Looking for an adventure where you can explore Fort Dodge and then fall asleep in your tent? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Fort Dodge. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Fort Dodge's most popular destinations.
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
Nice clean park, if passing through Iowa it's a nice overnight. A little loud if tent camping. Area not large enough to separate hard shell campers and tent campers. Plenty of fly's and mosquitoes, plenty of shade.
TravelerBeautiful views, wonderful trails, cramped campground, poor tent camping conditions.
Traveler
Great for tent camping, very spacious and grassy sites, clean, grill/fire pit was really very nice. Very clean and modern bathrooms, easy access to water. Hiking trails were well maintained. Can't wait to come again.
Guide
Had a great time tent camping in the primitive area. It was cold so we didn't get to enjoy the water but we did enjoy a nice walk around the lake. The facilities were not open when we were there in late April, but they looked nice from the outsode.
Traveler
I can't say enough about Kennedy Memorial County park in Fort Dodge Iowa. Its beautiful well taken care of has a nice playground and access to a beautiful golf course! And FREE WIFI! All for $18.00 a night.
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
Nice campground. lower camp ground has circle type pads that hold 4 campers good for groups (friends, Family) upper camp ground has more single sites. as of 2020 more sites under construction both upper and lower area. they have some cabins and a couple walk in tent sites (short walk) WIFI in lower part of camp ground.
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.
ScoutWe have a smaller camper and got lucky to fit into a smaller spot that backed up to the woods. We both grew up around here and have always kayaked,fished,hiked, tent camped in the park. Love the scenic trails, there’s so many. Good for pictures. Also they rebuilt the boat ramp and it’s really nice now. Nice river to kayak, not as scenic as some but fun even though the rivers low. There’s 2 cabins you can rent which I did a couple times years ago, they are clean with kitchen. Overall nice park.
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.
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.
Scout
I stumbled across this Park traveling through and looking for a place to spend the night. I drove in and saw the beautiful lake and the campground so I talked to the camp host, told him I just needed a primitive spots I didn't need electricity or water is it all good just grab a tent site, they are $6 a night and 30 amp electric with water is 15 tonight. And if you rent for 7 days you only pay for 6 and it's a beautiful quiet I'm sure there's fish in the lake you can swim in it's a wonderful place I'm so happy I stumbled across this Jewel
GuideThis county park has many amenities not to mention that it is close to a very popular bike trail (High Tressel Trail Bridge). There are a few miles of mowed trails along with a couple of trail through the woods up and down hills. Do you like volleyball? They have that and ahalf court basketball too. If your family or group likes games, the park maintains a flat well groomed area for play games. The bathroom/shower house has music 🎶. Wood is for sale. I plan to return. Plan to get here Wednesday or Thursday because this park is FIRST COME basis. NO RESERVATIONS! AndALL of the electrical sites were full Thursday evening. There were plenty on tent sites still available.
GuideCamped here in order to be close to Fort Dodge first thing in the morning. I stayed in the Beach Campground. It's not on the beach, but close to it. There are 3 total campgrounds in the park. My choice was a very well manicured campground. The shower house was not open yet due to the time of year, but the drop latrine was open, very clean and well lit.
This little nugget is laid out on a vast prairie. Most sites have younger trees that provide some shade. This is not the big wooded type park. There are trails to get you out and away from the "park" and closer to the rustic woody nature.
Fire rings are all adjustable, sites are well kept and they offer "buddy sites" that are 2 sites really close together for those times when you bring friends, but have too many tents/vehicles to fall into the rules.
Verizon 4G fluctuated between 0-2 bars. Was able to send pictures and only dropped a call once.
Very little light pollution
Scout
Tented camped in late October, the weekend before closing. I was only tent camper in the electric only sites. If there was a tent only location, I didn't see it. Those in campers that need water and electricity are regulated to gravel 'parking lot' sites.
Beautiful park with playgrounds, swim beach, fisbee golf, paved trail, many fishing bars, and more.
Electric only sites are small and spaced out well. Most have level drive perfect for sm camper or suv camping. Grass has slope, but I think you can find a good enough place for tent, I did. Bathroom clean enough, I didn't use showers. I enjoyed the privacy of lake-front site J.
ScoutOne of the more beautiful places to camp in Iowa. Awesome hiking trails and really well-shaded campsites. The hike in spots are great if you like privacy and being in the middle of the woods - but you don’t want to be THAT far from your car.
Beware of the raccoons. They’re plentiful and crazy smart here. We had one open our cooler, steal an egg from the cartoon - without disturbing anything else. Honestly, I was impressed! But some of our friends had them rip through their tents to get at food - not as impressive.
Legend
This was one of the nicest county campgrounds I've ever seen. We've been to a lot of them, but this one stands out. Not to mention that the price was unbeatable! So much more reasonable than at home. Set off the road a bit in a tiny little town in Iowa, it's along a river and very close to the Raccoon River Valley Trail, an 89 mile loop trail (paved) that goes through several towns and counties. It costs $2/person/day if you are 18 or older, or a year pass is $10. There is also a lodge that you can rent.
