Like our family always says – “These guys are nuts…” – it’s true. However, we prefer to view the concept of traveling, camping, getting away, et cetera as a vehicle to enjoy life and all it has to offer. Camping, regardless of the season, is something we’re always longing for, planning and ultimately just doing. So this New Year’s weekend was no exception, and we found an amazing location right here in Wisconsin – Kohler-Andrae State Park.

The temperature was about 10 degrees lower than we had ever camped before, and I’m not going to lie as there were a few times I thought about warming up the car and abandoning the tent. But we managed to get through the icy cold just fine and in the morning we felt like we had accomplished something. Not sure what, but definitely had a feeling of “we did it” and “we made it”. That’s the feeling that keeps us coming back for more.

Kohler-Andrae has a number of amazing campsites, as well as other amenities strewn throughout the park (i.e., ecological centers, recreational facilities, handicap accessible cabins and the like) but most of them are closed in the winter time. No matter, we had an awesome time. We’re not there for the amenities anyhow, nature is the ultimate amenity.

During the winter, only campground 1 is open for campers, the rest of the campsites are closed and then roads and pathways are used for cross country skiing and trail hiking / running. You can see all of the maps HERE.

Since we only had one campsite to choose from, we grabbed site 8E. One nice thing about camping in the winter, the human element is definitely removed. While there were a lot of day hikers / skiers coming through the campgrounds, there were only a small handful of actual people camping. We had the entire south end of the campgrounds to ourselves. Not a neighbor in site.

Jaime setup the tent while I got the fire started (I’m a notorious failure at getting a fire started). But, with the help of a few duraflame fatwood kindling sticks we had a nice raging fire in record time.

I was really impressed with the firepits actually, they have really nice built-in adjustable cooking grates which made making dinner over the campfire so easy.

GEAR NOTE* – Those Baffin Cabin Booties are outstanding. Kept my feet nice a toasty even in the low temps. Best part – they have a regular sole for traction and varying types of terrain.

The sun went down just as we finished up dinner and that’s when the cold really started to settle in. Jaime and Aoife headed for the tent, and I managed to enjoy the fire a bit longer coupled with a few cocktails for a nightcap. Then it was off to bed for me too.

In the morning, we got up, made our coffees and headed out for a hike. The short hike to Lake Michigan was fun to traverse because it was deep snow with cross country skier ruts. It was fun trudging through the deep snow to the shoreline. And once we arrived, the views did not disappoint.

We ran into a couple of other dog owners along the way. (I love the fact that the park is dog friendly) and Aoife had a good run around with one of the other dogs (a very playful mixed breed terrier).

In the end, we had another nice little adventure right here at home, and would definitely recommend this location for anyone that’s into winter outdoor sports. Amazing location, great trails, totally secluded, and easily accessible. Happy New Year everyone!

Cheers!

~CK