The English Pale Campground and Resort

The English Pale Campground and Resort Rustic 21+ Campground, Event location & Rental House on the Black River, Town of Melrose, Jackson County The choice is yours,

Welcome, mates.

The English Pale was a strip of land in Ireland, centered on the City of Dublin and became the base of English rule in Ireland during the Medieval Ages. By the late 15th century, the area known as “The Pale” became the only part of Ireland that remained under the control of the English. The word pale, meaning a fence, is derived from Latin, meaning "stake", specifically a stake used to support a f

ence. The defenses of the Pale, in Ireland, included a ditch with thorn bushes and a Pale (fence). The English Crown (king) attempted to assert its authority over the settlers, offered English Lords and knights money to move and construct “Tower Houses” in Ireland. The Crown also forbid intermarriage between English settlers and Irish natives. It also outlawed the English subjects from using and speaking the Irish language and adopting Irish modes of dress or other customs. The Anglo-Norman settlers adopted Irish traits so strongly that the term, "More Irish than the Irish themselves" became a saying to describe this unlawful behavior. The phrase “Beyond (or outside) the pale”, describes something outside the boundary, or in other words, to be uncivilized or outside the bounds of morality, acceptable behavior or good judgment, etc. If you are “Within the pale," it would be just the opposite. So here we are, after serving “the authority” for 39+ years we packed our things and moved to a piece of boundary land on the Black River near Melrose, in Jackson County, Wisconsin. We reside in the Manor which also hosts our Irish Pub and we became "More Irish than the Irish themselves". For our traveling guests, we have 21 camping spots near the Manor, on the hill, and another 4 rustic camping spots along the river. We are a licensed establishment (alcohol sales) so all guests to any part of the property must be 21 years and older (Government ID required). Come visit the boundaries of the Pale and see if you become “More Irish than the Irish themselves” and are you “Beyond the pale” or “Within the pale”?

Day Six - Wednesday August 26, 2026, Due to rain a bit if a slow day.
08/27/2026

Day Six - Wednesday August 26, 2026, Due to rain a bit if a slow day.

Day Five: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
08/25/2026

Day Five: Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Day Four - Monday, August 24, 2026
08/24/2026

Day Four - Monday, August 24, 2026

Day Three - Friday, August 21, 2026 and construction is just starting to fix the area around campsite R5/R6 (closest to ...
08/21/2026

Day Three - Friday, August 21, 2026 and construction is just starting to fix the area around campsite R5/R6 (closest to STH -54) and R3.

Day Two of adding rock to the wall.
08/21/2026

Day Two of adding rock to the wall.

And the process has started! We were given a conservative estimate of 100k, for repairs. Between the County and I we are...
08/19/2026

And the process has started! We were given a conservative estimate of 100k, for repairs. Between the County and I we are hoping to come in way under budget. One way of doing that is utilizing existing land dirt as fill and not have ti haul in extra. The estimate for fill was over 40k alone. Day ONE is complete!

In March/April of this year our new erosion wall suffered major damage and needed to be repaired. The repair work to the...
08/17/2026

In March/April of this year our new erosion wall suffered major damage and needed to be repaired. The repair work to the wall starts Wednesday August 19, 2026 and is expected to last 2 weeks depending on weather. Construction will take place Monday through Friday, during normal business hours. The access road to the beach will still be available. Site R3 is being completely re-done and will be temporarily moved further onto the beach starting Monday August 24. You can see the details on the wall either on this the page or English Pale Campground website.

On Saturday, July 25, 2026 we operated our first public beach bar along the Black River from about 10:30am to 1:30pm. No...
07/28/2026

On Saturday, July 25, 2026 we operated our first public beach bar along the Black River from about 10:30am to 1:30pm. Normally our beach is completely closed with no public access. The liquior license we have allows operation on this portion of the property for liquior sales. The bar seemed to be well recieved by people floating past. My daughter Cassie was "in charge", but her sister Janelle and brother Nick helped make it all happen.

The campground will be CLOSED to general camping for the next 3 weekends. This is because of complete property rentals. ...
07/16/2026

The campground will be CLOSED to general camping for the next 3 weekends. This is because of complete property rentals. Families, friends and sometimes businesses have takeovers for the privacy and use of the entire property. I do the best I can to cater to their individual needs. In 2027 the total property weekend rental fee is $900, with each additional day being $350. That includes the house and up to 40 friends or family. Other services can be added on.

I would like to announce the addition of our two newest campsites; both are located on top of the erosion wall. R6 is th...
07/08/2026

I would like to announce the addition of our two newest campsites; both are located on top of the erosion wall. R6 is the very first site on the wall and has an obstructed tree view of the river but offers more privacy. Site R5 is smaller but enjoys a full view of the river. Both sites share the Canoe launch yet are still 100s of feet apart.

In addition to tents, these sites can be used by small Overland Trailers, Off-road Teardrops, Rugged Pop-ups and 4x4 Camper Vans. There is a 14% grade gravel road hill that needs to be maneuvered, due to an elevation change of 70 feet. A vehicle permit (under extras) must be purchased in addition to the camping fee to utilize this option.

All campsites can be booked on Hipcamp.com

Address

Melrose, WI

Telephone

+17152997007

Website

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