Emerson Bay State Recreation Area — Emmerson Bay State Recreation Area

This campground is right on the lake! The spots are spacious, the bathrooms are clean, and the price is right. There are a few docks available for boating, fishing or just lake gazing. This is a great location as a home base to everything in Okoboji. Start the morning with coffee at the beach, hop on the Great Lakes bike trail and everything is nearby.

All the campsites are on crushed gravel so be prepared to sweep frequently or leave your shoes outside.

Dog friendly, lots of places to walk the dogs. Can't leave the dogs unattended in the camper, so keep that in mind when planning trips. Boji Bark has doggie daycare.

The best place in town

Emmerson Bay is the Best for Tubing on tbe Iowa Great lakes so access for your boat here too is also amazing, However theres not a place here to park it. But this place is awesome for icefishing as well!

Since I was a wee lad!

Overall a good experience. The location, sites, amenities, shower rooms are clean and great.  I don’t know why the vibe feels a bit off except to say the people. Seems a little unfriendly. People cutting through sites. Parents not being kind, some kids being over the top. 

Beautiful Area 

Nice state park campground in West Okoboji Iowa. Close enough to the action of Lake Okoboji yet has a fairly remote feel. After doing some looking around the area, I believe that this is probably the nicest campground in the area. Sites are fairly close but not super tight. This is a good place to stay for a few days if you want to explore all that Okoboji has to offer. It was full the entire time that we were here and it does fill up quickly so book your trip well in advance. 