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Why is Iowa a great destination for camping?
- Once summer hits, Iowa becomes an amazing place to escape daily life and enjoy a camping getaway.
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What are some classic summer camping experiences?
- Some of summer’s best memories come from telling stories and roasting marshmallows around a campfire.
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What types of camping accommodations are available in Iowa?
- Iowa offers more than just fields of corn; it has a variety of campgrounds for all preferences, whether people enjoy staying in a tent, trailer, RV, or cozy cabin.
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What activities can campers enjoy in Iowa?
- Many campgrounds offer additional activities such as paddling, horseback riding, biking, fishing, and hiking.
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1. Adventureland Campground
The Adventureland Campground in Altoona, Iowa is a full-service camping destination with all of the necessary facilities, including tent campsites, RV sites, recreational areas, two tropical courtyards, three swimming pools, modern restroom and shower facilities, laundry facilities, grills, fire circles, picnic tables, a fishing pond, a playground, a recreation room, a dump station, a dog run, and electric hookups. There are more than eighty full hookup sites able to accommodate big rigs, with a large amount being pull-thru accessible. The Adventureland campground also provides complimentary wireless internet. Along with camping, guests can also find hiking and biking opportunities.
2600 Adventureland Dr, Altoona, IA 50009, Phone: 515-265-7321
2. Arrowhead Park
Situated in Neola, Arrowhead Park is an ideal place to camp for those looking to truly spend time with nature. The family-friendly, 147-acre park has abundant camping, fishing, and other opportunities for outdoor activities, such as wildlife viewing, woodland hiking trails, volleyball courts, basketball courts, and a playground. Camping is popular in Arrowhead Park year-round, with tent camping possible nearly everywhere on the grounds. There are also restrooms, a shower house, over fifty spots featuring 50 and 30 amp electric service, and cozy cabins available for rent. Picnic tables and restrooms can also be found throughout Arrowhead Park.
29357 310th St, Neola, IA 51559, Phone: 12-485-2295
3. Backbone State Park
Backbone State Park offers abundant campsites across two campgrounds near Dundee, Iowa. The South Lake Campground features a dump station, a playground, two shower facilities, electric sites, and primitive sites. The Six Pine Campground, on the other hand, only offers pit latrines and non-electric campsites. For a more comfortable camping experience, Backbone State Park also has modern one-bedroom and two bedroom cabins equipped with air conditioning and heat. Campers can explore more of the park along the twenty-one miles of multi-use and hiking trails, and snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are possible as well during the winter season.
1347 129th St, Dundee, IA 52038, Phone: 563-924-2527
4. Bellevue State Park Dyas Unit Campground
The Bellevue State Park Dyas Unit Campground off numerous campsites, many of which include electrical hookups, as well as several amenities, such as a sanitary dump station, modern restroom facilities, and showers. Reservations for sites can be made in advance through the park’s reservation system, and about one-fourth of the sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis with self-registration. The Bellevue State Park Dyas Unit also features a stream, scenic overlooks, nearly four miles of hiking trails, and a variety of wildlife. Deer Trail is easily accessible from the campground and is an easy, short trail.
21466 429th Ave, Bellevue, IA 52031, Phone: 563-872-4019
5. Big Woods Lake Campground
Located in Cedar Falls, the Big Woods Lake Campground offers guests several outdoor recreation opportunities within the city’s urban boundary, yet still retains a rural atmosphere. The lake encompasses approximately eighty-six acres and reaches a depth of thirty-foot feet at its deepest. Since only no-wake boating is allowed on the lake, it’s particularly great for fishing, including fish like northern pike, walleye, panfish, and largemouth bass. The Big Woods Lake Campground consists of fifty-five campsites with full hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings, along with a more primitive camping area with an option of both non-electric and electric sites.
1501 E Lake St, Cedar Falls, IA 50613, Phone: 319-433-7275
6. Brushy Creek State Recreation Area
The Brushy Creek State Recreation Area near Lehigh, Iowa is one of the state’s premier destinations for outdoor recreation activities. Spanning across 6,500 acres, the recreation area contains the largest tracts of land for public recreation in Iowa, featuring a mosaic of lake habitats, riparian, timber, grassland, and native prairie. The on-site 690-acre lake is also the state’s deepest artificial permanent pool lake. The modern campgrounds offer electric campsites, equestrian campsites, pit vault toilets, electricity, and water hydrants. Brushy Creek is also home to extensive trail network traversing over forty miles, as well as fishing and hunting opportunities.
2802 Brushy Creek Rd, Lehigh, IA 50557, Phone: 515-543-8298
7. Cenla Campground
The Cenla Campground in the town of Spirit Lake, Iowa benefits from a location in the middle of the Iowa Great Lakes region, on the shores of the scenic Center Lake. The campground is situated in the heart of all the action, yet is still hidden away enough for guests to have a peaceful and relaxing stay. Amenities at the campground include complimentary wireless internet, cable television, picnic tables, fire pits, a playground, restroom facilities, free showers, drinking water, and rental boats. Several outdoor recreation activities are possible at CenLa as well, such as swimming, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and more.
3200 US-71, Spirit Lake, IA 51360, Phone: 712-336-2925
8. Cherry Glen Campground
The Cherry Glen Campground is open through mid-April through mid-October and is situated on the Saylorville Lake Project. The lake itself and the surrounding area offers an array of outdoor activities, such as hunting, hiking, fishing, swimming, and boating. The spacious campground provides a total of 125 family campsites, each of which includes hookups for electricity. As for campground amenities, there’s a dump station, drinking water, shower facilities, flush toilets, a boat ramp, playgrounds, group shelters, and educational programs. A disc golf course, a hiking trail, and a visitor center are also located near the Cherry Glen Campground.
4338 North West 94th Place, Ankeny, IA 50021, Phone: 515-964-8792
9. Chimney Rock Canoe Rental and Campground
Chimney Rock Canoe Rental and Campground is located along the scenic banks of the Upper Iowa River, which is recognized as one of the country’s “Top 100 Advenutres” by National Geographic Adventure Magazine. Situated near the “Chimney Rock’s in Northeast Iowa, the campground provides a rustic, relaxing country atmosphere on a private farm. Chimney Rock Campground is open throughout the entire year, however, campsites are available by reservation only from the beginning of November through the beginning of April. The pet-friendly campground includes modern restrooms, a dump station, electric sites, cabins, picnic tables, kayak and canoe rentals, hiking, and fishing.
3312 Chimney Rock Rd, Cresco, IA 52136, Phone: 563-735-5786
10. Clear Lake State Park
Clear Lake State Park is situated along the southeast corner of the state’s beautiful Clear Lake, which encompasses more than 3,600 acres and is one of the premier outdoor recreation features in northern Iowa. While the park is just fifty-five acres in size, it’s home to a truly diverse set of recreation opportunities because of its natural beauty and its lake location. It also offers one of the state park system’s most popular campgrounds, containing a trailer dump station, shower facilities, and modern restrooms. Swimming is a popular activity at the 900-foot sandy beach and excellent fishing opportunities abounds.
6490 S Shore Ct, Clear Lake, IA 50428, Phone: 641-357-4212
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