## 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.
## Facilities

 The campground offers 67 camping sites, all with electric hookups. Amenities include flush and pit toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station. Nearby amenities include a visitor center, hiking trail, volleyball courts and a disc golf course. Boat ramps and an accessible fishing dock are also close by.
## 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 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

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

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

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

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.  