Midwest Adventurers

Details: Join us for a tent camping weekend at Kettle Moraine Ranch in Eagle, WI starting Friday Nov 1 and ending Nov 3. Saturday is their big Christmas Festival with food trucks, vendors and splendor! Fee is $7/night to camp. THEY ONLY ACCEPT CASH FOR CAMPING FEES AND TO PURCHASE DRINKS AT THE BAR. Many vendors only accept cash too, so come prepared.

You will bring/buy your own food, water, drinks, tents & personal items. Because our campsite is located on a grassy hill, bring your cart for easy transport of your personal items and tent. Porta potties are available throughout the weekend, and there are flush toilets here that they may allow us to use, still waiting on confirmation of that. No showers. Generators are allowed during the day, but not at night.

Consider bringing warm winter clothes, extra layers, warm sleeping gear and a propane-fueled personal heater for warmth because temperatures could drop down to 30° at night. Average temp during the day hover around 45°. Bring your hiking day pack with snacks and water and dont forget hiking poles if you use them. 

Summary about the Christmas Festival on Saturday
Christmas Festival At The Ranch-
Everyone Is Welcome!
No Fee To Enter
9:00AM -to- 5:00PM
Saturday, November 2nd 2024

We Will Have-
Vendors
Food Trucks
Mini-Petting Farm
Wagon Rides
2- Bonfire Locations
Pictures With Santa
Visit With Our Horses & Donkey
Cash Bar
Live Music

VENDORS WHO WILL BE HERE-
There will be over 60 Vendors and 3 Food Truck/Vendors
Check out our website for a list of all vendors. Event link here: https://facebook.com/events/s/kettle-moraine-ranch-christmas/1879707179125399

Friday
Danielle Domnitz reserved our group the camping area known as “The Hill”. Arrive that afternoon and ask for the Ranch Owner, Gina. When you arrive, go to the office to sign your waiver & pay your $14 fees to her, cash please. Set your tent up at the top of the hill along the fence line, and get settled in. Bring your food or eat onsite, up to you. Bring a camp chair and your favorite beverage, and enjoy a night under the stars.

Saturday
The Christmas Festival runs from 9 am - 5 pm this day. Enjoy as much and as often as you like. Please note that we’re told that many of the vendors will only accept cash so please plan on bringing cash to make purchases that day. Kettle Moraine State Forest is right across the street so we plan on exploring some trails throughout the weekend. A Wisconsin State Parks & Forest sticker is required for access or you can register for a Daily Park pass on site - cash only. Come back to the campsite after a fun day of festivities and hiking and eat dinner that you brought and prepared or purchase something for yourself on site, up to you. Another reminder to bring extra cash.

Sunday
Rise and shine on the last day of our camping trip & enjoy the breakfast that you brought and prepared. Maybe consider a horseback ride or another hike on the trail. We can stay as long as we want on Sunday, there is no checkout time.

This event is open to everyone. Point Beach State Forest features 3,000 acres of land and 6 miles of sandy beach along the shores of Lake Michigan. Point Beach offers family campsites, two large group cabins and an outdoor group camp. A popular feature within the property is the Rawley Point Lighthouse which has been operated and maintained by the US Coast Guard since 1853. Point Beach offers, biking trails, boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming with a separate beach for dogs, camping, hiking-part of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail comes through here, horseback riding, hunting, cross country ski trails, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.

Weather
This is a winter trip, please check the weather forecast and come prepared for various temperatures.

Cabin
We will be staying at the indoor group camp Coenen cabin. This cabin sleeps 16 people. A wood walkway leads to the dunes and the lake. The cabin is furnished with a countertop, tables, bunks and benches. There is no electricity. Campers need to bring sleeping bags and lanterns or flashlights for light. All cooking is done outside on the outdoor grill. There is a wood-burning stove for heat. Vault toilets, a picnic shelter, picnic tables and an outdoor campfire ring are all located at the cabin.

Friday
Arrive at the cabin anytime after 3 PM. Stroll down to the beach, get settled on your bunk, have dinner, go in town for dinner, chill out by the fire.

Saturday
This is your time to have some fun. Go on a hike, take your bike out, take your kayak out, head into town and check out Two Rivers/Manitowoc shops and area. We can get together as a group and plan some fun activities together.

Sunday
Have breakfast do some more more exploring the activities of the park. We don’t have to check out until 12 PM.

Fees
Your $15 Meetup fee covers $10 in 2 nights of camping costs, $2 in Meetup fees and $3 in firewood. The fee does not cover personal equipment, food or any extra activities you want to do when you arrive at the cabin. You will need a Wisconsin State Pass to enter the state park. Please send your fee through Venmo @Sherri-Lockwood or you can send it through Zelle at 414-759-6317. Payment is due within 48 hours of signing up. Refunds will be issued if notified by Monday, November 11.

This one-night winter camping trip is designed for both beginner and intermediate camper/backpacker trying out winter camping for the first time or maybe you had a horrible fail last time and bought some new stuff to try out. We’ll provide a safe place to put yourself and your gear to the test for cold weather. We can talk about ideas, what others do to keep warm, and the different type of gear for backpacking and for regular camping. Take advantage of this experience and simulate a winter trip. If you want to expand into winter backpacking only bring your backpack and the gear you will use, if you like loading up your car and doing regular camping bring those items. We will have a large, heated tent set up just in case you get cold in the middle of the night and want to move in there. If you want to try out winter hammock camping, we have lots of trees. We will also have flush bathrooms on site.

We have two very friendly dogs and other friendly dogs are more than welcome. We only ask that you clean up after them, and make sure and bring warm jackets/blankets for them. Don’t forget a chair for sitting around the campfire!

Saturday
Head over to our place any time after 9:30am and get your tent/area set up. We have a large area so don’t worry about the size of your tent if you are doing “regular” camping and not “backpack” camping. Hang out and meet everyone, then at around 11am we will head off to get a nice hike in at either Mirror Lake, Devil's Lake or Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area which are all close by. We can decide which one as a group and carpool over. State parking passes will be needed. Afterwards we can head back for lunch that you brought or stop on the way to grab something at a local restaurant in town. After we get back, we can go around and look at everyone’s set ups, discuss what they like about it, what they are trying new, what happened wrong last time, why they chose those certain items, offer suggestions and then relax. In the evening we will sit around the fire, socialize more and have the dinner that you brought.

Sunday
Enjoy the breakfast you brought and for those who would like to, we can carpool and go on a after breakfast hike, or you can pack up and head home.

Weather
This is a winter trip, please check the weather forecast and come prepared for cold temperatures, and with warm sleeping gear for inside your tent.

Directions
This will be happening in the Wisconsin Dells at a private residence, the address will be given before the event.

Fees
This is a free event.