Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest

Was very thankful to find a place to overnight in mid-November. Not a lot of free parking options in this part of Iowa. No water, electric, or dump station, so very much like a parking lot overnight from that perspective. However, the park is situated on the valley bottom of the Yellow River Forest with beautiful tall trees, and there are fire rings. Fee was $12. First come first served basis from November through March.

Came to learn more about Tenkara fly fishing. Had a ball. Visited the 3 lookouts including Iowa only Fire tower. Bird life is colorful. Lots of places to hike. Scenery is lush. I had no phone service. Campsites are well mown, have a picnic table and fire ring. Pit toilets. Easy access to water. Drink water and firewood are at the host A frame. There is no dump site. Everyone was very friendly. Helpful. Nights were quiet. Very relaxing.

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 .

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!

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

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.

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

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.

Great weeknight/off-season spot

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.