Best Tent Camping near Ames, IA

Recent Tent Reviews in Ames

430 Reviews of 14 Ames Campgrounds

• 

  Pat F.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 14, 2024

  Don Williams Park

  Quite and nice

  Very quite and nice campground, we camped on top of the hill in tents it was awesome view and potable drinking water next to camp, bathrooms and shower facilities was clean and nice

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 29, 2024

  Lenon Mill Park

  Pretty basic, great for an overnight

  I stayed here one night while I was traveling. It was a Saturday so the campground was kind of busy. People shouting and loud music. Lots of trucks with noisy exhausts coming and going all day. I'm sure it's more quiet during the week.

  Some of the sites are well shaded, and you can access the water. It looked like people had been finding clams (they left the shells all over the picnic table). People were fishing here.

  The power pedestals are far back from the parking pad for some reason. If you back all the way into your spot or if you have a long cord you should be fine. There was only a 50A outlet so I needed to use an adapter for my 30A camper.

  There is one water spigot, and no dump station.

  There are bathrooms, but no showers.

  I had great T-mobile signal here (5G, 160 down and 20 up). And a somewhat decent 4G Verizon signal (70 down, 12 up).

  The Guthrie County Historical Village& Museum is a 5 minute walk away. It's not open evenings or weekends but there is interesting stuff to walk around and see even when closed. The railroad cars are very cool.

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 28, 2024

  Dows Pool Park & Campground

  Shady, quiet campground with electric & water hookups and a dump station

  I only drove through here I did not camp. It was quiet and the sites were shaded. I saw water, electricity and a picnic table at every site. The pads are gravel and very level.

  You can easily bike into town.

  There is a dump station.

  I had 3 bars of Verizon 4G which provided 70 down and 12 up.

  On T-mobile I had 5 bars of 5G and 100 down and 7 up.

• 

  Michael K.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 22, 2024

  Ashton Wildwood Park

  Small but great spot to camp

  Very clean, easy to reserve. Bathroom was a pit toilet but clean. Camp spot was clean and well-maintained.

• c

  cedded S.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 22, 2024

  Sportsman Park

  JJSploit

  This piece of writing is certain to attract the interest of readers from a wide variety of backgrounds due to the abundance of insightful content and topics that are pertinent to the topic at hand. JJSploit Official

• 

  Katie P.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 21, 2024

  Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt

  Campground closed

  Drove 6 hours to find out the campground is closed (apparently for all of fall and winter) without any awareness of that being the case online. Now I have to figure out somewhere to go at dinner time with my over-tired toddler and two dogs. Frustrated.

• 

  BENdejo ~.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 6, 2024

  Prairie Flower Recreation Area

  Large, level, clean, quiet, cheap

  Large level gravel pad driveways surrounded by beautiful prairie grass. Fantastically clean & well maintained facilities. Nice beach down the road and some Greenway trails. One of the NICEST public campgrounds I've stayed at. Reserve online at rec.gov. America the Beautiful National Parks Pass pays your day use fees at the beach.

• M

  Maggie C.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 12, 2024

  Union Grove State Park Campground

  Loved it!

  Loved this campground! We just stayed for one night, but wish it had been two. Small and quiet. A few trails to hike and a horse camp that I didn’t have time to explore. Nice lending library as well. Bathroom/shower combos are nice (1 is ADA). Not far off the interstate. Some sites are off with level & weird (ie stairs/door open on an incline and away from the table), and our picnic table was sloped. So pick your site carefully. 19E was ok - table not level and high stairs required from TT but good for Starlink connection and close water spigot (elec only at these sites)

• D

  Dana K.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 2, 2024

  Acorn Valley

  Nice playground , well maintained

  Nice and well maintained ! We parked at a site by the playground and bathhouse , and could sit at our camper and watch our son play at a safe distance

• 

  Nancy C.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 30, 2024

  Acorn Valley

  Amazingly Quiet

  We lived our time there. It was quiet and we loved listening to the wildlife at night. My only complaint is that they left people in to camp after 10. Which kept me awake for a bit.

• 

  Thomas P.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 9, 2024

  Beaver Lake Campground

  Simple for overnight

  This campground is on the side of a lake. You hear beavers at night, see rabbits are on the sides of the lot. We came late around 8pm and the owner helped us fill the form and pick our spot. The only drawback are the restrooms which were ok but smelly.

