The Dyrt – find campgrounds for tents, RVs, cabins, glamping and more.
Open in App

Best Tent Camping near Amana, IA

331 Reviews

Tent campers visiting Amana, Iowa have several options within a 30-mile radius, including primitive walk-in sites and established campgrounds that accommodate tents. Macbride Nature Recreation Area offers secluded walk-in tent sites set in wooded terrain, while Wickiup Hill Primitive Campsite provides a more structured tent camping experience with basic amenities. Winter Camp at Walking Stick Adventures Farm offers a private tent camping experience on a 4-acre site where campers can choose their spot under the stars.

Most tent sites in the Amana area are seasonal, with optimal camping from April through October. Sites typically include fire rings and picnic tables, with varying levels of facilities. Wickiup Hill features pit toilets, provided firewood, and a fire pit with sitting blocks. Wakpicada Natural Area offers more primitive conditions with trash collection but no toilets. A camper at River Junction noted, "It was very beautiful and peaceful, but it was very confusing in the dark," highlighting the sometimes limited signage at primitive sites. Tent campers should check seasonal availability, as some locations like Cedar River Campground operate only from April 15 to October 15.

The wooded settings of many tent sites provide natural shade and habitat for wildlife. Macbride Nature Recreation Area's walk-in tent sites give campers access to forest trails that connect to an injured raptor center with outdoor aviaries. A review described it as a "Holy hidden gem," noting that "if you can tolerate the odd way to reserve a spot here it's 100% worth it." Tent campers at Wakpicada Natural Area enjoy direct access to a pond with good fishing opportunities. The natural settings offer privacy between sites at some locations, though campgrounds like River Junction have walk-in sites that are positioned relatively close together with limited privacy between groups. Most tent areas are quiet, though proximity to highways can impact noise levels at certain campgrounds.

Map showing campgrounds near Amana, IowaExplore the Map

Best Tent Sites Near Amana, Iowa (25)

Show More
Showing results 1-10 of 25 campgrounds

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Presented byToyota Trucks

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win

Amana Contest

Enter to Win

Recent Tent Camping Photos near Amana, IA

13 Photos of 25 Amana Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Amana, IA

331 Reviews of 25 Amana Campgrounds

  • C
    Jun. 6, 2018

    Matsell Bridge Natural Area

    Nice little inexpensive primitive site... spaces almost always available

    Nice quiet little primitive campground next to the Wapsipinicon River. Unfortunately, when I was there the last weekend of May, the gnats were bad, and the mosquitoes were just starting to gear up. HOWEVER, take bug spray and enjoy the rustic peacefulness of this "best kept secret" for primitive and inexpensive camping sites. Beautiful location, ranger close by, wood for sale just across the bridge, fire pits and picnic tables at every site. Good for RV, trailer or tent camping… level ground and lots of shade. Primitive bathrooms, no showers or running water.

  • James M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 28, 2022

    Saulsbury Bridge Rec Area, Primitive Tent Camp

    Neat Primitive Tent CG along water

    The camp is walking only, with few tables and fire rings. Firewood available t main cg all ng with water and showers there too. Sites are spread along a waterway within bottom land woodlands with water access for fishing, paddling etc. Parking is within 100 yards so must pack in/out, use Leave No Trace ethics.

  • Jessica H.
    Jul. 11, 2018

    Saulsbury Bridge Recreation Area - Main Camping

    Ranger Review: VivoBarefoot Primus Trail SG Womens at Saulsbury Bridge

    Campground Review:

    Saulsbury Bridge Recreation Area is 675 acres, nestled between rolling fields of corn, dairy farms, native prairie, and the Cedar River. Located in Muscatine County in southeast Iowa, this rec area offers well-maintained campgrounds, hiking trails, fishing, kayaking/canoeing and seasonal hunting.

    There are three separate campgrounds. The main campground has electrical hookups, picnic benches, fire rings, modern restroom facilities including showers, a dump station, playground, and firewood for purchase. There are 24 sites, and they run $20 per night.

    The primitive campground area sits along Chicken Creek and offers four, tent-only sites, and is just off the main campground. The sites are well spaced and surrounded by large trees. These are walk in sites with parking in the main campground. It’s a short hike in from the parking area, and within walking distance of the restrooms and firewood. Primitive sites are $10 per night.

