If you're looking for a place to pitch your tent near Earlham, look no further. The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Earlham. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Earlham, Iowa's most popular destinations.
$5 - $8 / night
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.
$7 / night
$15 / night
Trailside Campground is a small tent camping area designed for trail users on the Raccoon River Valley Trail. It is located immediately adjacent to the trail one block south of the Milwaukee Road Depot Trailhead in Jefferson. A shower house is in the camping area. There is a $10 per tent fee to camp here.
- Tent camping for up to 50 tents.
- Shower / restroom facility
- Picnic shelter
- Four blocks from downtown Jefferson
$10 / night
Traveler
We’re big fans of Acorn Valley. It’s quiet and there is plenty of shade in the tent camping area. The tent sites lead to some small trails which end at the riverbed. Our boys love exploring here.
Scout
Mormon Trail is absolutely beautiful. Myself and some friends tent camped there over the weekend and we were not disappointed! It is a very small state park with only a couple tent sites/camper sites, so it is not over populated. The drive there is easy and beautiful. Big RV’s/campers might have a difficult time getting there as the road turns into a one lane, curvy gravel road. AT&T has absolutely no service there, but US cellular does. No showers/clean bathrooms, just 2 waterless restrooms. The lake has a very large, mostly shallow, swimming area, the water is absolutely perfect, along with a big sandy beach area. You can boat and fish on the lake as well. The stars are also very bright and beautiful (we are from a city with the light pollution hides them). I would highly recommend visiting this campsite if you love off the grid camping and don’t need to shower/primp everyday. What a relaxing/fun weekend we had!
Legend
I have to say, of all of the campgrounds and parks that I have visited in southern Iowa near highway 34, Three Mile is the best.
This park is clean with nice amenities and a beautiful lake. During the week you can almost have the place to yourself... it is a different story on the weekends.
You can tent camp or pull your camper and just enjoy the setting. If you don't like to tent camp and don't have a camper, don't worry, there are several cabins for rent.
There are showers and bathrooms and an awesome playground for the younger kids.
I am definitely adding this to my list for regular stays with my family.
Scout
I have tent camped at Lake Ahquabi Campground several times. There are some great spots down by the lake that are perfect for tent camping. There is quite a bit to do in this State Park. There are a few trails, there is plenty of fishing, a swimming beach, and they have water sport rentals! The area is very pretty and peaceful. I would recommend for campers with kids and without. There are showers and plenty of bathrooms.
Traveler
Got here a bit late and almost didn’t get a site. Very clean and nice with grassy tent sites. Best free site I have ever been to.
Scout
just camped here, what a nice park. Great little beach, clean water, good for kayaking. Nice paved trail around the park. Wooded, shady at tent sites, quiet and clean. Friepits with grates for cooking.
ScoutA one night stay at a beautiful park! Tent camped next to really nice college kids. The paved trail offered great views of the lake! Brought the pup and he was happy and very context. Park was very well maintained - there will be a return trip to this gem!
Scout
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
RangerGreat place to go tent camping, very clean and quiet. They sell firewood bundles for $5. Easy trails for the kids to go hiking and playing in the creek to cool off in the heat. There is even a pond for fishing that you can take a trail from the campsite to. 100% going to go back and camp again.
Scout
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. :)
Guide
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
Guide
I would suggest getting reservations. We stopped on a Friday with out one, they were booked. We only wanted one night in a tent. They don’t have designated tent sites but they have one overflow sight and they let us use it for the night. Price is great, $20 per night. Easy to get rvs into the spots and a lot to do for the kids.
Scout
Small county park with clean showers and restrooms. Several short trails, mile mile and a half maybe. Tent camping is always available (literally - was just there over Labor day weekend and had no trouble getting a spot on Saturday), with maybe 20 electric sites, no reservations. New this year is firewood for purchase. Not far from the famous High Trestle Trail for you bicycle enthusiasts! My wife and I teardrop trailer camp here as often as we can.
Legend
This is a really small campground with a few electric boxes to park your camper on the outside of the parking lot next to the lake and one average tent site with a fire ring and picnic table.
The lake is a good local spot for fishing but I would go to Three Mile State Park to camp with my family, it's just an extra 10 or 15 minute drive away.
TravelerThis campground has both RV full hookup and electric sites very close to the lake. Campsites offer a great view of lake and close access to docks. There is an adjacent area with non- electric sites that would work for tent campIng. All sites have firepots and picnic tables. The lake is great for fishing or kayaking and there is also a beach with swimming. Bring your bikes to ride on a paved trail that goes all the way around the lake. Very clean and quiet campground!
Guide
This is a very clean, lovely camp ground. The spots are spacious, and there are tons of options. In the fall we went and had no neighbors. It’s busy in summer, but well kept. They had people cleaning the bathrooms constantly (my mom kept pointing out, in awe, that it was “practically hourly”) which was great for tent camping with a large group! It’s quiet, beautiful lake, great boating, great swim spot, fun park for kids. Beautiful trees and hiking especially in the fall.