• 

  Matt M.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 25, 2024

  Iowa State Fair Campgrounds

  Nice campground!

  We've stayed here a number of times now in the past 2 years (not during fair weeks.) Campgrounds are located on the east side of the actual fairgrounds. There are hundreds of sites here. Some are flat, some are no where near flat, but there are so many, you can find one that will work for you! Almost all of the sites are full grass sites. The main shower house is the only one we've ever used and have no complaints. They are clean and bright and well kept.

  The sites are $32/night.

• R

  Roger

  Guide

  

  Jun. 17, 2024

  Dakins Lake County Park

  Very Nice!

  Stayed a weekend here and was very enjoyable! This looks to be a relatively new campground as the trees are still very young and, therefore, not much shade. It was windy that weekend so plenty of air circulation made it nice. High didn’t hit 90 until Sunday afternoon so didn’t even need air conditioning.

• G

  Gregory H.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 7, 2024

  Prairie Flower Recreation Area

  Four good days

  Level sites , we were in site B40. Easy to back in plenty of room. Clean shower house and restrooms. Would we go back that's a definitely yes.

• 

  Renee H.

  Ranger

  

  May. 23, 2024

  Des Moines West KOA Holiday

  Nice modern KOA

  Large modern KOA with sites to accommodate all sizes of rigs and also tent campers. Gravel sites require some leveling. Not much privacy between sites nor shade. Bathhouses were clean and private. Laundry available. Off leash dog area available. Convenient to John Wayne’s birthplace and covered bridges of Madison County. Bulk propane tanks were on site for winter campers. Camper cabins available. Small store with Hunt Brothers pizza to order. Gathering room on site and pedal car racetrack. Verizon cell signal was good. Garbage dumpster and dump station on site.

• 

  George H.

  Scout

  

  May. 17, 2024

  University 40

  difficult tas

  You have no idea how helpful you've been. Writing an essay is the most difficult task for me. And I have to pay for essay to keep my grades up. And thanks to your examples and professional help I will be able to write even better.

• 

  Greg K.

  Guide

  

  May. 5, 2024

  Alden riverview campground

  15$! Alden Riverview Campground

  30/50/110 power. Drinking water and dump onsite but not on sites. Wifi! Hot showers, playground,boat launch,fire pits,grills,good camp host.town is right there 2 bars and restaurants. Gas station I think was 8 blocks up to the right. Been hard to find all this for 15 bucks a day!

• 

  Amanda W.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 13, 2024

  Jester County Park

  outing

  went out here with family and had a amtime azing

• 

  Amanda W.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 13, 2024

  Jester County Park

  camping

  we love it here people are great price is Right Showers are hot every time it a WOnderfull place •to be .

• 

  Pat F.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 8, 2024

  Swede Point Park

  Great little gem

  Great little hideaway of a campground, very reasonably priced and clean , fresh drinking water with dump stations and hot water showers and modern toilet facilities,

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 1, 2024

  Newton KOA

  This KOA Deserves Your Attention

  Literally a single stone’s throw from I80, one of the busiest thoroughfares you’ll find yourself on here in the great ‘Hawkeye State,’ this is one campground that very much deserves your attention, despite being a KOA. In fact, this campground outpost is so close to the highway that you’ll be hard pressed not to see or hear it during your entire stay. While this KOA does sit down a bit from the hustle & bustle that comes with a major interstate highway, a good number of the available RV sites sit on a sloping hill that is the same elevation as the highway itself, so if you do have the choice, opt for the lower sites (more on that later). 

  Sitting just 30 minutes east of Des Moines, Newton KOA offers up about 100 sites for RVs and 5th wheelers offering up all the standard hook-ups (water, sewage and 30 / 50 amp- but be careful because some sites only offer 30 or 50, while some do offer both, so be sure to ask when making your reservation). For mi tent pitching bredren, there’s about a dozen or so sites to choose from and all are fairly intermingled with the RV sites, although each site does sit on a plush patch of grass, so this KOA does a nice job on that front of integration. Oh, and if you don’t have an RV, 5th wheeler or a tent, on worries, this KOA will rent you one of its three cabins. 

