Best Tent Camping near Bedford, IA

Came out to camp one night with my 5 year old. We stated on a friday night in October and the campground was not too busy at all.. maybe only 5 other groups there. Showers and bathroom were all fine, campsite was clean and well maintained. Loved that the tent camping sites were actually surrounded by trees, I see way to many tent campsites that are basically just in the middle of a grass field. There are walking paths and a couple of playgrounds around the lake close enough to walk to but far enough away they wont ever be a bother. Also if you like disc golf than this is the place to go, there is a brand new 18 hole course right next to the camp!

I have to say, of all of the campgrounds and parks that I have visited in southern Iowa near highway 34, Three Mile is the best.

This park is clean with nice amenities and a beautiful lake. During the week you can almost have the place to yourself... it is a different story on the weekends.

You can tent camp or pull your camper and just enjoy the setting. If you don't like to tent camp and don't have a camper, don't worry, there are several cabins for rent.

There are showers and bathrooms and an awesome playground for the younger kids.

I am definitely adding this to my list for regular stays with my family.

The tent sites are small and depending on your location you may have to haul your stuff to your site. The hiking was nice only 5 miles though.

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.

Although there were RVers and a nice group of Boy Scoutspaet of the time, there was no one else in our tent camping side. We had chilly weather, but marvelous views of the water with a rare flock of pelicans! Some of the trails were muddy, but there plenty of others to choose from. Red buds and flowers were starting to bring the forest to life.

All fire pits have an incredible grate system for cooking. There's an over abundance of limbs and twigs for firewood, although a saw would come in handy. Clean, quiet, and as beautiful as ever- that's our lake!

Campsite was pretty packed on a Saturday night in late September. We didn't have a reservation but was able to get one of the last tent sites available. Nice spot, fire pits have nice swinging grates on them. There was a picnic table at our spot as well. Great view of the lake from here. We were in Campsite 092. Only drawback is that there must be a cow farm somewhere to the south as you will hear cows mooing all night at this campground.

As tent campers we found a lot to love at Lake of Three Fires, but also found ourselves wanting more. It’s got a gorgeous lake, and some camping sites are out of this world, but it can be inconsistent and there’s not a lot to do.

Pros: -While the electric hookup sites were full, primitive campers had their pick of the campground even during the middle of the summer. Plenty of open non-electric sites to choose from.
-Site 55 is an absolute GEM. Spacious and right on the water! We didn’t have any neighbors so it was like we had the whole place to ourselves. -Good fishing at the lake, and plenty of quiet spots to fish from -The lake is quiet and relatively calm -Excellent (and clean!) modern bathrooms, by far the best we’ve encountered

Cons: -There’s not a lot to do other than fishing and hanging out by the campsite -The trails are quite poorly marked and seem to only have entry and exit points at each end of the point, so unless you want to commit to the full 8 miles, you’ll have to turn back at some point -The sites can be inconsistently sized. We found some tent sites that were less than half the size of our site, and they were packed like sardines. -A lot of the sites are sloped, so even ground can be hard to find. -The park is pretty rural, so if you need to make an emergency grocery or supplies run you might be out of luck. -No firewood on site, so you’ll have to come prepared or hope you can find some in town.

There is a legend about how the Lake of 3 Fires got its name. The legend says that the “Fire Nation”, which was a local Pottawatomi tribe, lived in the area around Southwest Iowa. Later 2 other tribes decided to join the “Fire Nation” and the 3 became known as “Three Fires”. The Tribes burned 3 fires atop hills to signify that as long as the 3 fires were burning the tribes were together. Now on the spot where the fires burned, is said to be the Iowa State Park “Lake of 3 Fires”

Located in Southwest Iowa just north of the county seat of Bedford Iowa, is a little hidden treasure for outdoor enthusiasts and campers. When looking for a campground everyone has an opinion on what amenities and activities they want- fishing, hiking, boating, and horseback riding are some of the more popular choices and the Lake of Three Fires has all these and more. The actual lake is only 85 acres but has excellent fishing and is surrounded by 691 acres of beautiful trees with hiking and equestrian trails, fishing jetties and a sandy beach.

For those who are planning more than a day trip to the Lake of 3 Fires there are several options available. Located only a very short walk from the Lake are two modern campgrounds nestled in trees. There are over 100 site options for campers. For the RV or trailer enthusiasts there are 24 standard electric sites and 63 non-electric sites, plus 3 buddy sites. In addition, there are 23 equestrian sites (some electrical) and 1 equestrian buddy site along with plenty of holding stalls and tie outs for horses. They are located just east of the main camping grounds but still close enough to walk down to the lake. There are nice clean restroom and shower facilities, children’s play areas and a trailer dump station. Some of the campsites have also been made handicap accessible.

For those families who don’t have a camper or RV but want to experience camping at the Lake of 3 fires there are 6 family cabins which can accommodate 4- 6 people. They are heated and cooled with the basic essentials- stove, microwave and refrigerator. There are also open shelters and a youth group area that offer a place to rent for large group gatherings. There are picnic areas available that are first come first serve. There are plenty of tables and grills if you are just making a day trip but camping is the way to go at the Lake of 3 Fires so you have time to experience everything.

Many of the camp sites, cabins and shelters are available to reserve online at the Department of Natural Resources website- however there are some that are first come first serve. It is very convenient and easy to reserve your spot online. Highly recommended if you plan on traveling any distance- a guaranteed spot of your choice is worth the few minutes it takes to go online and reserve. You can even look at a map of the campsites and pick where you want your site to be. You can see not only where your site will be but it tells you the electrical voltage, the length and other important information about the site you are choosing.

