Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Carroll, IA is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Carroll is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Carroll. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
"I was only tent camper in the electric only sites. If there was a tent only location, I didn't see it. Those in campers that need water and electricity are regulated to gravel 'parking lot' sites."
"Great trail all the way around the lake, we took a bike ride around it was about 3 ish miles. Camp host was a gem. Bathrooms were very clean! Great view of the lake."
$25 / night
"I really think that thanks to my initiative, many students were able to step out of academic trouble and get back to focusing on their studies."
" Enjoy drifting& driving awesome cars. Explore beautiful maps, find your favourite drift locations. Do experiments with car tuning."
$12 - $20 / night
"Park is right next to the lake. Beautiful lake. Pretty busy with lots of campers. Nice walking path around the lake."
"Beautiful view of the lake! Multiple options of camping sites. Clean RR and showers. Nice area!"
$16 - $50 / night
"Utility location did require us to use a longer hose and extension cord to reach from our site. Nice town and trails for biking nearby. "
$20 / night
"The best waterfront camping we have found near us. Small friendly community of camping. Door to door ice and concession delivery."
"There are campsites along the lake with easy access to shoreline. There are approximately 100 sites. There is a playground and disc golf. There is a roller rink and a concession stand."
$12 - $20 / night
"This campground has both RV full hookup and electric sites very close to the lake. Campsites offer a great view of lake and close access to docks."
"We were on the outer loop which put us closest to the lake and offered electrical hook-up. The shower house was pretty nice, clean and pretty centrally located. "
"Nice bath houses. Clean area. Good for the family."
"I wanted a weekend away from the craziness so chose to go "home" for my first solo trip in quite awhile."
"Has a descent size lake good for kayaking and fishing."
RangerThis state park camp site close to Carroll, Iowa was nice, but we were the only tent campers there, it seemed more like a permanent RV home site. The bathrooms while nice had no working showers, they had showers but no way to turn on the water. There was a cute frisbee golf on property, a beautiful lake, and a nice paved walking path.
TravelerThe best waterfront camping we have found near us. Small friendly community of camping. Door to door ice and concession delivery. Awesome open air roller skating rink and nightly grilling parties at the beach.
LegendCamped by tent, basic amenities on-site-fire ring, table, etc. Went kayaking on lake and then on Des Moines River (close by). Nice wildlife areas, hiking, fishing, etc. Pleasant staff.
LegendThis is a small little park off the highway, we had been traveling for two days and needed to stop for the night. We followed the signs that said camping and went through a quant, however pretty vacant, little town. We got to the end of the town and found a city park that allowed camping.
Pros -- it was $10 a night, that's decent! Most places are more along this drive. It also had a magnificent playground. My kids had been cooped up for two days and needed to run off some pent up energy and this was perfect. A few neighborhood kids joined them (it was smack dab in a neighborhood) and they had a blast, all while I rested from my chair at my campsite. Lots of green grass (an improvement from the desert climate we come from) and trees for shade. It had flush toilets and free showers! There was a picnic table, electricity and a grill at every site. It was a pretty restful night.
Cons -- The bathrooms were not the cleanest. The women's bathroom stalls did not function correctly, either the door wouldn't lock or it wouldn't close. There were lots of bugs, in the restroom, in the site, all over. I didn't sit at the picnic table due to the bugs all over it so I sat in my camp chair where I found relief. I'm not one that thinks there should be no bugs in nature but there just was an abundance of them everywhere. You could hear some highway traffic and a little train traffic. The town was all but closed up. There was a gas station and a bar open. The gas station attendant wasn't super friendly.
It was a great place to lay our heads for the night, play some games, run the playground but it probably wouldn't be on my list of first places to stop. Beauty of Iowa is almost every exit shows camping!u 7
TravelerThis campground has both RV full hookup and electric sites very close to the lake. Campsites offer a great view of lake and close access to docks. There is an adjacent area with non- electric sites that would work for tent campIng. All sites have firepots and picnic tables. The lake is great for fishing or kayaking and there is also a beach with swimming. Bring your bikes to ride on a paved trail that goes all the way around the lake. Very clean and quiet campground!
ScoutTented camped in late October, the weekend before closing. I was only tent camper in the electric only sites. If there was a tent only location, I didn't see it. Those in campers that need water and electricity are regulated to gravel 'parking lot' sites.
Beautiful park with playgrounds, swim beach, fisbee golf, paved trail, many fishing bars, and more.
Electric only sites are small and spaced out well. Most have level drive perfect for sm camper or suv camping. Grass has slope, but I think you can find a good enough place for tent, I did. Bathroom clean enough, I didn't use showers. I enjoyed the privacy of lake-front site J.
ScoutHidden gem. Just a few mins off I-80 but no noise or signs of heavytraffic. Cute, quaint little town. All pull through spots and all sites are level. Not all spots have picnic tables or fire rings but there were very few campers so we had our pick of spots. Playset for younger kids. Golf course and pool in town. Nice shade trees. Bath house had flushing Toilets. Showers weren't very clean but we didn't need to use them. Perfect for a quick stop and very affordable at $20 for full hookups.
GuideThis campground is part of a city park. It is far enough off I80 that you don't hear the traffic at night. When I arrived, I was the only one here. Later at night another camper showed up. It was nice and quiet. Nice to have a grassy park to walk the dogs around. Not much to do here, but I only stayed for one night. The bathrooms were a little beat up, but clean. Best part, it was only $10.
TravelerI grew up swimming and camping at Nelson Park but moved away roughly 30 years ago. I wanted a weekend away from the craziness so chose to go "home" for my first solo trip in quite awhile. The grounds and facilities at the park were in excellent shape even though many of the buildings were still the same ones that I had known from childhood. Could not have asked for better weather after storms rolled through in the morning pulling the heat and humidity from the air later in the day. I will definitely be returning again.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Carroll, IA is Swan Lake State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 3 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 14 glamping camping locations near Carroll, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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