Best Tent Camping near Decorah, IA

Recent Tent Reviews near Decorah, IA

433 Reviews of 25 Decorah Campgrounds

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  John C.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 10, 2019

  Maple Springs Campground

  Peaceful and beautiful

  I arrived midweek around 8:00 PM and the office was closed. I was tent camping on motorcycle and easily found my site way back on the property. Andy came out to my site in the morning to say hi and ask if anything was needed. He definitley cares about the people staying here. With the gravel roads and very soft grass site, it was easy to manuver a large bike. Out in the tent sites there was very little light, which made star gazing amazing. If it wasn't for the store and well done shower room I would have thought I was in the wilderness especially in the tent area. Great place for quiet midweek, not sure what the weekend is like. The only reason it is not 5 stars is from my site I had to walk out to the field for wifi reception. With no Verizon cell service, not sure if others did, I needed to comunicate with family.

  John Carpentier Coon Rapids, MN

• 

  Dani K.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 25, 2017

  Pulpit Rock Campground

  Decorah is worth the trip! BEAUTIFUL

  Decorah is so beautiful. The river is right beside the tent sites. Hiking trails close by. Caves and water falls only a short drive away. Tubing, canoeing, and kayaking services behind camp grounds. Super affordable site rates. Shower house. Picnic tables and fire pits at each site.

• A

  Amanda C.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 4, 2020

  Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

  Great park!

  I tent camped at Six Pines Campground for 3 nights in August. The park has two campgrounds and this one is non electric with pit toilets and water. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring with a really nice grill. The sites are large and flat and the ones on the outside of the loop are well shaded. Two trails can be accessed from the tent campground - Six Pines trail and West Lake trail. There are two shower houses that you can use at the RV campground but it takes about 15-20 minutes to drive across the park to that campground. The park is very large with about 20 miles of trails. There is a spring fed creek and, if you stay away from the trout fishing area, you can play and wade in the creek. It has a sandy/rocky bottom and sandy banks. It felt wonderful on a hot day. There is a swim beach on the lake but it was closed due to E. coli in the water. There’s a small camp store too. At night in this campground there are no lights except in the registration kiosk so it’s perfect for star gazing. The Field of Dreams movie site is just 45 minutes away and makes for a fun side trip. There is a town about 10 minutes away with a couple restaurants and coffee shops. The Six Pines trail can be taken from the campground to the Backbone trail. The Backbone trail is along a rocky ridge. There are side trails down to the base of the cliffs and lots of rock climbing to do. Very fun to explore the side paths and climb up the rock walls.

• 

  Travis P.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 29, 2020

  Pulpit Rock Campground

  Crowded, many RVs. Decent tent sites along river.

  From someone who typically prefers backpacking and sleeping in remote areas, this campground facility, pretty much in the city, is okay.

  The facilities are nice, bathrooms were clean. What I didn't enjoy was how close each RV site is. The sparks from our fire were making their way to our neighbors site.

  The campground is situated next to the Trout Run Trail, providing quick and easy access to the 11-mile loop or in to the city center of Decorah.

  Overall, decent for a city campground, but very crowded. The tent sites near the river look more spaced out.

• 

  Brian M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 9, 2023

  Waukon City Park

  Great campground

  Free firewood, free wifi, water and electric at each campsite. Found a nice shady site for tent camping.

• 

  Emily S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 28, 2019

  Pulpit Rock Campground

  Clean

  Very nice, clean campground with a lot of amenities. Tent camping on the river was neat, but tents were very close together due to the small sites

• 

  Chris C.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 3, 2017

  Bloody Run County Park

  Hidden gem

  Quiet park with beautiful campground. Great for tent camping. Had no luck fishing the stream but a friend with me caught a couple.

• 

  Michael V.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 11, 2022

  Houston Nature Center

  Bike trail campground with parking near by.

  Has very clean showers and toilets. Owl center at office. Tent sites only and not many. Must make reservations but typically not many people here camping.

