Pikes Peak State Park Campground

Some bugs, decent service, great bathrooms, Very close to a cute town (McGregor) and Effigy Mounds NM.

Unlike Minnesota and Wisconsin, Iowa’s state parks do not require a permit-bonus for RVers. Many sites have full hook-up, most if not all have electric. I paid $25 a night. Full week is $150!!

non-electric sites, modern shower and restroom facilities, as well as a trailer dump station. October is one of their busiest times of the year due to the fall colors, which peak around Oct 9-15th. Most notable hike: a half-mile wooden boardwalk to one of the park's glens to the picturesque Bridal Veil Falls. On your way to the falls, just north of the main overlook, you will notice Bear Mound, an effigy built by ancient American Indians who inhabited the area from 800-1200 A.D. There are 63 mounds in the park, most of them conical or linear in shape.

FYI When we made reservations this site required a two- night minimum stay. Don't know if that is for all seasons. Nice pull-through, large enough for our 36' 5th Wheel and pickup tow vehicle, needed more leveling than some. Some sites have power and water, ours only power. There's a water pipe and dump station on the way out. Nice hiking trails, including to a beautiful river overlook.

Loved this campground but it does have some drawbacks. Set up a lot for rv camping with site layout and connections. Some sites have the fire ring very close to the parking area and some spots have limited shade (compared to the majority of the campground that is in the trees). The bathrooms and showers are in good condition. The Mississippi River overlooks are a short walk away. There were lots of birds and spiders around the campground. There are a good number of hiking trails in the park.

This campground is a short hike away from beautiful trails that overlook the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. The boardwalk trails also lead to a small falls and more. Site 51, where we stayed, is near trailhead but on a slight slope. Showers, water, dump station available here, no playground

Beautiful scenery. Easy parking. Dump station.

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL overlooks above the great Mississippi River!

Very nice trails! Some trails are long with a lot of up and down through valley and ravines, so be prepared for the hike. You can hike the trails all the way to the town of McGregor, just give yourself plenty of time to hike back uphill 480 feet.

The campground has a large new area for RV’s and trailers. The space between sites is large but no trees because it’s brand new.

New very nice bathroom and shower building. Also a vault toilet in new campground area.

Nice large fire rings with grills. Sites are well maintained.

Very Easy to use dump station.

Easy level sites, and helpful neighbors. Hiking was phenomenal at Pikes Peak! We will never forget those views! Loved this stop over!

This is an older campground that is tight to get into the spots and there is limited water hydrants throughout the park. However the campground is going to be closed in 2022 for renovations. Looking forward to see what they do. There is a scenic overlook and a waterfall at this park. Well worth the trip.

We are staying here specifically to visit the monument. It is crowded with older people like us,in the electric sites, and their older dogs. Level sites. Showers. Concession stand at the picnic area. There are stunning views of the Mississippi River Valley too. Many trails will lead you by ancient Native burial mounds, including an Effigy of a bear (probably a bear.) Heard an owl close by last night. We're not fans of side by side camping sites, but we are at Effigy Mounds or hiking this park most of the time.

Most but not all sites are level. Decent amount of space. Restrooms are ok. Pretty quite.

The mosquitos were crazy!

There are about 30 electric site big enough for RVs, and about 35 non electric site. All are very nice sites with fairly level gravel pads. There are lots of trees for shade making the sites really beautiful if not spacious. We had a tight fit with our travel trailer on site 33e, but once we squeezed in it was excellent. Two bathrooms one with showers, and well kept. The best thing about this park are the wonderful hiking trails. Some are ADA accessible near the camp store, but most are a good climb with lots of ups and downs. Town of McGregor has a few cute restaurants and bars, but enjoy the park and the amazing views of the Mississippi and the Wisconsin rivers. Several big rig RVs were there, but call ahead if you’ve got a big RV to make sure you’ll fit.

There are some fantastic cycling routes near the river, with stops in all the little towns along the way. A wonderful place to spend a weekend, with apple orchards nearby.

