Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Carroll, IA

This 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.

Stopped here for the night over the summer. Not many people in the tent area mid-week. Bathrooms were clean, firewood for sale, picnic tables and fire rings at every site. Dog friendly!

We showed up easter sunday when everyone in the loop left except one van, so it was pretty empty. But the wind was so intense an constant. Probably about 20 to 25mph wind all day and night. Temp was mid 70s to 80s. Well kept sites and the park ranger came through to check reservations were correct on the posts. Random people did come through the loop area to either hang out or go to the trail, which alerted our dogs everytime. We even thought some lady did a drug deal by grabbing an orange bag from one of the electric posts then left, pretty weird. We stayed on site 81 next to water which was essential. Big lake close by to fish which I'm guessing the only thing to do here other than walk the trail. I ran the trail for a workout, it's all grass around the lake. All the sites are pretty close together, about 20 to 30 apart so of you like that then there you go, but we wanted space for our dogs and privacy. Stayed 2 nights. All views of corn.

We lucked out and nabbed a site right on the water on a really full weekend! It was a BEAUTIFUL view. The bathrooms/shower houses were immaculate and well kept. Solid firewood, $5 for 8 pieces. It was packed but definitely didn't feel like it. We had 5 dogs in our group and spent a lot of time on the walking trails with them!

Dolliver State Park was our maiden voyage in our travel trailer and it was obvious we were pitiful newbies! The park's beauty and tranquility did get disturbed a couple times when our dogs got loose (newbs!). The park staff were friendly and very helpful as were our fellow campers. The sites are mostly level with picnic tables and fire rings. Sites range from shady to sunny and the reservation website depicts the sites with a small photo and details about the amount of slope and shade. Cell service was good but no WiFi without a hotspot for us. We had fun, learned a lot and plan to camp here again!

This is a small campground in a small town right of interstate 80 in central Iowa. This is a great weekend spot for locals or an overnight spot for a weary traveler on their way through Iowa. This is ideal for a camper of fifth wheel. Not necessarily where I would want to camp with a tent.

You are real close to a Kum & Go and Caseys General Store if you forgot some of your supplies at home. The campground is really clean.

These Iowa state parks are extremely clean and well taken care of. The lake is huge with multiple trails that the kids loved. Playground was directly behind us which is a plus for us.

Nice clean park, if passing through Iowa it's a nice overnight. A little loud if tent camping. Area not large enough to separate hard shell campers and tent campers. Plenty of fly's and mosquitoes, plenty of shade.

Reserved electric unit 090 for the weekend, which had a scenic corn field for a backdrop - this is Iowa! Paved roads, level gravel sites, wide & mowed trails, clean pit toilets and a layout that isn’t too cramped. The pond has multiple shoreline fishing spots with picnic tables and a cleaning station. Basic playground in front of the beach which is a short drive or a ~1 mile trail walk away.

I really like Prairie Rose State Park. It is about ten miles north of Interstate 80 near Harlan, Iowa. The lake is gorgeous and has many different view points. There is plenty of space and a lot of different activities. A lot of folks fish and picnic. There are also a lot of geese.

The camp sites have great views of the lake and the park was pretty empty when I visited. This park truly is a rose in the prairie.

This County Park is located right on the edge of Lake Panorama, a great town North West of Des Moines, Iowa. It is surrounded by amenities, so if you forget something you can drive five minutes into town to replace anything you forgot at home.

This is not a place to rough it, but if you have a family and want an outdoors experience close to amenities, this is the place for you. The campground is very clean and it is right next to a river.

We often seek out city parks for eating lunch when on the road and this is how we found this park/campground. Albert, the world’s largest bull, was constructed in 1964 as a way to draw tourists to the area. Press the button to hear him bellow and learn his history. 