• J

  Jake L.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 24, 2017

  Sylvan City Park

  Close to bike trail and downtown

  Stayed here in a tent while on a bicycle camping trip and it was adequate. It is located in a city park within a couple minutes walk of the downtown area. The bike trail crosses the south end of downtown so close to that too. This would not be a good place to camp if you'd like to be out in nature

  Biggest gripe is the slope of the tent sites. The majority of the tent sites are on an incline around a pond. There are also a lot of ducks that aren't very afraid of humans. None got into my gear though. There are fire rings at the tent sites. No picnic tables at the individual sites but there are some nearby in the park and there's also a covered picnic shelter. Hammocks would be difficult to impossible as the tent area is a strip of grass between pond and bluff, which has mostly brush or too whimpy of trees to hang from at the base. There are a couple huge oaks but none in pairs.

  Quarter showers and clean restrooms are available. $20/night/tent which seemed a bit steep to me considering how slanted the sites were and quarter showers. It is cheaper than the other places within immediate biking distance which were $25/night.

• 

  Stephanie K.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 3, 2020

  Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground

  Out there

  A lot of electric sites. Tent sites further back in the campground through multiple water crossings (ok for cars). Campsites beautiful wooded sites in the bluffs. Definitely a campground to see!

• 

  Ann E.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 16, 2019

  Pulpit Rock Campground

  Nothing crazy special, well kept sites

  I was there on a Monday and was the only tent around. Site 15 is the best for tent sites, it’s right at the delta of where two streams meet. It’s a quick bike ride to pulpit rock brewing and other parks.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 26, 2022

  Little Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest

  Great State Forest CG with trout streams

  Stayed in 2 primitive tent sites: table, fire ring, shaded. Great sites for hat are all within walking to stocked trout streams! CG is in valley, cooled air, shaded, cold water streams to cool off. Pit toilets, trash bins, self registration with some sites reservable.

• B

  B B.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 12, 2022

  Lake Meyer County Park Campground

  Great spot, tents included

  This is a great little park if you need a place to stop for the night. It was very inexpensive for tents ($10 I think) and the tent camping area was very nice with 3 giant pine trees and some picnic tables and fire rings. As someone who bicycle tours I appreciated fire wood being on site and close to where the tent area is. The bathrooms aren’t the best but they worked. Overall its a safe, clean, welcoming campground for both tents and RV’s.

• 

  Katie J.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 8, 2020

  Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

  Favorite Iowa Park

  This park is perfect for families or anyone looking for plenty of activities. They have boat rentals, amazing trails, a camp store onsite, a swimming beach and super clean bathrooms. Stayed at tent site #24 in the Southlake Campground, and it was fairly quiet even on a busy holiday weekend.

• T

  Trish I.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 2, 2016

  Fontana County Park

  Relaxing

  Fontana is a small campground which fills up relatively fast. The park boasts animal displays and a nature center, fishing, trails and a playground all within the park, It's a quiet park with primitive and electrical hookups. Though I recommend better for campers since many tent sites are under pine trees.

• S

  Steve S.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 15, 2023

  Houston Nature Center

  Great Campground for Cyclists

  Spacious, level, well kept, quiet. $10/night, which is great. Spotless showers and bathrooms, access to drinking water. The International Owl Center was a welcome discovery. Best tent campground on the Root River Trail.

• 

  James D.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 30, 2016

  Pikes Peak State Park Campground

  Had a great time at this former military fort on the Mississippi

  This park is arranged more for RV's than tent camping and you cannot set up right along the river but can get pretty close if you are in tent spot 25. The sites are really close to each other. Bear Mound is cool to see if you appreciate the history behind it. Bridal falls is also a must see if you are there. The hiking trails can be done with a long day hike and offer some beautiful scenery as the leaves are changing. One of the few spots I have stayed along the Mississippi and one of my favorites.

• P

  Peter K.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 20, 2021

  Sylvan City Park

  Small campground next to city park.

  This is a convenient small campground next to a city park. The touristy shops and biking trails are within a few blocks of the campground. The RV campsites have water and electricity. We found the sites to be rather close together. The sites are first come first served (no reservations). There are also numerous tent sites, as this seems to be popular with the bicycling crowd. This really is a beautiful area of southeast MN.

• S

  Stuart A.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 5, 2020

  Great River Bluffs State Park Campground

  Unbelievable Views & Hiking

  Small rustic campground with no hookups or electrical sites which is perfect if you are tent camping! Sites are smaller but nice, the outer sites have better privacy with most inner sites backing up to the restrooms. The hiking here is amazing with numerous lookout points to see the river from the bluffs. There are short and long hikes to get to the views, so it’s good for all levels of hiking. Overall this campground has a lot to offer and we will definitely go back!

