Looking for an adventure where you can explore Chariton and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best tent camping sites near Chariton. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Iowa tent camping excursion.
Improvements include adding electric sites, shower house, and water station. All sites are first come first serve and will cost $20 per night. Registration is required upon arrival at the campground entrance. Campers may stay in WCCB campgrounds for 14 days out of any 30 day period.
Donated by Ferold and Dorothy Grant, this 150 acre park in northeast Warren County features a picnic shelter, a secluded pond, some wonderful woodland trails, and—new in 2018—10 primitive campsites!
The picnic shelter is available for reservation by calling the WCCB office at (515) 961-6169.
Grant Park has ten primitive campsites. There is a pit latrine in the campground. Water is not available. Reservations are not accepted. This campground is free of charge. Registration is required and is available at the campground entrance. Campers may stay in WCCB campgrounds for 14 days out of any 30 day period.
$15 / night
This recreation area is part of Rathbun Lake
North Overlook Picnic Shelter is located adjacent from North Overlook Campground on Lake Red Rock, Iowa's largest lake. It is just 10 minutes from Pella, known for its Dutch heritage, and 15 minutes from Knoxville, the Sprint car capital of the world. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, biking and viewing wildlife.____ For more information regarding the Army Corps of Engineers and the Lake Red Rock Project, click here:Lake Red Rock Website__
Lake Red Rock offers excellent boating, water skiing and swimming opportunities. Miles of water trails for kayakers and canoeists are designated along the shoreline. Anglers will find crappie, walleye, largemouth and striped bass, channel and flathead catfish, northern pike and bluegill. Several miles of trails for hiking and biking are in the area. The 15 mile paved Volksweg Trail stretches west from Pella to the Des Moines River and to the Cordova Recreation Area.
North Overlook Picnic Shelter is a conventional open shelter that offers 20 amp electrical service, picnic tables, an outdoor grill, fire ring, water fountain and nearby flush toilets.__ If your event is open to the public, greater than 100 people, involves live or amplified music, or if alcohol will be available to attendees, you may need an event permit. Click the link below to apply for an event permit:Special Event Permit __If shelter is not reserved, it is available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.Shelter occupancy is permitted until dusk.
Lake Red Rock is situated on the Des Moines River. Hardwood forests cover the lake shore at North Overlook, offering shade and scenic views. Wildlife is abundant around the lake. A wide variety of waterfowl, including the American White Pelican, migrates through the area in spring and fall. Bald eagles can be observed from November through March. White-tailed deer, turkeys and other small animals are commonly viewed around the lake.
Des Moines, Iowa's capital, is an hour away, with numerous shopping and dining opportunities, museums and the Blank Park Zoo.
A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amount. Cancel or change reservations through recreation.com or by calling 1-877-444-6677. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees.
$50 / night
South Tailwater Picnic Shelter is located on the Des Moines River on the south end of Red Rock Dam adjacent from the visitor center on Lake Red Rock, Iowa's largest lake. It is just 10 minutes from Pella, known for its Dutch heritage, and 15 minutes from Knoxville, the Sprint car capital of the world. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, biking and viewing wildlife.____ For more information regarding the Army Corps of Engineers and the Lake Red Rock Project, click here: Lake Red Rock Website __
Lake Red Rock offers excellent boating, water skiing and swimming opportunities. Miles of water trails for kayakers and canoeists are designated along the shoreline. Anglers will find crappie, walleye, largemouth and striped bass, channel and flathead catfish, northern pike and bluegill. Several miles of trails for hiking and biking are in the area. The 15 mile paved Volksweg Trail stretches west from Pella to the Des Moines River and to the Cordova Recreation Area.
South Tailwater Picnic Shelter is a conventional open shelter that offers 20 amp electrical service, picnic tables, an outdoor grill, and nearby flush toilets.__ If your event is open to the public, greater than 100 people, involves live or amplified music, or if alcohol will be available to attendees, you may need an event permit. Click the link below to apply for an event permit: Special Event Permit__ If shelter is not reserved, it is available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Shelter occupancy is permitted until dusk.
South Tailwater is situated on the south bank of the Des Moines River, offering scenic views. Wildlife is abundant around the lake. A wide variety of waterfowl, including the American White Pelican, migrates through the area in spring and fall. Bald eagles can be observed from November through March. White-tailed deer, turkeys and other small animals are commonly viewed around the lake.
Lake Red Rock is just 10 minutes from Pella, known for its Dutch heritage, and 15 minutes from Knoxville, the Sprint car capital of the world. Des Moines, Iowa's capital, is an hour away, with numerous shopping and dining opportunities, museums and the Blank Park Zoo.
A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amount. Cancel or change reservations through recreation.com or by calling 1-877-444-6677. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees.
$50 / night
Ranger
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.
Guide
Very nice view of the lake, lots of campsites around the lake. Not many lights around and no big cities and a low horizon so it’s a good place to visit for a visual observation night with a telescope or binos. Only one other camper at my campsite when I visited, so it’s a good weekend retreat from the city life. This is a primitive campsite; there are two waterless bathrooms and 8 or so gravel spots at site B on the Eastern side of the lake.
Legend
East not west as satellite view in Dyrt is old and doesn’t show East campground. I did add a screenshot of current satellite view. FHU. Easy in and around campground. A lot of space between sites. Sites are fairly level with hard pack gravel.
ScoutThe park is closed for camping indefinitely
Traveler
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.
Ranger
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.
Scout
Facilities are available and very convenient and comfortable. Nice lake to swim and fish. Absolutely beautiful park and really nice trails. Thanks, Tina
Legend
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!
Ranger
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.
Scout20 bucks a day you submit your fill out sheet at the service area and drop it off in a drop box.
Scout
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.
Guide
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.
Traveler
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.
Traveler
Stayed two nights with my son and we absolutely loved it.
ScoutWe 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.
Traveler
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.
Scout
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.
ScoutSpent 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
Guide
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.
Scout
Very clean campground with friendly host. Showers were warm and sites were either paved or good gravel. Road in could easily allow motorcycle access
GuideLarge 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.
Guide
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!
ScoutOur 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.
Guide
Large sites and plenty of space between sites.
Scout
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
Traveler
Timberline is among my favorite campgrounds, always has great people, nice shade trees, fun pool, and quality facilities.
ScoutWonderful setting and quiet place to stay. Beautiful views with quick access to Bridges of Madison County. Great hook ups and utilities!
Tent camping near Chariton, Iowa offers a blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, perfect for those looking to escape into the wilderness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Chariton, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Chariton, IA is Grant Park (Warren County Consevation Board) with a 4-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Chariton, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 14 tent camping locations near Chariton, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
