Bob Shelter Recreation Area & Campground, near Johnston, Iowa, is a charming spot for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors. With its scenic views of the dam and waterway, it’s a lovely place to unwind and soak in nature.

The campground offers spacious sites with electric hookups, making it convenient for RV campers. Visitors have noted the clean, level sites and the friendly staff, which adds to the welcoming vibe of the area. As one camper mentioned, “Clean, level sites, close to fishing,” highlighting the great fishing opportunities nearby.

While there are no showers available, the campground does provide essential amenities like drinking water and a sanitary dump station. Many campers appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, although some areas can get busy, especially near the playground. If you’re after a quieter experience, consider choosing a site further from the hustle and bustle.

For those who enjoy fishing, the proximity to Saylorville Lake is a big draw. Whether you’re casting a line or just enjoying the view, this campground has a lot to offer for a relaxing getaway.

## Overview

 Bob Shetler Recreation Area is located in the tailwater area below the 26,000-acre Saylorville Lake Project, which stretches more than 50 miles up the Des Moines River Valley. The lake provides a wide variety of recreational activities, including boating, swimming, fishing, hiking and hunting.
## Recreation

 Visitors enjoy Saylorville Lake for its excellent boating, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming opportunities. Anglers will find walleye, wiper, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and northern pike. The paved Neal Smith Trail winds 24 miles from Des Moines to Big Creek State Park and connects the campgrounds on the east side of the lake. It is designated as a National Recreation Trail and is used for biking, hiking, jogging, walking and in-line skating.
## Natural Features

 Large shade trees dot the open grassy areas of the campground, which offers excellent views of the Des Moines River. Most campsites are within easy walking distance of the shore. Wildlife is abundant throughout the project. White-tailed deer, turkeys, waterfowl and other small game animals roam the lands around the lake.

Bob Shelter Recreation Area & Campground

The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Johnston. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Find the best campgrounds near Johnston, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.

Johnston

The Best Camping Near Johnston, Iowa

The picnic area and campgrounds at Bob Shelter are all clustered together on the backside of the Dam at Saylorville Lake and are right next to the spillway. These campgrounds and picnic area are run by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The campgrounds are clean and well managed with modern bathrooms and showers. I am not a fisherman but there were a lot of folks casting near the spillway.

A long with the campgrounds there are quite a few picnic areas and shelters with playground equipment and plenty of space to run and play games with your kids. All of the public spaces are well groomed and maintained. There are three campgrounds in this area connected to Bob Shelter and they all pretty much look the same. You can't go wrong with any of the sites.

Bob Shelter Picnic Area is part of 3 campgrounds

The recreation area and picnic area at Bob Shelter are part of the same complex and campgrounds. They are all clustered together on the backside of the Dam at Saylorville Lake and are right next to the spillway. These campgrounds and picnic area are run by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The campgrounds are clean and well managed with modern bathrooms and showers. I am not a fisherman but there were a lot of folks casting near the spillway.

A long with the campgrounds there are quite a few picnic areas and shelters with playground equipment and plenty of space to run and play games with your kids. All of the public spaces are well groomed and maintained. There are three campgrounds in this area connected to Bob Shelter and they all pretty much look the same. You can't go wrong with any of the sites.

Bob Shelter Rec Area and Picnic Area are part of the same complex

This campground sits behind a dam. Not many mature trees. Playground is simple. Older shower house.

Cozy

Great spot located next to the Des Moines River. Check in was a breeze and conveniently near the fill and dump stations. Peaceful lot near the river. Great fishing in the river. Near a city so you don't run short on supplies.

Great Pull Thru next to the Des Moines River

I would suggest getting reservations. We stopped on a Friday with out one, they were booked. We only wanted one night in a tent. They don’t have designated tent sites but they have one overflow sight and they let us use it for the night. Price is great, $20 per night. Easy to get rvs into the spots and a lot to do for the kids. 

Nice spot

The Des Moines area has a fairly large camping population - because of this, reservations are usually necessary. The area does not have a ton of shade - so be weary in the middle of summer. Clean campgrounds - nice staff. Pads are on gravel - one downfall. 

Quiet campground 

Sept 15-26, 2019 Very nice campground. Site 67BSHM had electric. Park had water available to fill fresh tanks, showers, flush toilets and dump station. Sr. Lifetime pass rate $10 per night. Elevation 830 ft. Verizon 4G 3 bars.

Bob Shelter Recreation Area COE

This is a lovely spot. We stayed at spot 20 which was extra wide, concrete pad with electric hook up. No water or sewer. Spot 20 is at the end which makes it very private with nice large grassy area adjacent to wooded area. It backs to the river below the spillway from the dam. It was just an over night stay for us but we really enjoyed the location. Highly recommend.

Lovely spot backing to a river. Great pads with electric only.

Love to camp here and watch the spill way.

Nice campground

Night 2 from NY to CO. Good place to stop and get off the road. 

Good stopping point

I did not know that this campsite existed until I saw it on dyrt and then I had to visit.

Hidden gem

It's just an old basic campground, inexpensive, everyone welcome. No one was loud or anything. Near Saylorville lake for all that stuff. Dump station and water fill in the back. 

basic

The campsites are really small and close together. The public parking lot is also just a few feet from a lot of the campsites so it gets loud even though the campground says it’s closed to the public after like 10 pm. We still woke up to people being loud at 2 am in the parking lot. Our dog got ticks either from our site or one of the walking trails (which are paved). It was a drive from our site to the walking path. This campground just doesn’t have much to offer except the staff are super friendly and there is service using Verizon.

Not great

Clean, level sites, close to fishing, it was fun watching the water come through the dam.
Friendly hosts &amp; Rangers. 

Nice campground on the river  

This campground is called Bob Shetler not Shelter, but I didn’t know how to change it to correct it; just want to make sure others know this.  
We stayed here for two nights while visiting family nearby.  It’s a pretty location with the dam and waterway right there.  The sites are well spaced.  If we ever stay here again we would choose a site closer to the dam.  We were close to a playground and there were a lot families camping in that area which for us took away from the peacefulness of the campground.  There were electrical hookups, but no water.  We didn’t use the bathroom/shower house, but I walked into one to check it out and it was outdated, old and dark, and small.  Overall it’s a nice campground.  It gets busy with a lot of fishing.  

Photos of Bob Shelter Recreation Area & Campground

Real photos from real campers