Photo By Scott Sturkol | Campground guests and their campers are shown May 24, 2020, at Pine View Campground at...... read more read more
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Camping season is about to start at Fort McCoy’s Pine View Campground as staff are busy preparing the area to be ready for a new season. The planned reopening is tentatively May 1, said Recreational Specialist Alex Karis with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
“Outdoor Recreation maintenance team is busy getting everything ready,” Karis said. “We are also coordinating with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works to get the comfort stations opened up and cleaned. A lot of our reopen date depends on weather, but we are looking at being fully operational by May 1.”
In 2023, Pine View Campground had yet again another successful year. For 2024, officials hope to see that continued success.
Pine View Campground is part of the Pine View Recreation Area. Celebrating 50 years of use in 2022, Pine View Recreation Area includes hundreds of acres of publicly accessible land with miles hiking trails, the La Crosse River that’s home to several species of trout, Trout Falls on the La Crosse River, Suukjak Sep Lake and Suukjak Sep Creek, the campground, Whitetail Ridge Ski Area, and Sportsman’s Range.
“Pine View Recreation Area offers four-season, year-round activities to include camping, hiking, fishing, and more,” Karis said. “In … the entire Pine View Recreation Area there’s opportunities to enjoy some fantastic outdoor recreation opportunities.”
One activity includes participating in Wisconsin’s fishing season, which prospective anglers can partake in along the La Crosse River in the Pine View Recreation Area near the campground. Anglers must have the required Fort McCoy fishing license and related Wisconsin fishing license and trout stamp to be able to fish on the installation. Learn more about fishing rules and requirements for Fort McCoy by visiting the Fort McCoy iSportsman page at https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net.
“Suukjak Sep Lake also offers a place for anglers to try their hand at fishing,” Karis said. “It’s stocked with rainbow trout every year and it’s a popular fishing venue.”
The lake was formerly known as Squaw Lake. The new name, Suukjak Sep, translates to “black wolf” in the Ho-Chunk language and was renamed in recent years. The lake is a man-made impoundment on Suukjak Sep Creek, which was also recently renamed. The creek itself was named Squaw Creek sometime in the mid-1800s.
Every spring, as Karis noted, the lake is stocked with thousands of rainbow trout, too, and it has a natural population of other species of fish to include bluegill and bass. Fort McCoy fishing rules also apply for Suukjak Sep Lake and all permits and licenses are required. Refer to the Fort McCoy iSportsman website, https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net, for more information.
And another great outdoor recreation opportunity for the public to see and visit are the Pine View Recreation Area hiking trails, Karis said.
“If you want to see something incredibly beautiful, then come see Trout Falls,” Karis said. “There’s no swimming or wading at the falls. However, it is very scenic and is a popular stop for our guests.”
The equipment-issue operation at Recreational Equipment Checkout also will be fully available.
Also, some of the services that are available at the campground, once open, include:
• full-service campsites and cabins, including many new cabins.
• fishing and hiking trails (for guests only).
• lake/beach (no lifeguards on duty).
• rental equipment.
• shuffleboard.
• miniature golf.
• comfort stations (toilets/showers).
• camp store (retail items, such as wood, are available via delivery to sites).
• yurts, tent sites, and basic electric sites.
• playgrounds and pavilions.
• basketball, volleyball, and horseshoes areas.
“This should be another great year,” Karis said. “Our camp sites, cabins, and facilities are all exceptional. I encourage everyone to pay us a visit this year.
“We also have some new things for the campground this year,” he said. “We’re hoping to have the three new yurts ready. They are not 100 percent done yet but will open soon. We also have new 22-foot campers that will be available this summer.”
The campground reservation office is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To reserve a site or a cabin, call 608-388-3517. For additional information, such as rates and fees, go to https://mccoy.armymwr.com/programs/pine-view-campground.
(The Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation contributed to this article.)
| Date Taken: | 04.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2024 15:43 |
| Story ID: | 469291 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 569 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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