Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Chariton, IA

Recent Dog-Friendly Reviews in Chariton

234 Reviews of 65 Chariton Campgrounds

• 

  Deb M.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 31, 2024

  Winterset City Park

  Great city park on a cute town

  Nice city park campground close to lots of covered bridges and other things to see. The sites are pretty well spaced with lots of grass and some trees in between. It was a good value for full hookup sites. The bathroom was decent, and phone service was adequate. We just spent one night here on our way home from Colorado, but will be returning in the fall to explore more and see some colors.

• M

  Mansel J.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 17, 2024

  Otter Creek Park

  The park is closed for camping indefinitely

  The park is closed for camping indefinitely

• 

  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.

• 

  Renee H.

  Ranger

  

  May. 7, 2024

  Howell Station

  Large spacious campground

  Well maintained campground with mature shade trees. Gravel sites, a little bit of leveling required. Poor Verizon cell signal, no internet signal. Not much natural privacy between sites, but sites were well spaced apart. Paved trail nice for biking and walking. Fishing nearby and the Dutch themed town of Pella is a short drive and a must see. Bathrooms and showers were nice, clean. Handicap camp site and bathhouse available. Firewood for sale at front gate. The potable water available at the dump station was clear and good for drinking. Dump station is easily accessible. Dumpsters were positioned around the campground. Staff was friendly. The night we stayed, there was a severe weather threat, and the staff, at the end of the night, had unlocked the storm shelters (utility area in the middle of the bathhouses) should the need arise. We ended up having to seek shelter because of a tornado warning.

• 

  Tina T.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 24, 2024

  Nine Eagles State Park Campground

  Campsites

  Facilities are available and very convenient and comfortable. Nice lake to swim and fish. Absolutely beautiful park and really nice trails. Thanks, Tina

• 

  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!

• 

  Renee H.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 31, 2023

  Lakeside Casino RV Park

  Decent place to spend the night

  RV park is relatively quiet and easy to get into. The concrete in our site was in poor condition, it had crumbled leaving a dip in the pad. The cable didn’t work, but electric and water had no issues. Easy on and off to the interstate. There is only one garbage dumpster near the entrance and we didn’t see a camp host on site or anybody to check in with. We stayed just one night on our way through the area and were comfortable.

• 

  Marie M.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 26, 2023

  Eveland Access

  Glendale Access

  20 bucks a day you submit your fill out sheet at the service area and drop it off in a drop box.

• M

  Megan Y.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 23, 2023

  Nature Haven at Red Rock Lake

  Beautiful fall camping site

  We really enjoyed our stay at site 4 in the woods. It was absolutely beautiful with the fall colors and leaves falling all around us. We also enjoyed the trails around our site and a pretty view of a pond a short walk away. Anna was very responsive and gave thorough directions for us. We would stay again.

• D

  Daniel C.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 18, 2023

  Lakeside Co Park

  Nice lake, but run down campsites.

  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.

• 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.

• 

  T J.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 10, 2023

  Mine Pond Campground — Stephens State Forest

  Great camp site with great fishing

  Stayed two nights with my son and we absolutely loved it.

• J

  Jenna E.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 8, 2023

  Nature Haven at Red Rock Lake

  We had a great time at this site:) …

  We had a great time at this site:) Anna was very responsive and helpful when we had questions. I would definitely recommend to others, and I would return again.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  Ben K.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 28, 2023

  Thomas Mitchell County Park

  Clean and quiet in tent

  Spent 2 nights tent camping here. We stayed at site 4, glad I read reviews on here. I personally would not want to be in a site beyond number 7 as it gets too close to the dump station and subsequent “sewage lagoon”

  Shower house was clean, pretty quiet, and only 5 miles off the highway

• D

  Daniel C.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 26, 2023

  East Lake Co Park

  Newer so campground still being established

  The campground was clean and quiet with water and electricity at each site. The dump station was set aside from the camp sites. The trees at the campground were recently planted so no shade. The best part is that there is plenty of room between camp sites so your not camping on top of your neighbors. Playground and bathrooms on site.

• J

  James G.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 20, 2023

  Yellow Banks County Park

  Great camp close to town

  Very clean campground with friendly host. Showers were warm and sites were either paved or good gravel. Road in could easily allow motorcycle access

• 

  Jen S.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 13, 2023

  Yellow Banks County Park

  Huge sites!

  Large spacious sites with a fire ring and picnic table. Cost per night is low. Firewood available and camp host was a wonderful older gentleman. Close proximity to the state fair without being to close. Great stay! Our site had an open field behind it definitely recommend.

• 

  Alex D.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 26, 2023

  Criss Cove County Park

  Hot hot hot

  Cute little campground by the pond. We arrived pretty late. Cute campground, but boy oh boy is it muggy. Between the heat and the pond near by be sure you’re prepared for damp, muggy, and buggy conditions. Otherwise cute little place. There is a bathroom- I didn’t need it but its there!

• J

  Jeff C.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 24, 2023

  Newton KOA

  A decent option along the freeway

  Our stay here was fine. Check-in was easy and courteous. We were escorted to our site. All of the staff that we interacted with was great. It seems like this park has an original section and then expansion sections tired up a hillside. The original section is the only section with any mature shade trees. Our site, and it looked like the others in the tiered hillside section, were in full sun all day. We selected an upgraded patio site. It was spacious and the patio area was made from pavers. It was equiped the same as the other sites though, just a fire pit and a picnic table (that was in rough shape). Our experience at other KOAs is that the patio sites have some better patio furniture. The fire pit wasn't functional for cooking. The cooking grate was rusted and set about 1" off the bottom of the fire pit leaving no room for charcoal. Pool looked nice but we didn't use it. The bathrooms and showers were clean but the showers could use a place to set your dry clothes.

• 

  Paul M.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 20, 2023

  Whitebreast Camp

  Beautiful Campground

  Large sites and plenty of space between sites.

• A

  Amanda H.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 19, 2023

  Wallashuck

  Convenience with some space

  We were able to camp in a tent near RVs without feeling crowded. The restrooms, showers, and playground were all close by…great for camping with kids. There were some nicer than ours and some with less privacy or further away than we’d prefer.

  A nice mix of convenience and privacy. Perfect location to showers and playground for kids. Ample space for our needs, but not overly private

• 

  Russell T.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 29, 2023

  Timberline Campground

  Love this place

  Timberline is among my favorite campgrounds, always has great people, nice shade trees, fun pool, and quality facilities.

• K

  Kara P.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 21, 2023

  Winterset City Park

  Beautiful setting and quiet

  Wonderful setting and quiet place to stay. Beautiful views with quick access to Bridges of Madison County. Great hook ups and utilities!

• j

  jess

  Scout

  

  Jun. 7, 2023

  Timberline Campground

  Wish we could’ve stayed longer

  Marta and crew were so friendly and helpful! Clean bathrooms, beautiful property. Close to hwy but far enough away. We called ahead to arrive after hours and had to get back on the road in the morning. Wish we could’ve stayed longer!

• 

  Tammie C.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 4, 2023

  Pammel County Park

  I'll be back

  This is a beautiful park with lots to do and miles of woods to explore. AT&T cell service was excellent throughout. And camping fees are extremely reasonable. I didn't stay the night but will be back.