cutting the noise down to the version we'd actually give a friend. Every guide is checked against current hours and prices before it goes up, and dated when it does.