    Across the road from these two campgrounds is the main boat access and fishing dock for Chicken Creek. Only non-motorized boats are allowed here. If you don’t have your own, you can rent kayaks and canoes through the Muscatine County Conservation office. There is also a large shelter, which is reservable along with day use picnic areas, playgrounds, a sand volleyball court, and vault toilets. There’s large, open expanses of grassy fields and oak shade trees; perfect for relaxing on a hot summer day.

    The river campground sits right along the Cedar River and allows easy access to fishing along with a boat ramp. This campground is a short hike to the old Saulsbury Bridge and Lodge. The bridge has a small gazebo-like structure and bench which provides a nice view of the river. There are vault toilets in this campground, but the modern restrooms are within walking distance as well. There are 10 sites in this campground and run $17 per night.

    All campsites are self-registration and are on a first come, first served basis. There is a campground host on duty in the main campground and the park officer lives on site. Dogs are allowed, but must be on leash in the campgrounds and on trails. However, they are allowed to run in the designated hunting areas. These areas are marked with signs. If you plan to hike during hunting season, it’s a good idea to wear bright colors/blaze orange so you are visible to hunters and not mistaken for a deer or other wildlife.

    This park also has prairie/natural habitat restoration areas that, in spring and summer, attract Monarch butterflies, and an abundance of birds including indigo bunting, red headed woodpecker, and goldfinch. In the colder months you can spot bald eagles flying along the river. There are also deer, wild turkey, and pheasants. While there, we walked around the campground areas that were open and over to the day use area along Chicken Creek to roast marshmallows. We hiked the short distance out to the Saulsbury Bridge to watch the Cedar River flow by and caught a beautiful sunset.

    The one downfall to this park is the possibility for flooding. When the Cedar River is high, it pushes Chicken Creek out of its banks which can mean potential closure of campgrounds.

    A call ahead to the conservation office to check on closures is a good idea. We had hoped to camp at a primitive site, but learned the trail leading into the campground was under water, which also meant the river campground was closed as well. Though there was some water over the road in the main campground, it was minimal and we were able to choose an electrical site. We opted to car camp as we were only staying one night. Only about a third of the campground was filled and we had no one on either side of us which meant for a more quiet camping experience.

    This is one of my favorite local areas to hike and camp that’s close to home. It offers a full picture of Iowa’s varied landscapes and outdoor activity opportunities.

    Product Review:

    As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. On this camping trip, I tried out VivoBarefoot Primus Trail SG Womens sneakers. VivoBarefoot’s goal is to provide an environment that allows the feet to remain in their natural state while providing a protective shoe. https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/womens/off-road/primus-trail-sg-womens?colour=Olive

    1. Anytime I purchase a new pair of shoes, whether for daily use or outdoor recreation, I make sure to break them in as much as possible as I’m prone to blisters. I did wear the Primus around the house a few times and on my daily walks before taking them camping. Though they have a snug fit, they’re not uncomfortable. They also include a pair of removable inserts and extra laces. The laces are adjustable which allowed me to either loosen or tighten the shoe. Bonus; no socks needed. As someone who would opt to wear sandals year round if possible, I liked the fact I didn’t have to put an extra layer on my feet.
    2. The timing couldn’t have been better for testing out these sneakers; Saulsbury was experiencing minor flooding while we were there. Not only do they have rugged soles for gripping in wet and rocky terrain, the mesh material allows for quick drying if they do get wet, and provided easy clean up of mud and other debris.
    3. Honestly, I was really pleased with the fact that many of the women’s shoes came in neutral and earth tone colors (I absolutely checked out other shoe options on their website). While I don’t mind the brighter colors that seem to be the trend for women’s trail runners, I really prefer something a little more low key.
    4. One of the best things about these shoes was the ease of slipping them on and off, say in the middle of the night when nature called.
    5. All in all, I feel this shoe is a good match for the outdoor activities I enjoy; camping, hiking, bicycling, and kayaking. I’m looking forward to seeing how they hold up while hiking in the mountains out West this summer.
  • TThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 13, 2024

