Nice place. Family has camped here a few times. Had immense fun playing in the river as a kid. Enjoyed the hikes too.
Ledges State Park is one of the most visited parks in Iowa. I loved coming to this park as a kid and I can't wait for it to re-open. It has been closed since January 2018, but it scheduled to re-open in January of 2019. Here is a link to a local story explaining the closure and flooding and the schedule to re-open the park.
https://whotv.com/2018/10/24/ledges-state-park-flooding-and-renovation-update/
Stayed at this campground for my college visit to ISU and I nearly went to the university just because I wanted to be here at this park every weekend.
The views around the park are some of the very best in Iowa. Hiking trails often found you coming face to face with deer who look at you inquisitively. Fun for family as the waters over the roadways are a splash for adults and children alike. It's a hidden gem, just outside Boone Iowa.
This park offers wonderful hiking trails and easy access to campsites, water play, and restroom facilities. Great place to camp for individuals and groups. I went in the fall with a church group and absolutely loved hiking among the colorful foliage!
I’ve been camping here since I was a child, and it’s spoiled me for other campgrounds. Because of the Ledges, I still expect campsites to be surrounded by trees for privacy, and I am surprised when I arrive at a campground where this is not the case.
If you’re lucky in the spring you might find morel mushrooms in the woods, and you might stumble upon wild blackberries or mulberries in the summer. At least, we did when I was young.
The Lower Ledges are very fun to explore. Bring swimming suits for the kids to play in the stream that crosses the road. Bring hiking clothes for the trails. Bring a camera to capture the view. We like to bring bikes for the whole family and ride around the campground and down to the Lower Ledges.
(Please do note that the whole park is closed this year, 2018, due to flooding, and the Lower Ledges were closed last year as well. I believe they are redoing the road down.)
The hike-in camp sites are the way to go! We spent a weekend out here a couple times every summer and love the primitive hike-in sites 1000x more than any other option. You have your own space, you can still add an additional tent on site for friends, and the noise is minimal.
Have a plan to secure your food! Unfortunately, raccoons are used to getting leftovers from campers and are highly domesticated in terms of coming in to the campgrounds. Make sure to leave the area how you found it or in better condition. And bring your hammock! Lots of great trees to lounge around in between.
Though it’s closed this summer :( - the Ledges State Park campground is a long time favorite of ours. Lots of electrical and non electrical spots and also an entire section of hike-in tent camping that is just a short hike down to a secluded section of the Des Moines River. Secure your food at night or the racoons will dine lavishly on your supplies. :)
One of the more beautiful places to camp in Iowa. Awesome hiking trails and really well-shaded campsites. The hike in spots are great if you like privacy and being in the middle of the woods - but you don’t want to be THAT far from your car.
Beware of the raccoons. They’re plentiful and crazy smart here. We had one open our cooler, steal an egg from the cartoon - without disturbing anything else. Honestly, I was impressed! But some of our friends had them rip through their tents to get at food - not as impressive.
I did not camp here how ever I drove and took a day hike. The hiking trails are cool. I would say it was a challenging hike. A lot of up and down terrain, stone steps, etc. The ledges along the river were beautiful and depending on the river height you can walk right along them! It's also fun for kids to take a dip in. They have a fun 'eagles view' point that overlooks the ledges. Nice picnic areas are also available. I would be careful hiking in the winter for obvious reason, especially because of the steep edges, etc.
