Best Tent Camping near Allerton, IA

I have tent camped at Lake Ahquabi Campground several times. There are some great spots down by the lake that are perfect for tent camping. There is quite a bit to do in this State Park. There are a few trails, there is plenty of fishing, a swimming beach, and they have water sport rentals! The area is very pretty and peaceful. I would recommend for campers with kids and without. There are showers and plenty of bathrooms.

Got here a bit late and almost didn’t get a site. Very clean and nice with grassy tent sites. Best free site I have ever been to.

This is a really small campground with a few electric boxes to park your camper on the outside of the parking lot next to the lake and one average tent site with a fire ring and picnic table.

The lake is a good local spot for fishing but I would go to Three Mile State Park to camp with my family, it's just an extra 10 or 15 minute drive away.

I tent camped at “Mine Pond Campground” in Stephen’s State Forest in July 2022. I arrived about 8:15pm and had about 45 minutes of daylight to pitch camp. The campground feels deep in a vibrant Iowa forest surrounded by lush greenery. That said, mosquitoes swarmed me instantly. And “Mine Pond” is a small muddy pond without the most remote possibility of swimming. The pond kind of seems too small to fish but maybe. A storm blew in around dark and it rained much of the night. The frogs sang loudly deep into the night (see my video for the audio), which I enjoyed. A pair of barred owls hooted and laughed in the dark trees. I departed early while it was still dark. I don’t think I’ll return to this place.

Nice little campground 4.5 miles of the freeway...9 minutes away from a small town with stores that stay open till 9. A bait shop onsite, closes early. Most rv sites with power, walk in tent sites w/o. Rates are great $12/15. Showers and flush toilets onsite as well as cabin rentals, canoe rental and fire wood available. Downside is a lot of flying bugs...not really biting just annoying. The lake has a lot of fish in it I hear... Family friendly.

General: This small county park (16 electric, 14 tent sites plus three cabins) is not reservable which might be an issue on summer weekends but on a Sunday in April, was no problem. Including us, only three sites were occupied. The rates are very reasonable -$15 for electric, and $12 for tent sites. 

Site Quality/Facilities: Each site has a generous-sized picnic table and fire ring. Some sites are better than others, however. Sites 2 and 3 (both electric) are sloped down and the driveway is a bit overgrown. No physical separation between sites which when we were there was not an issue but might be when more crowded. Some of the sites have a direct water view but again, some are more sloped than others. 

Bathhouse: A short hike uphill from all sites but it was very clean when we were there. The showers also looked clean, but I did not use them so cannot comment on how well they worked. 

Activities/Amenities: Fishing! We saw a few boats on the water when we were there and there were two docks, one of them handicapped accessible. Swimming is not allowed but there is a nice day-use area not far down the road with a nice beach and picnic area. There are also horseshoe pits and a small but very nice playground. No hiking trails that I could discern. There was also a small little free library. 

When we were there, we appreciated the quiet, out-of-the-way setting. It is close to the town of Leon but we circumvented it on the way in and out so I don’t know what services might be available.

This is a great little park just east of New Virginia, Iowa. I went to the park with my son and Boy Scout Troop for a night hike, that is why there are no pictures. This is a great little park. The hiking trails are pretty easy going through the forest and then opening up next to old Native American burial mounds. This is really a great place to pitch a tent. It is clean and well maintained.

Campground Review: Honey Creek State Park is on Rathbun Lake, a very popular place to boat, fish and camp in Southern Iowa. We camped in the Group Campground with out Boy Scout Troop. We pulled into camp after dark and between the headlights of our vehicles and our lanterns (My Goal Zero Light House 250) we set up camp in the dark.

We explored the campground, there were some nice trails and nice spots to camp. The bathrooms were clean but they were a little bit of a walk from the Group Site. The weather was great and the bugs weren't bad. I would recommend Honey Creek State Park.