    Lime Creek Park

    Nice campground with a Quirk

    The pros: $10 fee ($15 electric), campground seems well maintained (grass is mown, security light works, tables in good repair, gravel access road in good shape, etc); no one here but us, the sound of the running Creek is soothing, vault toilet is probably the cleanest I've seen; ATT cell service was 3bars 5G The unusual: no specific site, no specific place to pull into, no site numbers or designation except on the electric pedestals. It's all grass. Pull onto the grass near the table or electric pedestal you want. The cons: highway traffic noise is easily heard and doesn't seem to stop for more than a few seconds (though the crickets/bug sounds and the creek sound is sometimes louder so you hear that instead), dust from vehicles passing on nearby dirt road filters thru the trees (due to dry weather?), and, well, it is, after all, a vault toilet-not my fav,

  • Emma N.
    Sep. 25, 2017

    Sugar Bottom Campground

    Boats and Beautiful Views

    Our one-night stay at the Sugar Bottom- Coralville Lake Campground was terrific! My husband and I stopped there during our cross-country road trip. We arrived around 7:30pm on a Sunday in September and easily got a spot. The lady at the entrance station was incredibly kind and answered all of our questions.

    The campground is very well marked, with easily visible site number labels. Each site is in a grassy area with a picnic table and fire ring with a grate. Our site had a tree or two that provided some shade, but some other sites were a but more shaded.

    We ended up staying in site #103, which is right by the water. What a beautiful view we had! Our campsite was very close to a boat dock, a sand volleyball court, and a sandy beach. We didn't have a chance to swim at the beach, but it looked really nice! It had a large, designated swimming area that was marked with floating ropes. We were also located close to a building with restrooms. Each restroom had a clean, hot shower. The showers were free, which was a plus!

    In my opinion, this is definitely a 5-star campground. I can't wait to come back!

  • Angie G.
    Oct. 2, 2021

    Primitive South Campground — Lake Macbride State Park

    Nice Lake View

    We stayed in a walk-in site for one night at the Non-Modern campground. It was wonderful! We arrived at dark and set up our backpacking tents but were able to see stars and be separated from our neighboring site. The campground had a water spigot to fill containers and dumpsters (no trash at site). There are no amenities at the campsites in this campground. A restroom with pit toilets similar to a National Park are on-site. They were very clean, as was the campground. It is on a lake so you will hear boats in the early morning hours and wildlife.

  • James M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 9, 2021

    Cottonwood Campground/Coralville Lake (COE)

    Nice forested CG near Coralville Lake

    Tent area among trees includes fire rings. Showers/restrooms onsite, walk in sites too, firewood available at West Overlook permit station, beach nearby, Iowa River and Coralville Lake nearby (good fishing).

  • Clint G.
    Jul. 19, 2021

    Pinicon Ridge Park

    Perfect County Campground

    We stayed at this campground for 7 nights with W/E hook ups.  Dump available on entrance/exit.  The site was a level rock pad witch was very spacious with a fire ring and picnic table.  Nearest grocery store was within 5 miles.  The bathrooms and shower were very clean with lots of hot water.  There is hiking in the park and very little road noise.

  • Emily B.
    Sep. 21, 2025

    River Junction

    Great views and location, but not private and not well-marked

    This was our first time camping here. We pulled in around 8pm when it was already dark and there was another car that had just entered the campground in front of us. After driving down the hill, he saw the basic “welcome” and “Pay here” signs next to a 4-car parking area. There were no signs marking where the bathroom was or any directions on how to choose a site. The group ahead of us chose to camp next to the boat ramp, so we circled around the loop and chose a dirt pad on the right side of the loop next to the river. We were very confused because the pictures on Dyrt showed picnic tables and fire rings at every site, but these were nowhere to be seen. It was getting late, so we set up the tent and went to bed. It wasn’t until the morning that we had discovered that we weren’t camping in one of the marked sites! As it turns out, all 4 sites were walk-in sites on grass behind the parking area that had been occupied by 2 cars when we pulled in. The signage didn’t clarify this and we couldn’t see the marked sites when it was dark! The marked sites were pretty close together and they offered no privacy between groups. Additionally, upon leaving we discovered that the toilet was on the top of the hill right by the entrance. Due to the lack of signage and privacy in between the official campsites, I rate 3 stars. It was very beautiful and peaceful, but it was very confusing in the dark.

