Tired of staying home and not hosting friends and family for meals, music evenings and overnights, my husband and I provisioned our small motorhome and set out for a week in the Northwoods. We'd never been to Voyageurs National Park, so we headed directly north, swimming every day a major goal.

We stopped at McCarthy Beach State Park. A bit disappointing. The lake is shallow and was almost uncomfortably warm. It was crowded, and most people seemed content to float on puffed-up plastic and play with children. We swam anyway.

We try to avoid big campgrounds. We were delighted to discover the...