$12 / night

Camper submitted image from Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest - 1

Camper submitted image from Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest - 3

Roads

Camper submitted image from Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest - 4

Activities

Camper submitted image from Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest - 5

Buildings

Established Camping

Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest

9 Reviews

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About

Department of Natural Resources

Yellow River State Forest

Yellow River State Forest in northeast Iowa is home to stunning views, beautiful woodlands, and meandering trout streams. Nestled in Iowa’s driftless area in Allamakee County, Yellow River offers numerous outdoor recreation opportunities including camping, equestrian riding, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, and more. Yellow River State Forest was first established in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corp and is home to Iowa’s only fire tower, built in 1963. Today, the forest is managed for numerous natural resource benefits and recreational opportunities.

Big Paint campgrounds are non-modern with vault toilets. Drinking water is available near the office complex. Advance campsite reservations are recommended and can be made through the park reservation system, and one-quarter of the campsites are available for self-registration on a first-come first-served basis.

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Location

Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest is located in Iowa

Coordinates

43.17361733567573 N
91.25229867222963 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)

Features

For Campers

Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
Toilets
Pets
Fires

$12

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Reservations

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James M.

Legend

Reviewed Jul. 28, 2022

Nice smaller primitive CG along Big Paint

Sites are primitive with tables, fire rings/grates, pit toilets, self registration, ice/wood available across road at visitors station. Cell service is possible at times .

Month of VisitAugust

(10) View All

Daphne D.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 17, 2022

Busy but beautiful

We stayed at the Big Paint Campground and had a nice time. The sites there are pretty spacious and level, but they don't feel very private because this campground is essentially just an open field with line of sight to all other campsites. Still, it was a lovely place with nice trails and great river access. There are also some breathtaking lookout points to see the countryside.

We drove through Little Paint Campground and many of those sites were pretty small and crowded, but again, the river access and the views made it a pleasant stay. Nearby Harper's Ferry is a neat little town, so be sure to visit there!

Month of VisitJune

(6) View All

Nicholas H.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 23, 2022

Location

The campground name is called big paint. The location is very nice, right next to the river. I wouldn't exactly call it a river though. It's nice and quiet, and very nice trail runs through it as well. The only thing is the sites are very close together

Sitesite 56

Month of VisitJune

Jeannie B.

Guide

Reviewed May. 14, 2021

Camping in a valley

This is a beautiful campground seated in a valley surrounded by amazing hills. There is minimal phone service. That means you get to absorb nature.

Site124

Month of VisitJune

Jeannie B.

Guide

Reviewed May. 9, 2021

Beautiful Park

Many different trails for hiking, biking or equestrian. Camp sites are mostly grass. Beautiful park

Site124

Month of VisitJune

Mary S.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 19, 2018

Small campground has nearby hiking and fishing

This review is for Yellow River State Forest's Big Paint Campground which consists of sites 35 through 61. Big Paint is a couple miles from Little Paint, a larger campground with 70+ sites. There are two equestrian campgrounds (Creekside and Little Frontier with sites numbered 1 through 34) as well as hike in campgrounds for backpackers. A photo of an area map is included.

Why did we choose Big Paint instead of Little Paint?

It's smaller and that's just our personal preference. There were only 4 sites occupied early Friday afternoon and a few more were reserved. We liked site 35, the first site on the left as you enter. This site is like being in a garden with trees and flowers surrounding the site. It had rained and more rain was coming, so the gravel parking pad on #35 was appealing. Most of the sites are completely on the grass.

Activities

Stocked trout streams are an attraction for fishermen; see photo of stocking calendar. We enjoyed hiking despite the mosquitoes and humidity in August and were able to make a 5+ mile loop leaving from the campground. You can also hike from Little Paint, and there are equestrian trails. This would also be a good area for X-country skiing and snowmobiling. A photo of the trail map is included. Caution: hunting is allowed in the non-campground area of the state forest.

Amenities

Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Other than that, you can dispose of your trash and use a vault toilet. There's water at the information center (and a camp host site) outside the campground about 100 yards to the left.

Cost

You're not getting much (and that's not a bad thing) so the $9 fee seems fair. Pay up front at the entrance station, or make a reservation online at last 2 days ahead of time (and pay a reservation fee). There are 7 non-reservable sites at Big Paint. I doubt that Big Paint fills up; just check the reservation site to see if they get crowded.

https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/yellow-river-state-forest/r/campsiteSearch.do?search=site&page=siteresult&contractCode=IA&parkId=610130

Site35

Month of VisitSeptember

(9) View All

Jen E.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 1, 2016

Awesome campground, surprising gem not far from Chicago

We stumbled across this campground when looking for a weekend getaway from Chicago, and wow, what a great find. Hilly, much hillier than you'd expect in the midwest, with beautiful river views. The campground was nice with private sites and clean bathrooms. Great trails, and interesting cultural sites nearby (indian mounds, Field of Dreams, etc.) Awesome weekend destination.

Kimberly S.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 26, 2016

Great weeknight/off-season spot

Sara S.

Legend

Reviewed Jun. 12, 2016

big paint campground

Went here with extended family for a long weekend away and it was great. The campground was pretty busy, but we felt comfortable with the seclusion of our sites. It is a primitive campground. There were walk-in in campsites available too which we decided we would try if/when we come back again since they are a bit more secluded and private.