The camp sites are kept clean, well maintained and are big enough you don’t feel like you are right on top of your neighbor. The bathhouses are centrally located in the campground and offer clean bathroom and shower facilities for campers.

Once you have your camper set and are ready to enjoy your weekend it will be hard to decide where to start. The Lake itself offers many activities. There are 2 boat ramps if you want to go out on the ‘no wake” lake. There are plenty of fish to be caught including bluegill, largemouth bass and channel catfish. If you don’t have a license to fish you can run into town and pick one up at the courthouse or the Bedford Country Store located right on Hwy 2, very easy to find! There is a dock where you can fish and it also has a cleaning station also available. There are several fishing jetties where you can take a chair and set up to find the perfect spot. From your spot on the lake you might catch a glimpse of some people enjoying a beautiful day on the lake on their canoes or kayaks.

For the hunters, there is a 220 acre public hunting ground to the north and 160 acres to the south. You would of course want to check with the DNR for hunting and gaming regulations.

Not into hunting and fishing? Prefer something a bit more relaxing? Well head down to the beach area which is just a short walk from the camp grounds. There you find a small but very nice beach area for swimming. Not in the mood to swim? Then grab some friends for a game of sand volleyball or perhaps pitch horseshoes. The beach area is perfect place to relax with a good book or play some games with friends. The best part is to get there from the campgrounds you take a beautiful short scenic walk.

Perhaps one of the best parts about the Lake of 3 Fires is the 10 miles of trails the intertwine around the entire Lake. There are some specific trails for hiking but some others that offer horseback riders an amazing view of the lake. The great thing about the trails is how they snake around each other- you could discover a new path every time you go. The trials are nicely marked with “you are here “maps so you don’t get lost. There are beautiful views of the Lake from the far side where you can see clear across to the campgrounds. In the winter after a good snow, they say snow mobiles can also use the trails.

Bedford is only a few miles away so you can run into the local Hy-Vee for Groceries or stop by Dollar General if you forgot something. There are 2 gas stations in town as well that both have pizza, drinks and snacks if you need to stock up.

Getting to the Lake of 3 Fires isn’t hard at all From Bedford just go east out of town for about 1/2 mile on Hwy 2. Then turn north on Lake Road, keep going for about 3 miles and Lake of Three Fires is located on the west side. The roads are a bit windy but everything is paved including the main roads of the park. For a short weekend getaway of a weeklong camping adventure, the Lake of 3 Fires has plenty to offer everyone in your camping group.

Nice rolling hills. Some easy and moderate hiking trails, horses welcome, most of the activity is out on the lake so if you don’t have a boat you’ll be sad. Also learn about some of the Native American history of the area.

Yay: shady and private sites, all pretty close to the lake, lots of trails, some cabins (would be great for family reunions).

Nay: middle of nowhere and not really worth a detour, but if you’re near Bedford it’s a great little place.

Surprise: there is hunting open to the public so enjoy and/or be careful!

This is the best State Park campground in SW Iowa, it has everything anyone needs...love it here and the views are beautiful!

Mostly level sites with options for tenting or rv. Sites are primitive, electric only or full hookup. Several back to to the lake. The lake is great for fishing, kayaking or swimming.

This campground in Iowa is quite nice although not very private.  It costs $15 for camping with no electrical hook-up.  The views are great, and you can go dive in the little lake for a swim.

This is a 76 acre lake 1 mile northeast of Corning, Iowa. Electric sites are $20 a night or $800 for the season. There's a dump station and several water spigot. A bathroom with cold running water. There are also several portapotties around the lake. A fire ring and a picnic table at every site. We have seen people catching bass. Boats allowed with Electric motors only.

We were looking for a quick detour to set up our tent and sleep for a few hours. This was exactly that. There was a picnic table, a fire pit, a nice breeze, a lake and it was quiet and secluded

Three Mile Lake is awesome. You can read my other review on main campground at Three Mile Lake.

Both campgrounds are equal in cleanliness and in great views of the lake. You can't go wrong if you get into the South campground "Mallard Point" campground.

Put this on your list if you are visiting Southwest Iowa.

This is one of our favorite campgrounds in Iowa. It has a good sized lake for fishing and kayaking, but not to big for large speed boats. It has miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. It has a great frisbee golf course that my boys loved playing. The beach sandy and clean for a refreshing dip on a hot afternoon.

We love this campground for the large trees and shade they provide in the summer. Our only complaint is the lack of weather warning system in the area. The park rangers came around to warn campers of possible severe storms coming through the area, but if a tornado warning happened, we would have no notification.

I'm a single person tent camper. I like this spot, space between sites are far enough you don't have to hear your neighbor, but close enough that you could have a conversation if you wanted to.

Showers are nice enough, the water spray kinda gets your dry clothes moist. Water temp is not adjustable, is on a conserving 15 second push button.

The bike/walking trail is amazing, will take you all around the lake and into town. Right past the hospital and into McKinley 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.

Viking Lake is clean and well managed. It has several amenities including a restaurant if you left your cooler at home.

The campsites are nice and so are the facilities. During the week it is really quiet. I think most of the action here happens on the weekend based on the size of the park and the campgrounds, but I am not sure because I stayed during the week.

There are a few hiking trails and a marina where you can rent a boat for a little fun after eating lunch in the restaurant. This is one of the better stops in Southwest Iowa.