Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Des Moines, IA

Pammel Park is awesome. It is actually a State Park that is managed by the local County Conservation Board. Pammel Park has amazing trails with varied terrain and nice forests.

The campgrounds are clean with options for tenters and RVs. There are even Yurt Cabins that can be rented. Pammel Park has a great water trail for Kayakers with several launch points.

The only caution I would have is pay attention while you are hiking, there are rattlesnakes in the park. Overall I highly recommend Pammel Park. It is about a 30 minute drive from Des Moines and about 5 minutes from Winterset.

I would consider Pammel Park a secret gem even for native Iowans. Checkout Pammel Park and spend some time in the historical town of Winterset.

We've tent camped twice at Springbrook, and though it's not perfect, it's a nice campground we plan to keep coming back to for a number of reasons.

Pros:

-Not a far drive from Des Moines, but still quite remote

-Lots of nice hiking trails

-Easy access to large, mostly clean modern bathrooms

-The lake is a peaceful spot to spend the early mornings, a nice place to fish (but don't expect to catch anything) and its beach is fun on the hot summer days, and tends to not be too busy. Has lots of benches around to sit and enjoy the view.

-No cell reception, which could be a "con" but we like that it forces us to unplug

Cons:

-Tent camping spots are clustered mainly in the middle of a loop, which feels a bit like a fishbowl with no privacy

-It's mainly an RV/camper campground, which can be loud/rowdy at night for tent campers. Lots of parties happening the two weekends we were there. Definitely don't recommend if you want a peaceful weekend away from the world.

-Other than hiking and a bit of swimming/fishing, there's not much to do

-Firewood is a short drive from the campground, which can get inconvenient

This is a beautiful State Park on the southwest side of the Des Moines metro. It is hidden from most of suburbia but very close to shopping, movies, restaurants, and the Des Moines night life.

It is also a perfect place to escape all of those things and enjoy the huge walnut trees, green grass, and trails.

The campground is clean but it is very small with very few amenities. Most of the campers had small RVs or camper trailers, but there were a few tents. This would be rated higher if it had larger facilities.

All in all, this is a nice park to get away from the suburbs or enjoy them. It's up to you.

Great spot located next to the Des Moines River. Check in was a breeze and conveniently near the fill and dump stations. Peaceful lot near the river. Great fishing in the river. Near a city so you don't run short on supplies.

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.

The Des Moines area has a fairly large camping population - because of this, reservations are usually necessary. The area does not have a ton of shade - so be weary in the middle of summer. Clean campgrounds - nice staff. Pads are on gravel - one downfall.

Fire pits with grills and everything.

Unfortunately we were there in the dead of winter as a stop over on a road trip, but it was easy to find and easy to get into the park to the camp sites.

For just outside of Des Moines, pretty good spot.

Though it’s closed this summer :( - the Ledges State Park campground is a long time favorite of ours. Lots of electrical and non electrical spots and also an entire section of hike-in tent camping that is just a short hike down to a secluded section of the Des Moines River. Secure your food at night or the racoons will dine lavishly on your supplies. :)

We stayed here while passing through on a road trip. It was easy to get a camp site. We opted for a hike-in site to try for a bit of seclusion. The site was nice. We didn't have other campers near by. The hiking trails are very short but there is a bike path that evidently connects several parks in the region. It is a family friendly park with bathrooms, spot for trash, and even shower station. There is a kayak launch point off Lower Ledges Road. The water was calm. This is more of a park for locals to picnic, fish and kayak than a destination for out of towners. It is a quiet park that had a lot of local dog walkers and would be a peaceful place to stay with the kids if stopping through the area. There is a playground on site and you can fish out of the Des Moines River.

In a grove of trees in a slightly hilly area. Easy access, but sites are gravel. Nice bit of grass with each site, most are at least partially shaded. Small dog park which is pea gravel, not grass.

We have stayed here a couple of times now and has always been a treat. Sites are spacious and at $16.00 per night a real bargain. Showers were always clean and it’s a short drive or hike to the beach. Des Moines is a half hour away for a hot spot for entertainment. Fo example, you might want to take in a granddaughter’s dance recital! What a treat! Often filled with folks from nearby by that know all the tricks and even had a guy deliver a load of local firewood that made campfires for the week a breeze!

We just did a day trip here with families who have a bunch of kids. Great park for kids and they loved floating down the river. We did a fun short hike as well. We checked out the camping situation for our next visit to Des Moines and decided a park a bit further away was worth a more secluded camping experience. Sites were not secluded and not very exciting plus they seemed very set up for an RV experience not so much tent camping. The bathrooms look pretty nice though. Definitely a nice place to spend a few hours, but the campground leaves something to be desired for me.

My family and I are new to the RV World. We are currently renting a Class A Motorhome(33ft; double slide) and traveling to the 48 contiguous states. Our trip originated in Columbus, OH(our home), and we made our way to Des Moines for our fourth-night stay. We arrived after dark, and it was difficult to locate our site. It was also a tight, back-in spot, which added to the complexity; however, once we found the site, the hook-ups were in good shape and easy to use. If you are looking for a reasonably-priced site in the woods, this is an excellent place for you with basic amenities!