Nodaway Valley County Park

To be perfectly honest we camp at Nodaway often- but that because of its location - close to work and such. However there are limited activities at Nodaway.

The camp sites are nice and large- easy to get into and each one had its own water and electric. There are 11 on what we call the upper circle and 4 on the lower circle. The bath house is located at the far end so if you are on the lower circle or at the end it can be a walk. It isn't fancy by any means- a single sink, toilet, and shower in the same room- one for each sex. It gets the job done- but it is no frills. There is a dump station centrally located that you can easily pull up to on your way out.

The park is big- lots of trails for hiking and horses. They are usually very well maintained- they keep them mowed in nice wide paths and the trails range from nice and flat to a bit more steep.

There is a little pond but there are no fish in it and it could use some work- lots of moss and such.

There are several different picnic areas and a second bathroom away from the campgrounds. The playground is outdated but there is a large area where kids can play soccer or tag and while the equipment is old it is not in bad shape.

There is a beautiful look out area (away from the camprounds) that looks over Clarinda and is very nice to watch the annual 4th of July fireworks from the Clarinda A's baseball team.

We love Nodaway not because of the amenities but because we can all get together and be close to work/school/home. Camping here does require some yard games and activities for entertainment- but you are just a couple minutes from the store if you forget something!

I do not like to be critical of parks but I do my best to give an honest assessment and not just say "it's great." This could be a great park but it needs some serious TLC.

The setting is quiet and there are a lot of beautiful trees. The problem is it looks like nothing has been updated since the sixties and very little money has been put into the park for any upgrades.

A nice shower and bathroom facility would make a huge difference, but that is not all. This looks like it was designed to be a family park but the playground equipment must be original and unattractive.

I came to this park during a weekday and there were very few people but a lot of flies. I hate to say it, but I would skip Nodaway Valley until someone realizes that it needs some help and starts to update it.