Guide to Amana

Tent camping options near Amana, Iowa range from primitive walk-in sites to farm stays with basic amenities. Most campgrounds in this area are situated between 15-30 miles from Amana proper, with several located along rivers or small lakes. Iowa's summer camping season typically brings temperatures between 70-90°F with occasional thunderstorms, while spring and fall campers should prepare for temperature fluctuations of 30-50 degrees within a 24-hour period.

What to do

Fishing access: Wakpicada Natural Area offers direct pond access with productive fishing. "Good bass and panfish fishing with quiet campgrounds that aren't right next to each other. I consider it a little hidden gem," notes one camper who visited during extreme heat but found the tree cover and proximity to water made for a comfortable experience despite temperatures reaching 110 degrees with humidity.

Farm experiences: At Gardner Family Farm and Iowa Hemp Farm Stay, campers can explore working farmland while enjoying recreational activities. "Pond for recreation, fishing, and swimming. Kids be sure to try the rope swing," says one visitor who highlighted the farm's proximity to regional attractions including "Field of Dreams movie site, Backbone State Park, Frank Lloyd's Cedar Rock, and Hazleton Amish community."

Nature center exploration: The primitive campsite at Wickiup Hill provides easy access to educational opportunities. "The site offers primitive amenities near Wikiup Hill learning Center. Taking a short trail to the site, the permanent wake up offers shelter, fire ring with grate, and restrooms nearby. Along the trail into the site, you will find a large play area for families," reports one camper.

What campers like

Dark skies for stargazing: Several campsites in the Amana area offer minimal light pollution for astronomical viewing. Gardner Family Farm receives praise for its "dark skies with billions of stars. Enjoy a campfire, that's a must. Primitive and private." This setting provides an opportunity to view the night sky without urban interference.

Private camping spots: For campers seeking seclusion, Windmill Ridge Campground offers well-maintained sites away from main roads. "Clean, quiet and well set campsite for all camping styles. Set well off the main road, the gravel road is well maintained, graded well for easy driveable whee truck, rvs or trailers," according to a recent visitor.

Walking access to nature: Macbride Nature Recreation Area appeals to campers who prefer hiking from their campsite. "My son and I tent-camped at Macbride Nature Recreation Area several times circa 2005. Always a good time. You can walk through the forest to get to the injured raptor center with outdoor aviaries," shares one repeat visitor, highlighting the trail connectivity that provides nature immersion without driving.

What you should know

Site-finding challenges: Some primitive campgrounds have limited signage, creating navigation issues after dark. River Junction campers report confusion about locating designated sites: "We were very confused because the pictures on Dyrt showed picnic tables and fire rings at every site, but these were nowhere to be seen. It was getting late, so we set up the tent and went to bed."

Reservation systems: Some campgrounds near Amana have unconventional booking processes. Macbride Nature Recreation Area has what one camper described as an "odd way to reserve a spot" but encouraged persistence: "If you can tolerate the odd way to reserve a spot here it's 100% worth it. Small quiet and secluded."

Wildlife encounters: Insect activity can be substantial at wooded sites. At Macbride Nature Recreation Area, one camper warned: "The spiders were everywhere when I woke up," though this didn't significantly detract from their overall positive rating.

Tips for camping with families

Private farm camping: Winter Camp at Walking Stick Adventures Farm offers flexibility for families needing space to spread out. The campground features a "Private 4 Acre Site" where families can "set up camp anywhere and relax under the stars," making it ideal for groups with varying tent sizes or multiple families camping together.

Recreational amenities: Cedar River Campground provides multiple activity options for children. "They have mini-golf, a nice pool and a creative rugged play area for the kids," notes one visitor, though they mentioned the pool has scheduled cleaning times that might affect availability.

Campfire provisions: Several area campgrounds provide firewood with the camping fee. At Wickiup Hill Primitive Campsite, campers receive "fire pit with sitting blocks and firewood included with camp fee," eliminating the need for families to transport or purchase additional wood.

Tips from RVers

Proximity issues: Cedar River Campground receives mixed reviews regarding site spacing. "Sites are really close if you're a tent camper but it is good as far as RV parks are concerned," indicating that RV campers may find the spacing more adequate than tent users at this particular location.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Amana, IA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Amana, IA is Winter Camp at Walking Stick Adventures Farm with a 5-star rating from 1 review.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Amana, IA?

TheDyrt.com has all 25 tent camping locations near Amana, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

Keep Exploring