Herbster Community Campground Welcomes RVers with Open Arms

RVing On The Cheap is all about finding special places that offer a surprising experience. Herbster Community Park is one such place.

Located 8 miles west of Cornucopia WI, a small fishing and artist community on Hwy 13, and about the same distance east of Port Wing WI, home to the long running Labor Day Fish Boil.

You've heard of towns with one stop light, well Herbster's only means of traffic control on the main road is a dip in speed limit from 55mph down to 40mph for a distance of about a 1/4 mile. Literally, if you blink you'll miss it.

You won't find it listed on many road atlas's, you just have to hear about it from someone who's been there. Directions to the park are simple. In the center of town turn North toward the big lake (Lake Superior). In a block or so you'll be following the shoreline of the lake and in a minute or so you'll be there.

The normal camping season in these parts is from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Our April 10th arrival was hardly expected. The place was deserted, not a person or RVer to be found. Like most tourist places along the highway, the season was still weeks or months off.

There was one big difference, Herbster wants to make you welcome whenever you arrive. There are no locked gates at the Herbster Community Park. They have an honor system pay station supplied with envelopes and a locked pay box with a slot for you to deposit your fee. The grounds were impeccably clean, and because we were the only RVers, we could pick from any of the prime camping sites that all have an open expansive view of Lake Superior.

We chose a spot in the second row, about 150' from shores edge. I walked the site to make sure we wouldn't sink, after all just a few weeks ago this area was covered with snow. Not surprisingly we found that the electricity to the site was turned off for the winter months. Not a concern to us because we are truly self contained and for the short period it would take to microwave a cup of coffee our generator will keep us electrified.

We settled in, made lunch, and prepared to explore our surroundings. Before we finished our meal, a pickup truck pulled in. We were greeted by Mike Seidel, an elected official representing Herbster. I apologize as my memory is short and his exact title escapes me.

Mike explained to us that the park wasn't officially open yet, but that we were welcome to stay and enjoy our weekend. Because they couldn't supply the usually expected water, sewer, and electricity he felt the town couldn't accept payment for our stay. I assured him having the whole place to ourselves, combined with the spectacular view of Lake Superior was treat enough for us, our payment could be considered a donation toward the park.

After a pleasant visit Mike left and we continued with our afternoon outdoor activities. Later, as we were preparing supper on our small portable gas grill, Mike returned with another gentleman. He announced that because another camper using a tent had arrived, they were going to turn on the power, and open the bathroom facilities for us. Within minutes our microwave came to life, and we checked out television reception. With a clear shot across the big lake, all the digital stations from Duluth MN came in loud and clear.

When all was up and running Mike came over and explained that he had called the city council and gotten permission to call in their park maintenance man on overtime to officially start the season early at the park. We also talked about their plans to expand the park, and create more campsites.

Having the park to ourselves wasn't all that surprising, we knew the season was still a ways off. Being greeted so warmly by town representatives, and having them go to great lengths to make us comfortable and welcome was something special. This Slide Show Of Our Stay will tell the whole story. Lake Superior was our reason for coming. Herbster's warm welcome and Community Park will be our reason for returning. If you're in the area, this is a great place to spend some time.