I first discovered Savanna Portage State Park one October weekend, a few years ago. I was having one of those Fridays when the walls of my office just seemed too close and the idea of spending the weekend indoors was unacceptable. I couldn’t find a last-minute camping buddy but I’d wasted so much time trying that my original plan to drive further north didn’t seem reasonable. So, I did a geographic search of parks via the DNR website. There it was, just over an hour and a half away, Savanna Portage.
It ended up having everything I look for when I want to get outdoors—remote, rustic campsites (some right on the lake), multiple lakes for fishing, boating and swimming, challenging trails, and beautiful vegetation. My favorite drive-up site is right on Lake Shumway and it is a wildlife SUPER highway. That weekend I heard wolves and owls, had raccoons and coyotes in my site and even had a visit from a curious bear! He was disappointed not to find anything worth sticking around for, but I wasn’t.
I tell everyone about this park and I’ve taken others there with me since. Regardless of the season, some of my best camping getaways and great memories have been here.