GuideThis is a decent state park campground but is always full. It has tent sites separated from the trailer sites. There is a park and on saturdays during the summer they do Disney movies and free popcorn. The lake is good for fishing. They have a beach and volleyball. There is also a biking trail they goes around the lake. It is close to town so if you need anything that is helpful.
Ranger
I tent camped at “Mine Pond Campground” in Stephen’s State Forest in July 2022. I arrived about 8:15pm and had about 45 minutes of daylight to pitch camp. The campground feels deep in a vibrant Iowa forest surrounded by lush greenery. That said, mosquitoes swarmed me instantly. And “Mine Pond” is a small muddy pond without the most remote possibility of swimming. The pond kind of seems too small to fish but maybe. A storm blew in around dark and it rained much of the night. The frogs sang loudly deep into the night (see my video for the audio), which I enjoyed. A pair of barred owls hooted and laughed in the dark trees. I departed early while it was still dark. I don’t think I’ll return to this place.
Guide
I stayed at Adventureland for the summer months and had no issues. The staff was very helpful, plenty of laundry/restrooms throughout the campground and pretty clean overall. Concrete pads with full hook ups (30/50 amp, water and sewage) make setting up quick. Tent camping is an option in the back of the campground. Nature is not really the draw of this campground, convenience is more the approach. With a theme park on one side and a casino on the other, both in walking distance. It’s more of a park and party place hahaha
ScoutThis is hands down one of the best campgrounds we’ve been to in the U.S. Everything is beautifully maintained from the grass covered campsites to the clean bathrooms and free showers. Full hookup and tent campsites are plentiful with or without reservations. Beautiful lake, great walking trail, close to town and I-80, but quiet and peaceful. Can’t beat it for $11 a night.
LegendLake Anita State Park is just a few miles off of Interstate 80. When I decided to go to Lake Anita I had very low expectations, it surprised me.
Lake Anita has boating and fishing as its main attraction. If you like birds there are bird houses built all around the park. The lake is beautiful and the campground is built all around the lake with great views.
The tent camping is placed away from the RVs/camper trailers and everything is well kept. I highly recommend Lake Anita State Park for the relaxing environment and the easy access from the interstate.
Ranger
Campsite was pretty packed on a Saturday night in late September. We didn't have a reservation but was able to get one of the last tent sites available. Nice spot, fire pits have nice swinging grates on them. There was a picnic table at our spot as well. Great view of the lake from here. We were in Campsite 092. Only drawback is that there must be a cow farm somewhere to the south as you will hear cows mooing all night at this campground.
Legend
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.
RangerLedges State Park
Ledges is an amazing place. It has so much to do. There are long trails to hike, creeks to play in.
You can bring your tent or RV and camp. The RV camps have water/sewer hookups. The primitive tent sites are usually pretty clean and can get pretty busy on the weekends.
There are lots of bridges that get flooded out and are fun to drive over. Most of the kids like to hang out near them and get splashed.
Its a fantastic place to enjoy the outdoors and especially in the fall. Also if you go to Ames stop at Great Plains pizza company.
Ranger
Went in without a reservation. No problem. Pleasantly surprised to find out it's an Army Corps of Engineers park; meaning if you have a annual National Parks pass, you get a discount. Didn't know that. We paid $11 for a tent site. Lots of RV sites around. The whole area around Saylorville Lake has camping. Lush green plots of land everywhere. I forget how pretty it is in the Midwest when I'm gone for so long. Quiet, relaxing place. Friendly staff. We took a long walk through the campground and others nearby. Boating and swimming in the lake.
Guide
I camped here in 2021 and I enjoyed it but the first night I was there I ran my vehicle down the second night I was there I took a tour on the campgrounds and got verbally accosted but another camper for walking near their campground and then I mistakenly left some food out and my dog and I were woken up by wild dogs.
In 2022 I came out again and it was a much better adventure the campgrounds are beautiful they have two
different electric sights and they have a newly furnished tent site.
LegendWe went to this state park with family and had a great time. We chose to do a walk-in tent site because my brother in law recommended it. The site was great! It had tons of trees, dirt area to set up tent, and nice grass surrounding it. The fireplace and picnic table we unexpected with a walk-in site, but a good surprise :) We camped mid-October and were pleased to see the modern bathrooms still open too! Loved the canyon drive and it’s fabulous views :) We heard about an awesome bicycling trail that connects this park with another and are already planning a trip to go back and do a bike trip! Excellent experience.
Tent camping near Earlham, Iowa offers a variety of scenic spots for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With well-maintained facilities and a range of activities, these campgrounds cater to both relaxation and adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Earlham, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Earlham, IA is Kuehn Conservation Area with a 4-star rating from 1 review.
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TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near Earlham, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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