We rented a cabin for $50, because it was only about $10 more expensive than what we were planning on spending for a campsite in Minnesota. Normally, we stay in tents, so we were very pleased to find the options that this campground had to offer at such reasonable cost! If you wanted a tent site without electric, it was only $8. Electric sites were only $12. And the sites were incredibly well groomed. They were clean (I didn't see any trash). And they were tucked into the woods. A caretaker lives on site, and although we rarely saw him, it was obvious that he cared about his job. The bathrooms were clean and cared for too!
We were in a cabin and they were simple, but suited our needs. They had two wooden cabin-style buildings with little front porches (not screened in, but room under the overhang for chairs). Inside, you had two bunk beds, and the bottom bunk of one was a pull out futon, so you really had room to sleep 5 people. (Must mention: The futon in our cabin was horribly uncomfortable. I would have given 4 stars to the review because of it, but the futon alone shouldn't take away from the rest of the campground, which was immaculate). There was also a bathroom with an ADA shower, toilet, mirror and sink. In the room, there was a mini fridge, coffee maker, microwave, little sink and it even had air conditioning! Tucked in the corner was a folding table and chairs. A few hooks scattered around the walls completed the room. The A/C in ours wasn't at full working capacity, but it did chill the room down enough to be very comfortable. And it was very hot outside! We also had a little fire ring and picnic table, just outside the door.
The campground could accommodate plenty of tents and campers alike. Some electric, some not. All with very nice grassy pads for tents, all with picnic tables and fire rings. Grass was well clipped and there were plenty of parking spaces. It was very quiet when we were there, but I assume it gets busy on the weekends. The shower/bath house had separate bathrooms (both unisex) and both with toilet, mirror, sink and shower). Both were very clean for a camp bathroom. A little campground for those wishing to camp together was at the back of the park. It, too, had bathrooms. But they were locked, so I couldn't peek inside.
Bottom line, it was well worth our $50 for the cabin (you can't even get a hotel room for that price any more). I'd love to go back and tent in the quiet of a weekday eve when the crickets are chirping and I can feel the breeze through the tent!
Please note - there are no trash cans at the campground if you are in tents or RV's (the cabins have them inside). It is a carry in/carry out campground
There are LOTS of water pumps all over the campground. Yay for water!!
GuideOne of my favorite locations to camp in Iowa as a Boy Scout growing up was Ledges State Park. Since I hadn't been back in years, I decided to check it out and spend a night camping there. It's close to how I remember it.
The campground has a good picnic area, restrooms, and an excellent trail. It's also inexpensive.
What I enjoy most about this park compared to others in Iowa are the sandstone ledges and the slopes on the trail. There are some excellent views, so make sure your phone has enough battery to take photos (unlike me). I also spent a lot of time off the trail. It isn't too hard to get around. I'm not one who enjoys staying at a park that is mostly flat, so this is definitely a good place in Iowa for me to camp.
If you are looking for a cool place to camp within an hour of Des Moines, you should seriously consider this park.
RangerThis state park camp site close to Carroll, Iowa was nice, but we were the only tent campers there, it seemed more like a permanent RV home site. The bathrooms while nice had no working showers, they had showers but no way to turn on the water. There was a cute frisbee golf on property, a beautiful lake, and a nice paved walking path.
TravelerThis campground has RV sites along the edge with all the tents on a hill by the lake. Every time we go camping here we make a new friend, get some great camping recipes. There is a beach near the camping area and another one for the park. The tent area is nice and big for several tents, but could use a few more trees for shade.
ScoutThe views around the park are some of the very best in Iowa. Hiking trails often found you coming face to face with deer who look at you inquisitively. Fun for family as the waters over the roadways are a splash for adults and children alike. It's a hidden gem, just outside Boone Iowa.
Guide
Very nice campground with a lake to fish and swimming area. Tent and campers access
LegendStayed in early November. Nice park with standard tent and RV sites. Boone River , Briggs Woods Lake good for paddling with rentals available, fishing, beach, shower house, cabins.
GuideNot something you see a lot of in Iowa. It is well worth a trip to see and explore.
GuideThis is the best park in the state of Iowa, so much fun going thru the low water crossings!
LegendCamped by tent, basic amenities on-site-fire ring, table, etc. Went kayaking on lake and then on Des Moines River (close by). Nice wildlife areas, hiking, fishing, etc. Pleasant staff.
GuideVery quite and nice campground, we camped on top of the hill in tents it was awesome view and potable drinking water next to camp, bathrooms and shower facilities was clean and nice
Tent camping near Fort Dodge, Iowa, offers a variety of options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to enjoy nature and the great outdoors. From well-reviewed spots to more rustic experiences, there’s something for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Fort Dodge, IA is Big Wall Lake Wildlife Management Area with a 2.7-star rating from 3 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Fort Dodge, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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