Ranger Review: The Goal Zero Light House 250 is a nice lantern. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. The light settings are perfect. You can use half of the lantern or the full lamp power. You can adjust the lighting power by turning the knob on the front. It can be charged with a wall charger, a solar panel, or the green hand crank on top of the lantern.

We used it when setting our tent up in the dark and it did a good job. At 250 lumens it is just the right amount of light to let you see what you need with out blinding you in the dark. We did not start a campfire that night, instead we placed the Goal Zero Light House 250 on the ground and we surrounded the lantern with our camp chairs as if it was a camp fire. We were up for three hours talking and never did the lantern light weaken.

I like this light. It is too heavy and bulky for backpacking but it is great for car camping. There is a smaller model but I don't know if it will work for backpacking.

Nine Eagles is near Lamoni, Iowa near the Iowa-Missouri border right off of Interstate 35. I camped here with my son and his Boy Scout troop in the youth group part of the campground. I can't speak for the rest of the park's camping facilities, but the youth group site is a large open space surrounded by tall trees. The grass is well maintained and the campsite is clean and beautiful. There are not any bathroom facilities at the campsite which is why I give it four instead of five stars, but the park is beautiful and a peaceful place to camp. I wish I would have had my camera with me to take some pictures to share.

We will be staying here every year, this is the best site we've stayed at in central Iowa. Great fishing, bike trail right next to the campsite. Great views too. Dam is right there and you can fish.

Rathbun Lake has a lot of camping options. What I like about Bridgeview is the number of campsites with lake views. The bridge isn't much to see so don't be fooled by the name.

The campground is clean with modern amenities. There is plenty of sites for tents and RV's. This is a great place to relax at Rathbun Lake.

I drive by East Lake on my way to church every Sunday. It is a great park with pavillion's, a lake, basketball, volleyball, horseshoe pits, playground equipment, etc.

There just isn't much for camping. It is very limited. There is not a shower house either. This paek really is to serve the residents of Osceola, Iowa to enjoy daytime activities.

Buck Creek is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers and is one of several campgrounds on Lake Rathbun. There are a lot of campsites with plenty of views of the lake. The campground is clean but needs to be updated.

If you have an RV, or camper, or you prefer to sleep in a tent, there are plenty of sites that would accommodate you. This is a nice campground.

First, there is no dump station! All sites have water and electricity with 20, 30, and 60 amp plugs. The sites are 20 dollars. The campsites located near the entrance are pull-through but need maintenance. The campsites along the lake will support short to medium length RVs or trailers, and all are back in. As of this posting, all are not level and in poor condition. The city of Huneston, Iowa is a few minutes away and has several gas stations and a grocery store.

The perfect drive up private campsite you will find in Iowa. Very quiet with a beautiful view of three ponds and a sunset you will not want to miss. There are four campsites and a soon-to-be glamp site. Spacious, tranquil, and private. Halfway between Pella and Knoxville and on the lake red rocks peninsula, this is a must stay campsite.

Rathbun Lake is a destination for boaters and campers in the State of Iowa. The Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains several facilities around the lake. Island View campground has some really nice views of the lake.

Island View campground is clean. The sites are pretty open, there are trees but there is also a lot of open space. The park has a nice play set for kids and there are baseball fields nearby.

This is a great place to go if you like to boat. There are three different boat ramps in the park.

5 pedestals around new unfinished shelter. No water at all, no dump, no trash, no fire ring, lots of litter. Long winding single lane access road, be a big problem if 2 rigs met. Someone would have tough back up. Pond did look promising for fish cover. Main Amtrak RR line and highway on north border. Town of Thayer on otherside of highway is in a very bad way. Very small camper, tent for fishing only.

Lake Rathbun is a destination for boaters and campers in the State of Iowa. The Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains several facilities around the lake. Prairie Ridge campground is one of those facilities.

The campsites are good. They have a fire pit, a place to hang food to keep away from raccoons, electricity, and a nice gravel pad for your vehicle or camper. It has modern toilets and some of the campsites have a nice overlook of the lake.