Spent four days here as our base of ops. Was great. Lot of nice short trails in the park and a perfect place to take day drives up and down the Mississippi, as well as river tubing (we did the Yellow river, stay further upstream if you do it yourself and the Mississippi is high). Restrooms were pretty clean. All in all, great, 10/10 would go back.

Wonderful staff and host couple. Went out of their way to help us.

Spots are gravel and are within walking distance of Mississippi River views and park trails. Overall great experience!

Campgrounds are clean and easy to navigate with our 31’ TT. Camp host was very helpful. Shower/bathroom was super clean and smelled clean. Firewood available in 5 gallon buckets. Hiking trails and lookout points are beautiful. Cross the Mississippi to Wisconsin and there is just as much over there to discover. Very affordable and totally worth it!!

Great place. Not as secluded as I would like from a state campground. Can't complain about the price.

Great park wish we had more time to hike the trails. We could see what bridal veil falls could look like but it was pretty dry. Great views of the mighty Mississippi. Bathroom was clean hosts were friendly and able to answer my questions. Dropping it to 4 stars as we were on site 52 and there is a driveway right behind those sights and it was getting lots of use.

This is a very clean and quiet campground with excellent trails and very clean bathrooms

Very nice park. Quiet and clean.

Some of the spots are a little uneven. Bring some leveling devices. This a very peaceful campground. Fire rings are on cement. Can find fire starters everywhere. No bugs in the 1st of June when we were there. Will plan on going back for sure. Reserve your spots cuz they go fast. If you love a great view and the smell of the outdoors this is your place!

This campground is beautiful with towering pine trees. The scent is wonderful! It is within walking distance of the overlook of the magnificent Upper Mississippi River at the confluence of the Wisconsin River. There are other walking/hiking opportunities. McGregor is nearby and fun to check out. A drive along the Mississippi is beautiful going north or south of McGregor. Spook Cave is interesting and Effigy Mounds National Monument is outstanding. There are a lot of things to do in this area. Pikes Peak State Park is a gem!

This campground had 60+ campsites. The sites were very open and did not appear to be planned very well for camping functionality. The tent sites appeared to be very flat. Many other sites were very uneven and were challenging to get a camper into. The electric boxes in sites were also placed in strange areas (middle of campsite, 10+feet from camper parking pad, etc). The campground was also very open.

We did enjoy the peacefulness of this campground though. Lots of star viewing opportunities. Very limited road noise. Nice hiking trails. The overlook was also a great place to relax.

We definitely would return to this campground for the hiking opportunities; but we would chose to bring our tent instead of our camping trailer.

there is a very nice smooth wood walk way for one of the trails making it easy for all ages. also amazing over looks of the river

Majestic views and excellent trails. Wish we would have had more time to explore the park.

During my visit the campground was fairly quiet, and the sites are decently private with lots of shade. The bath/shower house was in fair shape and clean, plus showers were free! You can reserve the sites ahead of time for a convenience fee of 4 bucks, but they also have a kiosk to pay cash first-come first served if you can stand the suspense! Tent sites were $11/night when I visited in August.

The nice thing about this campground is its proximity to a couple trail-heads that lead to some of the park's nice hiking trails.

I would definitely recommend this campground, and would absolutely stay here again given the chance!

Lovely old forests and amazing views of the big river, great trails (easy to moderate), wildlife. We were here many years ago and it is quite memorable. It has that Civilian Conservation Corps charm but with modern amenities. Waterfall trail is also worth the hike, nice geology.

Yay: lots of history, great views even without going too far from your car

Nay: very close campsites, none along the lake but all are close to trails. Bugs!

Surprise: exceptional birding! Bring your binoculars. Get up early for the sunrise. Also, this is not in Colorado (where the more famous PIke's Peak is!).

This park is arranged more for RV's than tent camping and you cannot set up right along the river but can get pretty close if you are in tent spot 25. The sites are really close to each other. Bear Mound is cool to see if you appreciate the history behind it. Bridal falls is also a must see if you are there. The hiking trails can be done with a long day hike and offer some beautiful scenery as the leaves are changing. One of the few spots I have stayed along the Mississippi and one of my favorites.