  As this is a KOA you can expect a ton of amenities and this place does not disappoint with: catch & release fishing pond w/ fish cleaning station (that is oddly placed about as far away from the fishing pond as you can get), disc golf course, K9 camp for the puppies, cable TV, WiFi, in-ground pool (available 5/25 until 9/3) with ADA pool lift, horseshoes, meeting rooms, firewood for sale, LP gas refueling station, pool table, shuffleboard, social lounge, two kids playground, laundr-O-mat, basketball court, restroom & shower facilities, mini-market with basic groceries, ping pong, jump pad, game room, gaga pit, designated dumpster and dump station and of course the scattered fire pits and picnic tables. Just to go above and beyond, this KOA serves up free breakfast of flapjacks on Saturdays. Yahoo! 

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Whether you are pitching a tent or pulling up in your RV, the best sites IMHO are those in the lower valley, but located right in front of the main office, where there are 6 RV slots numbered #45 – 50 and 6 tent sites numbered T1 – T6; (2) Should you get hungry and might want to try some local fare, check out Taco John’s and La Cabaña Mexican Restaurant, which I guess stand for ‘local’ around here, although there is Newton Family Restaurant. If you are looking for something really different and amazing, I would suggest heading on over to Dan’s Sandwich Shop, which feels like real Americana from a bygone era, complete with a diner-esque vibe and matching elbow counter to warm up to over a nice piece of apple pie, scoop of ice cream washed down with a hot mug of coffee; (3) While this KOA has a mini-market, you will find a bigger selection with better prices just down the road at the local Walmart, where just due west of this, you’ll find a Hy-Vee Grocery store with a wine & spirits shop positioned there as well. Further down the road, you have excellent fresh cut meat from Fareway Grocery, but check out the local hotspot, Newton Market as well; and (4) While what you will discover from an outdoor standpoint at Newton KOA is interesting, if you want something more substantial, head to Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens for 6 acres of family-friendly landscape to explore with more displays and demonstrations that you can shake a stick at! Seriously, there’s a butterfly garden, peony border and nearly 200 individual species of trees here to check out. 

  Happy Camping!

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 1, 2024

  Kellogg RV Park

  Barren Campground Gem Just Off Highway

  I like this place, I really do. It certainly packs a punch with all of the amenities that Kellogg RV Park offers up, not least of which is partnering up with apparently the best burger joint in the whole of Iowa. Burgers and camping? Can it get any better? Well, while this location gets extra points for achieving EZ on- and off-again I80 highway access, that likely is also its downside, as you are so close to arguably the busiest of all thoroughfares here in the state of Iowa that it makes you wonder if you are really getting away from it all or just taking a quick pitstop. 

  As for the grounds themselves, they are very well organized and nearly everything on this property is either brand-spanking new or has a nice degree of ‘kitsch’ that just feels right where you are at in the middle of the Midwest. There’s a well-appointed separate laundry location on the NE corner of RV Park, with a community shower/ bathroom facility smack-dab in the middle of the place, making it central and convenient to get refreshed. There’s a simple little loop that will jog you around the place, where in all there’s some 38 spots perfectly carved out for RVs or 5th Wheelers. While the map for Kellogg RV Park indicates a playground behind the laundry, if it was there to begin with, it has been replaced by a chicken coop, which I have to admit is pretty dang awesome to be woken up by these fine-feathered friends each dawn. Plus, um, there’s fresh eggs for your brunch munching pleasure! 

  With amenities in mind, each pull-thru, gravel-strewn site (all 18’ wide with lengths ranging from 65’ to 85’) comes equipped with all of the typical hook-ups (20 / 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage) along with plenty of in-ground fire rings, stand-up BBQ grills and plenty of brand new picnic tables along with complimentary WiFi. There’s solar panels on the for southwest corner of the campground, which sadly eliminates the vibe that you are out in nature. If there was just one bit of advice I would give this place it’s this(and it’s quite simple): plant some trees! That’s the one thing I noticed that felt incredibly weird… there’s just a few trees in this whole place. Granted, it is somewhat surrounded by corn fields, but here’s a hint: After mid-September when all that corn is harvested, the place feels like a barren desert, so how you compensate for that is by planting trees, shrubs, bush or anything that would make this place feel like it was planted in nature versus carved out of a watershed. 