• R

  Rachel H.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 21, 2018

  Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

  Fantastic location cation for individual or group tent camping!

  I went with a group of entering sixth grade Girl Scouts on a weekend tent camping trip to this park. The campsites were simple to access and the grounds were easy to navigate. We hiked on the famous Backbone trail - a really fun hike that isn’t too incredibly long. The grounds were well kept and we had a phenomenal time. The girls gathered our firewood in the neighboring tree line, and our evenings were filled with fun and friendly camping neighbors. I highly recommend this park.

• A

  Alison

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 18, 2018

  Houston Nature Center

  Root River Bike Trail

  This campsite is at the trailhead for the Root River Bike Trail. This bike trail is so awesome and by far the best in the tri-state area!

  The nature center is tent camping only but they do have nice spots with picnic tables and grills. Even though I'm not a kid, I thought the park was AWESOME. They litterally have a tree house to play in!!!! The Nature Center also has a bike servicing station, showers, and bathrooms. Everything is extremely clean and the town of Houston is so sweet. I will visit again!

• 

  Amber Z.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 17, 2018

  Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground

  Disappointed with camping but hiking was great!

  I was disappointed with camping here. We stayed in a tent site, W##. We felt lucky with this because the W sites were more secluded and you didn't feel like you were on top of your camping neighbors. The bathrooms and showers here were very gross though. The hiking here had great views but trails were not labeled well. The Big Spring was also a great natural water feature to relax in after a hot hike!

• 

  Kenneth M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 6, 2024

  Clayton Hills Campground

  Best Owners Ever

  I was looking around for a place and being the weekend after the 4th of July, I knew there wouldn't be many options. This place is literally a hidden gem and should get more focus!!! The owner had a spot for my family and me!!! When he found out that I was only tent camping, he even lowered the price!!! He didn't have to do that at all and it wasn't expected. Grassy locations everywhere. Wonderful water and electric hookups!!! A little piece of heaven here. JJ is an AMAZING host!!!

• J

  Juliet H.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 25, 2020

  Pettibone Resort

  Okay for tents

  Tent sites are just okay. They are located directly across from houseboats, so little privacy. The area was also damp, which meant lots of bugs. I was envious of the RV side, which looked much nicer. It was not quiet due to being practically under the bridge into La Crosse. On the upside, The man working there was very friendly and helpful. It did not appear that anyone was masked or social distancing. The bar was open and patrons were next to each other on stools at the bar. Employees were also not wearing masks.

• 

  Laura E.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 17, 2021

  Blackhawk Park

  Good spot to sleep over on the road

  We stopped here to sleep on our way home from a long road trip. The electric sites are like a typical RV park, not much space or privace. We had site 40west and it was larger, but too close to the smelly pit toilets. Showers nice, hot and clean. The tent sites looked spacious, but not very private. The campground is in a beautiful setting and not far off The Great River Road. We enjoyed watching a muskrat family playing in the stream by our site. We would definitely use this campground as a layover again.

• 

  GoWhereYouAreDraw N.

  Legend

  

  May. 30, 2019

  Forestville Mystery Cave State Park Campground

  Great experience!

  We tent camped here and loved it. We were able to do a lot of trail exploring and had a great time on the “scenic” cave tour. The trails were well maintained but difficult to understand in some places as signage was lacking.

  There is a primitive loop with pit toilets, a tent loop with no electricity but access to showers and flush toilets, and a trailer loop with all accommodations.

  There are great cold water trout streams that are shallow enough to wade in and play in if the weather is warmer. Hiking trails of varying skill levels but all in mostly wooded areas. Forestville townsite is closed during the week but you can wander around the outside of the buildings and site. No gates or posted restrictions.

• 

  Lourene M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 29, 2018

  Skip-A-Way Resort

  Very family friendly

  This campground has a lot of fun activities from April 15 thru Oct 15. They have permanent sites and rentals. There is tent sites and rental campers also. Sewer, water and electric. Some weekly activities include canoeing, tubing down the Turkey River, swimming, fishing and paddle boats in the Lake, a splash pad for kids and occasionally a dumping tank for free, also miniture golf. There. Is a store and bar on the grounds as wellas a pavilion for use any time where they also have children's movies every Saturday night during season. New bathrooms with shower's and rentals for canoes and tubes for the River. Very family friendly and affordable.