We recently camped at Blackhawk Memorial Park in Southwest Wisconsin. This was our second time at Blackhawk. I first learned of the park from a great book, Best Tent Camping: Wisconsin. Blackhawk Memorial Park is perfect for last-minute camping trips. The campground is never full, even on Memorial Day weekend.
Our campsite
Getting to your site can take a little time. There is a one-lane gravel road to the sites that permits two-way traffic. We often had to back up to let an oncoming car pass.
The sites are beside Bloody Lake and the backwaters of the Pecatonica river, so bring your boat. We camped on the shore of Bloody Lake.
Reservations: None, pay at box when you arrive and select your site
Camping fees: $5/day during the week, $10/day on the weekends
Firewood: Available on-site from 5PM-7PM daily
Picnic tables: Most sites do not have picnic tables, so you may want to bring a fold-up table.
The area around Blackhawk Memorial is abundant with wildlife.
Blue Heron in a pond just south of the park on Co. Rd. YSandhill CraneTurkey Vulture
Blackhawk Memorial park is ideally situated for exploring other attractions in the area.
Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area Fishing is a popular activity at Cadiz Springs. We hiked the one mile self-guided Zander Lake Nature Trail, and then we explored the unnamed trails.
Yellowstone Lake State Park I highly recommend the wildlife loop trail near the park office. Just don’t forget your binoculars.
Bald Eagle
We were lucky enough to spot two bald eagles.
Bald Eagle guarding a nest
We saw a large variety of other birds as well.
Male Red-winged BlackbirdFemale Red-winged BlackbirdSpotted Sandpiper
New Glarus Woods We visited New Glarus Woods and did the 4.2 mile Havenridge nature trail. It took us through beautiful forests and prairies. I’d definitely recommend a hike at New Glarus Woods followed up by a beer at New Glarus Brewery.
Celebrating our first anniversary with a hike in New Glarus Woods.
We ran into several people who were collecting Morel mushrooms. One couple told us they collected over 600 morels this year!
I’m happy to help you plan your camping trip! Please leave your questions in the comments, and I will do my best to respond.
If you’re like us, you probably don’t arrive at your campsite until late Friday evening. This vegetarian meatloaf is the perfect meal to make ahead of time at home.
Once you set up camp, you can serve these amazing vegetarian meatloaf sandwiches. Yum!
This recipe has some unusual ingredients including onion soup mix, corn flakes and cottage cheese. Despite the strange ingredients, it really does taste like meatloaf. It’s definitely a favorite comfort food at our house.
It only takes five minutes to measure and mix the ingredients, so you’ll have plenty of time to pack for your camping trip.
Once you arrive at your campsite, just heat and serve your meatloaf sandwiches.
Vegetarian Meatloaf Sandwiches Serves 6-8 Meatloaf adapted from Food.com
Ingredients:
Vegetarian meatloaf
4 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 ounce envelope dry onion soup mix (check the ingredients to make sure it’s vegetarian)
16 ounce container small curd cottage cheese (you can use low-fat 2% or 4%)
2 cups corn flakes
1 cup finely chopped walnuts*
1/4 cup chopped onion*
* I use a food processor for the onions and the walnuts to save time. There’s plenty of time for dishes once the loaf is in the oven.
Sandwich fixings
Loaf of bread
Ketchup
Jar pickle slices
Directions:
At home
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a loaf pan.
In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs.
Using a spatula, mix in remaining ingredients.
Spoon into prepared pan.
Bake for 70 minutes until top is golden brown.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn onto a serving platter.
Slice into 6-8 slices and cool in refrigerator. Keep cool until ready to serve.
At the campsite
Warm the bread and meatloaf slices in a skillet.
Top the warm bread with a slice of meatloaf, pickles and ketchup.
