Traveler Overview

4.5 62 reviews

Excellent71%
Very good24%
Average4%
Poor0%
Terrible1%

Travelers talk about

“boardwalk trail”(4 reviews)

“big bay”(6 reviews)

“hiking trails”(5 reviews)

About

Year-round park located on Madeline Island, offering camping, swimming, hiking, fishing and picnicking.

Contact

2402 Hagen Rd, La Pointe, WI, WI 54850-1500

Website

+1 715-747-6425

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Reviews (62)

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1 - 10 of 62 reviews

MNoreen

Wheaton, Illinois

235

Reviewed September 15, 2018

Beautiful coastline

We biked here from town, which was an easy ride. Then we just walked the short path along the coastline, but it was beautiful. Overall, I highly recommend the combo.

Date of experience: September 2018

Thank MNoreen

rockyjoe

Minneapolis, Minnesota

1207757

Reviewed September 10, 2018

OK Park – Skinny Beach

Big Bay State Park is a Wisconsin State Park and is located on the eastern shore of Madeline Island. Madeline Island is the largest island in the Apostle Island chain and is located just a short 25 minute ferry ride from Bayfield, WI. This park...More

Date of experience: July 2018

Thank rockyjoe

erikashaffer

Seattle, Washington

2620

Reviewed August 8, 2018

Interesting and well cared for park

We were really impressed by this state park - they have nice paths to explore and everything is so well cared for. We went to the cliffs where people were jumping into the lake (not endorsed by the park system but looked super fun and...More

Date of experience: August 2018

Thank erikashaffer

lovesgoldens

milwaukee

6851

Reviewed July 19, 2018

Nice state park, but not my favorite!

I think all state parks are beautiful, and it is hard to rank them critically, because they all have an adventure to offer. But I was tad disappointed with this state park. My family and my friends' family took our 5 kids (ages 5-10) for...More

Date of experience: June 2018

3 Thank lovesgoldens

Kate C

st paul

14733

Reviewed July 2, 2018

Red Rocks and Giant Hemlocks

Stop along your hike to sit on the red rocks (sandstone) and soak up some Superior air. If it's stormy, watch the waves crash. Walk the trails and see giant hemlocks and white pines plus lots of wildflowers and thimbleberries and blueberries (later in the...More

Date of experience: June 2018

Thank Kate C

blogzerandoavida

Erechim, RS

721194

Reviewed May 28, 2018 via mobile

Great place

This park is big and has a lot places to camp, to hike and to make a picnic or stay with your family! It very very organized!

Date of experience: May 2018

1 Thank blogzerandoavida

jonesrl2016

Chicago, Illinois

88

Reviewed April 2, 2018

Beautiful unspoiled park on a little used island.

Beautiful park and stretch of beach on Madeleine Island, Wisconsin. This is off of Bayfield in Lake Superior, so the water is cold, but the setting is very pretty. A ferry ride is required from Bayfield to LaPointe, on the island. A great place to...More

Date of experience: August 2017

1 Thank jonesrl2016

kristinfreymn

Saint Paul, Minnesota

115

Reviewed October 3, 2017 via mobile

Must see

We have camped here twice now. It's a beautiful place and the campground is better than average. Camp sites are far apart, so you have more privacy. (Though it also means a longer walk to the bathroom!) The island is gorgeous and we drove around...More

Date of experience: September 2017

1 Thank kristinfreymn

A and M

Wisconsin

12031

Reviewed September 17, 2017

Great trip!

We went bike camping to big bay. Nice remote place away from everyone. Beautiful park with some of the clearest water we've seen. At night we could see so many stars. Quite breathtaking.

Date of experience: June 2017

1 Thank A and M

xiththesolivagant

Saint Paul, Minnesota

6442

Reviewed September 16, 2017 via mobile

Beautiful as always!

I hadn't been back since 2015. The water wasn't as clear and blue on the day we went due to the oncoming rain, but the hike was still fantastic. There are easy trails and we took the ones near the rock formations. We went down...More

Date of experience: August 2017

2 Thank xiththesolivagant

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Questions & Answers

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See all 6 questions

Ohlsson82

Tent camping only I assume?

April 1, 2018|

Answer

Nope. They have sites for campers too at Big Bay State Park. I'd suggest checking out the state park on Reserve America.

jjones_9

What are the chances of getting g a campsite Oct 20th when arriving late on friday?

October 16, 2017|

AnswerShow all 2 answers

Two things I’d suggest: 1. Just call and ask. 2. If you really don’t want to call the park, you can make reservations online. Through this, you can get an idea of how many campsites and what kind of campsites are currently... More

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Travel Forum Posts

momof2boys_7

West Salem, WI

Best Campground (2 Replies)

We are planning a camping trip to Madeline Island for next Summer & want to book our sites now since they book up so fast. I've looked at both campgrounds Big Bay State Park & Big Bay Town Park now I'm trying to decide which is a better campground. Does anyone have a preference of one over the other? I really wanted a site with a view of the lake but from what I can tell neither campground offers this.

September 18, 2013|

Response fromhatchpal4u|

we camped at Big Bay Town Park, it's in the woods above/behind the lake...so very near but no not right on the water or anything. The campsites at Big Bay State Park are also just set back far enough that when you're enjoying the beach/park you don't see campers right there it's offset/further back and yet close by. So neither are right on the water in view but rather close by. Big Bay Town Park offers great beauty outside of the campground and of course it's free to visit. When we camped it...More

goldshoes

Minneapolis

Food on Madeline island? (2 Replies)

We are camping at Big Bay state park and I reserved one of the walk in sites. We are playing on doing everything on bikes. Is this doable? How far is the state park from the berry dock? And are there restaurants on the island? Thanks!

September 10, 2010|

apeacefulplace

Silver Spring, Maryland

UP Roadtrip Report - June 2011 (7 Replies)

Last year I posted here with a million questions about a roadtrip through the UP (thread here: tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g28943-i319-k42950… ). I got so many fantastic responses; I wanted to share my itinerary for anyone else who might be considering a similar trip. We didn’t have much time (we only spent 4 days / 3 nights there), so we definitely had to rush! My boyfriend and I had never traveled to the UP before, and we were overwhelmed by how beautiful it was. We started our trip in...More

February 11, 2012|

Response fromtymetraveler222|

Thanks for the trip report! You certainly accomplished a lot in a short time. Where did you stay on Madeline Island? We have thought of visiting there this summer. Your thoughts on the island overall? Thanks!

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