Seasonal Camping in Iowa
When getting away from it all includes packing up your tent or RV, Iowa offers a variety of camping options from modern RV sites with electricity and dumping stations to primitive camping areas where you can really get back to nature. With thousands of campsites in Iowa offering seasonal activities from water skiing to cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, there is truly something for everyone who longs for the great outdoors.
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County Parks
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Iowa’s 400 county parks and nature areas offer more than 11,500 camp sites, according to Mycountyparks.com. Amenities include WiFi and sewer and electrical hookups. Campers can entertain themselves with activities such as geocaching, hiking, picnicking, cross-country skiing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and wildlife viewing. Group camping and picnic shelters may be reserved.
State Parks
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Many if Iowa’s camping destinations are state parks. Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources manages 55 parks, recreation areas and forests where camping is allowed in tents and RVs. The parks are open year-round, but access may be limited because of winter weather. Reservations are allowed during the summer months and can be made online, but camping is on a first-come, first-serve basis from Nov. 1 through March 31. Some campgrounds have restrooms, showers and water sources. The maximum number of campers per site is six, and one vehicle is allowed per site at most campgrounds, with some exceptions when two cars may be allowed. Camping also is allowed in four state forests in Iowa: Loess Hills, Shimek, Stephens and Yellow River.
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Federal Parks
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Four federally managed campgrounds are located in Iowa, including locations at Lake Red Rock, Saylorville Lake and Coralville Lake, all offering electric hookups. Campers can participate in activities such as hiking, sailing, volleyball, water skiing, hunting, mountain biking, swimming, disc golf, biking and fishing.
Private Campgrounds
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Privately operated campgrounds such as KOA, which has locations in Onawa, Newton and Des Moines, also are available in Iowa. The Adventureland theme park in Altoona offers tent and RV camping with full-service hookups and modern facilities. Privately operated RV parks can be found around the state.
Primitive Camping
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For those who seek a more authentic nature experience, primitive camping can be done at 1,977 primitive campsites in the Iowa state parks system and more than 5,000 sites at county campgrounds. Federal campgrounds in Iowa, with the exception of Loess Hills, also offer unimproved campsites. These sites lack the modern upgrades of toilet facilities, electricity, water and dumping stations and are generally less crowded than improved camping sites. Many sites are accessed by parking along roadways or in parking areas and hiking in to remote camping areas.
Reservations
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Reservations can be made online for many sites at Iowa’s state, federal and county campgrounds. Each site has its own policies for reservations, and a number of sites remain available on a first-come, first-served basis.
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References
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- Photo Credit tent on the forest image by Galyna Andrushko from Fotolia.com