  While the main office is up front where you would have seen that Iowa’s Best Burger Café sign, where there’s also an Amoco gas station along with a convenience market that has limited groceries and supplies. Bonus points to Kellogg RV Park for having an F5-rated tornado shelter located on-site, so while your RV might blow away, no worries, you and those you hold most precious will be protected in the event of a tornado, which is important because this state gets hit by them all the time. They’ll also sell you a bundle of firewood for$6 / bundle, which is fair, especially considering that they’ll deliver the bundles directly to your site. 

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) IMHO the best sites are those located as far east and north as possible (yes, right near the laundry facilities and chicken coop). Why? Well, because they will be furthest away from I80, so less noise, plus they are on the periphery, so this offers up better views of corn country, and additionally, more tranquility. Plus the shower / restroom facilities are centrally located, so not too far away; (2) If you are looking to get buzzed while out here at Kellogg RV Park, you are in luck as just nearby there’s Grinnell Craft Brewhouse, Buzzed Bee Meadery as well as Van Wijk Winery – all of which are absolutely worth the visit!; (3) Should your foodie vibes need to be tamed while here, head on over to nearby Maytag Blue Cheese for a slice or slab or head on over to Dayton Meat Products, which not only processes meat in case you are out and about with a bow & arrow, but will serve up some pretty outrageously awesome sausages, loins and particular cuts of meats that you just can’t find anywhere nearby. Oh, and if farmer’s markets are your thing, then check out nearby Grinnell Farmers Market or Jasper County Farmer’s Market – both just 10 minutes from here; and (4) Once you grow tired of pillaging your on-board mini-fridge or Cordova roto-molded cooler and are looking for some local fare, I will have to admit that Iowa’s Best Burger Café does live up to its boast – and while I didn’t have another burger while I was in the ‘Hawkeye State’ I do make it my business to check stuff out when I see ‘Best’ noted anywhere and there’s reasonable proof behind this claim here, so give the good folks here the better side of your discerning tastes and try them out. Oh, and there’s that little thing that there’s not too much competition in these parts, so unless you are up for a good drive, the only other joint is RJ’s Bar& Grill, which trust me, is much more Bar than Grill. 

  Happy Camping!

• 

  Deb K.

  Scout

  

  Dec. 23, 2023

  Ashton Wildwood Park

  I love this secluded little campground!

  I live just 7 miles away, but I love to take my grand daughter here for overnight camping.  Most of the sites are tucked into the woods and very spacious.  It's only $7/night!  There is some play equipment for children.  There is only a pit toilet in the campground and it's nice enough for midnight runs.  (Bring your flashlight!)  Drive up the road to the observatory and there is a bathroom with flush toilets and a hot shower, also a water spigot on the back side.  There is also a big group site for family get togethers.  There is a nice little circle hike that's not too difficult and was great for rehab after my knee replacement.  I'd highly recommend it, but I don't want it to get too crowded!

• m

  michael W.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 14, 2023

  Thomas Mitchell County Park

  Nice campground although not too many spaces.

  Came in late, even though there were several empty spaces turns out they were reserved. Very nice camp host told us we could have a non-electric site, none of them were reserved. Bathroom/showers were clean.

• 

  Christopher M.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 2, 2023

  Colfax Quarry Springs Park

  Very nicely kept

  Awesome campground, clean and well maintained. Even the outhouses smelled good. Garbage bins, picnic tables and fire pits at all sites. Level enough for our rooftop tent with no difficulties. Would definitely stay here again.

• R

  Roger

  Guide

  

  Oct. 1, 2023

  Swede Point Park

  Nice Quiet place to spend the weekend

  Great place to stay. Just a few minutes drive to High Trestle Bridge and right off the river. People were accommodating and friendly. Right between Madrid and Woodward with small town conveniences…

• 

  Benjamin L.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 16, 2023

  Walnut Woods State Park Campground

  Nice park, convenient to Des Moines

  We stayed 2 nights, the park was nice and well maintained with walking trails. It is wooded so there is a lot of shade. The pad was a little small but fit our camper fine.