Albert is part of a park and campground, which is located next to a pool and water park. The campground is ok but nothing special. On a Monday afternoon in August, only two sites were occupied, and no one seemed to be around but judging by the overflowing dumpster, I’m guessing it was full over the weekend. Sites were typical of what I have come to expect in many campgrounds in Iowa – close together and no physical separation between them. Full hookup sites are $20; all others are $15. There is only one toilet and shower each for women and men; it was in reasonable shape but not the best. 

Since the park is adjacent, there is a nice playground and this, along with learning about Albert’s history, might be entertaining for children. I am not sure if non-residents can access the pool/water park; although it was open, no one was there when I was there- this may have been due to Covid.

This 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

This was one of the nicest county campgrounds I've ever seen. We've been to a lot of them, but this one stands out. Not to mention that the price was unbeatable! So much more reasonable than at home. Set off the road a bit in a tiny little town in Iowa, it's along a river and very close to the Raccoon River Valley Trail, an 89 mile loop trail (paved) that goes through several towns and counties. It costs $2/person/day if you are 18 or older, or a year pass is $10. There is also a lodge that you can rent.

We rented a cabin for $50, because it was only about $10 more expensive than what we were planning on spending for a campsite in Minnesota. Normally, we stay in tents, so we were very pleased to find the options that this campground had to offer at such reasonable cost! If you wanted a tent site without electric, it was only $8. Electric sites were only $12. And the sites were incredibly well groomed. They were clean (I didn't see any trash). And they were tucked into the woods. A caretaker lives on site, and although we rarely saw him, it was obvious that he cared about his job. The bathrooms were clean and cared for too!

We were in a cabin and they were simple, but suited our needs. They had two wooden cabin-style buildings with little front porches (not screened in, but room under the overhang for chairs). Inside, you had two bunk beds, and the bottom bunk of one was a pull out futon, so you really had room to sleep 5 people. (Must mention: The futon in our cabin was horribly uncomfortable. I would have given 4 stars to the review because of it, but the futon alone shouldn't take away from the rest of the campground, which was immaculate). There was also a bathroom with an ADA shower, toilet, mirror and sink. In the room, there was a mini fridge, coffee maker, microwave, little sink and it even had air conditioning! Tucked in the corner was a folding table and chairs. A few hooks scattered around the walls completed the room. The A/C in ours wasn't at full working capacity, but it did chill the room down enough to be very comfortable. And it was very hot outside! We also had a little fire ring and picnic table, just outside the door.

The campground could accommodate plenty of tents and campers alike. Some electric, some not. All with very nice grassy pads for tents, all with picnic tables and fire rings. Grass was well clipped and there were plenty of parking spaces. It was very quiet when we were there, but I assume it gets busy on the weekends. The shower/bath house had separate bathrooms (both unisex) and both with toilet, mirror, sink and shower). Both were very clean for a camp bathroom. A little campground for those wishing to camp together was at the back of the park. It, too, had bathrooms. But they were locked, so I couldn't peek inside.

Bottom line, it was well worth our $50 for the cabin (you can't even get a hotel room for that price any more). I'd love to go back and tent in the quiet of a weekday eve when the crickets are chirping and I can feel the breeze through the tent!

Please note - there are no trash cans at the campground if you are in tents or RV's (the cabins have them inside). It is a carry in/carry out campground

There are LOTS of water pumps all over the campground. Yay for water!!

Tented 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.

Only 20 or so sites on a first come first served system. Only $20 for full hookups. Liked the heritage museum. Did boot appreciate the hotel across the road with flood lights on all night.

Beautiful view of the lake! Multiple options of camping sites. Clean RR and showers. Nice area!

We went in June 2019. Park is right next to the lake. Beautiful lake. Pretty busy with lots of campers. Nice walking path around the lake.

Nice level campground right on the water and in town.   Many types of sites available from full hook to dry camping.   Some paved but most are gravel sites.  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.  Gets busy on the holidays and some areas are pretty tight if your pulling a large unit. The camp staff was fantastic at managing the holiday traffic and keeping the bathrooms clean.