What stands out at this campground is the prairie grass and all of the wild flowers. It is a nice weekend getaway.

Like most Iowa state parks, no sewer or water hook ups at site. Not super level. Near red rock, but cannot see the lake from the campground, cannot access the bike trail directly from campground. Wooded area, no trails or anything special in the park. Showers flooded the bathroom and had to push the button every 30 seconds to keep the water going.

Around this area there are many Marion county campgrounds that have better sites and amenities.

Honey Creek resort has everything. Golf, nice dining, camping, boating, and lots of fun. This resort has RV camping and beautiful cabins. It is a State owned facility but don't confuse it with Honey Creek State Park (which is also a nice park, you can read my review on thedyrt.com).

If you are looking for a place to pitch your tent and hike go to Honey Creek State Park. If you want luxury camping with cabins and 9 holes of golf, Honey Creek Resort is for you. It is not cheap but it is a nice place to plan a short vacation of relaxing fun.

This park may deserve a different rating at a different time of the year. This is Iowa's largest State Forest, and the Woodburn Unit plays host to several Backcountry campsites and 6 miles of trail. There is a picnic table and fire ring at every campsite. The trails are wide and well graded and not too much up and down except for periodic creek crossings which necessitate a steep descent-ascent. The trails are lightly trafficked.

You will find absolute solitude at this park, we didn't see anyone else out there with us. Perhaps for good reason. The defining characteristic of this park is it's insect life. Repellant and an active bat population kept the mosquitoes away, but the ticks were everywhere! My wife and I had more issues than other members of our party, but we were near constantly plucking them off of us. A frightening proposition for any backpacker.

In general the insects were diverse and abundant: ants, spiders, beatles, butterflies, moths, flys, ticks, wasps, you name it. Cobwebs would form overnight across the trail you just traversed and broke them the day before. At Buck Stop, a careless previous occupant made numerous gashes into a living tree with a blade, but we found a small swarm of Tawny Emperor butterflies making use of the opportunity. Amazing! Again, most insects were not an issue with heavy use of repellant, but the constant threat of ticks put a damper on our excursion.

Additionally, when we went in early July the creeks were dry. Making the only water source the spigot at the parking lot. The trail from Black Oak Camp to the Parking Lot is the shortest and easiest for this purpose if you find yourself running low.

We heard plenty of wildlife in early evening and at night: owls, raccoons, deer, coyotes.

We started out Friday evening with our packs and hiked and camped the park until Sunday morning.

We hiked all 6+ miles of trails here. Our first night in we camped at Buck Stop Camp. This site is on top of a ridge and is wonderful, you feel absolutely surrounded by wilderness; however, the site was a bit overgrown and thus undersized in terms of usable tent space. Our second night we stayed at the exact opposite corner at Longbeard. This is a great, bare, mostly flat site that is quite large, could host a large camping party.

Summary: This park may be better during the fall when the ticks have gone dormant, but at that time I believe it starts to get its use as a public hunting grounds. The lack of overland water in the summer and thriving tick population makes it a challenge to be at ease. The trails are easy to moderate, well graded apart from a few steep down-ups to dry creek beds. Good training ground for backpackers, tuck your pants into your boots, and happy trails!

Honey Creek State Park is located on the north side of Rathbun Lake in southern Iowa. Boat ramp at the park is large (6 lanes) with several docks to assist loading and unloading. Location is about 10 minute drive from Honey Creek Resort which provides a nice 18 hole golf course, water park, and restaurant.

Shower house / bathroom was very clean. Camping site contained a few trees so we were able to string up a tarp to provide shade and protect firewood and furniture from rain. We were there the week before the 4th of July and during the week, there were only about 6 other campers there. The weekend was a bit busier but still sites to be had. Be careful driving around the park as I don't think there was a day we didn't see at least 8 deer wandering around the campsite or near roads.

Nice park - would definitely stay there again.