Camp Glen Wendel Primitive Backcountry, near Yellow River State Forest, is a fantastic spot for those who crave a true backcountry experience. With its primitive sites tucked among beautiful coniferous trees, it’s a perfect escape for tent campers looking to immerse themselves in nature.

The campground is all about simplicity, featuring fire rings and benches at the sites, but don’t expect any frills like showers or drinking water. Visitors have raved about the peacefulness of the area, with one camper noting, “This park is LUSH,” highlighting the abundant wildlife and stunning scenery. If you’re into hiking, the trails here offer some great views, especially on the upper paths.

For those who enjoy a bit of adventure, the trails can be a bit challenging, especially when muddy, so take your time. Campers have shared stories of spotting hundreds of butterflies and even hunting for wild mushrooms, making it a magical experience for nature lovers. Just remember, this place is all about disconnecting, so leave the alcohol and big rigs behind and embrace the wilderness.

Yellow River State Forest is a perfect place to explore some of Iowa's best hiking trails. Located in northeast Iowa in Allamakee County, the forest is part of the "driftless area" that escaped the glaciers during the most recent ice age. The forest consists of 8,900 acres of hardwood and coniferous forest and is comprised of 6 units.

The Paint Creek Unit is of primary interest to the recreationist, with well-kept camping areas, equestrian accommodations, fishing, hunting, and over 45 miles of trails for hiking, equestrian riding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.

Camp Glen Wendel Primitive Backcountry — Yellow River State Forest

Waterville, IA is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Waterville camping trip.

Waterville

The Best Camping Near Waterville, Iowa

This site fills up really fast  becaue of the cheap price of only 9 dollars. This is the cheapest but one of the best campsites ive been to. The entire place is opened to hunting and there is hikes you can do. There is snow in the winter.

Yellow river

Very secluded with good fishing opportunities and great fishing in the area!

Cheap getaway!

Amazing place to explore for all ages. Who knew that Iowa has hills like this?! We did the backcountry camping (less than 0.5 miles walking), but did get to see the regular campgrounds. There are other parks and waterways to visit nearby and a town nearby.

Yay: the dense forest and water is really special. Campsites are clean and everything is very well tended. There are a few campgrounds especially for horses. Backcountry sites are free but no reservations are taken.

Nay: honestly can’t remember any issues at all!

Surprise: there is hunting open to the public so enjoy and/or be careful!

Beautiful lush forest with serious trails 

I am a real fan of Yellow River State Forest. It really caters to Backpackers and horseback riders. There are trails made for just backpacking and then other trails open to both backpackers and equestrian campers. I am a backpacker and the main caution I would give someone backpacking is try and avoid some of the equestrian trails, they may be a little too adventurous if you are not accustomed to dodging horse poop on the trail.

The other advice I would give a backpacker is make sure you find the marked campgrounds. There are several unsanctioned campsites along the trail. This may sound cool, but I promise you, the sanctioned campsites are beautiful and you will feel like you missed out if you skip them.

Yellow River State Forest is beautiful. ALSO DON'T MISS THE FIRE TOWER. It is very cool, but it is closed off to climbing it.

**GEAR REVIEW**: While backpacking at Yellow River State Forest I tried the **BONK BREAKER** Almond and Honey and Almond and Cherry protein bars. They were descent, but I thought at a price of $3.00 a bar, at REI, was a little steep for what you got. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars for taste and 2 out of 5 stars for price.

I also tested the **MOUNTAIN HOUSE BREAKFAST SKILLET**: 5 out of 5 stars!!! The taste is awesome, it is light weight, and I would call it major comfort food, especially on a backpacking trip.

Yellow River is awesome for weekend Backpacking! Gear Review: Bonk Breaker is a little pricey and Mountain House strikes gold with the Breakfast Skillet 

great park with a few longer trails for backpacking. have used these trails/this park to prepare for longer trips. wonderful spots to camp and the creeks are very clean and pretty! I've backpacked here multiple times and have only run into other people once or twice. hidden gem. 

great park for backpacking

No showers or dump station. But it was great.

Great place

Yellow River has great backpacking sites.  Park near ranger station and hike in or grab a map and find a smaller parking location near the trail you want to explore.  Great scenery.

Great backpacking camps along trails

Well spaced out camp sites ,very primitive. 
Great spot to view the stars. Awesome for kids. 

Great gem 

Been coming to yellow river for years but have always wanted to go backpacking. Finally, convinced one of my friends to come with, we ended up getting scared around midnight from the noises. Took our hammocks down and ran all the way back 😂 still a fun time beautiful hike and nice area to set up camp, also had service! 

Backpacking the paint creek loop 

My friend and I were eager to test out some new backpacking gear for the first time in advance of a larger trip this summer.

We have stayed several times at the Big Paint Campground which is a wonderful drive-up campground that seems to have mostly tent campers. Only two sites at that campground have direct creek access, 55 and 53.

For our most recent trip, we hiked from Paint Creek area headquarters along Brown's Hollow Trail to Brown's Hollow Campground. It's a low spot in the area, and became a bit soft as we were met with a brief downpour just as we arrived. But what can you expect being down in a 'hollar'?

This park is LUSH. Tons of wildlife and we thoroughly enjoyed hunting for wild oyster mushrooms which we gave a quick sautee before including in our rehydrated meals.

This was a quick trip, only one night. However we took it slow the next morning and we're greeted by HUNDREDS of butterflies! They were everywhere! Using the Koffman's Field Guide to the Midwest I identified them as Hackberry Emperors. Magical morning indeed.

The park has several backcountry camping spots and I will likely use them all as I continue to train for a larger trip later this summer. The park has a great feeling of isolation and wilderness that can be absent from other places.

Backpacker's Training Ground

I've done this loop several times, and have never been disappointed. Lots of quiet, and many more great views on the upper trails. There are some thin trails down steeper hillsides, so make sure to take it slower if the ground is muddy.

Great backpacking loop

Camp Glen Wendel is about 1 mile in from self camp registration at HQ. Sites have fire rings and benches, some more spacious than others. This Camp has wonderful stands of coniferous trees. The 2nd site in has a small pond at Camp side. Potable water is at HQ near registration kiosk.

Photos of Camp Glen Wendel Primitive Backcountry — Yellow River State Forest

Real photos from real campers