Best RV Parks & Resorts near Granger, IA

Jester County Park provides full-service RV sites with electric hookups, water connections, and picnic tables near Granger, Iowa. The park maintains year-round access with sites accommodating larger motorhomes and travel trailers. "Very clean and well-kept, owners super nice, a quiet place in the countryside," according to one visitor to the area. Additional RV-friendly options include Griffs Valley View RV Park in Altoona with concrete pads, full hookups including 50-amp service, and big rig accessibility. Shady Brook Camping & RV Adventures in Earlham and River Oaks RV Park also accommodate large motorhomes with pull-through sites and full hookup capabilities.

Throughout the region, RV camping facilities vary in available amenities. Des Moines West KOA Holiday in Adel operates seasonally from April through October, while Acorn Valley and Bob Shelter Recreation Area provide varying levels of hookup options. One camper noted, "The sites are level and well marked. The property is kept up nicely." Most RV parks in the area allow pets, though specific restrictions apply at certain locations. Dump stations are available at Griffs Valley View, Des Moines West KOA, and Bob Shelter Recreation Area. Many campgrounds feature additional amenities such as laundry facilities, recreational areas, and shower houses, though cellular coverage varies between properties. Advance reservations are recommended during summer months when occupancy rates typically peak.

Best RV Sites Near Granger, Iowa (86)

    1. Griffs Valley View RV Park

    11 Reviews
    Bondurant, IA
    16 miles
    Website

    $35 - $90 / night

    "The campground very very well kept with spacious concrete pads, both 30/50 amp and full water/ sewage hookups. Two nice laundry/shower houses, one in the front and one in the back of the campground."

    "I came here once for a baby shower and then check the place out for RV camping you can stay year round you can stay for a week a month or a day and they have full hookup propane they have so many interesting"

    2. Shady Brook Camping & RV Adventures, LLC

    2 Reviews
    Earlham, IA
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 238-1998

    "We looked at the other reviews and it talked about it being so close to the freeway, but we didn’t hear a sound. It was really in a good perimeter of trees and lots of shade and level camp spots."

    3. River Oaks RV Park

    2 Reviews
    Runnells, IA
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 989-0574

    $45 - $60 / night

    "Nice size campground, sites have good spacing and full hookups that were installed with some thought."

    "We stayed here to go to the Iowa State Fair. It was easy to park here and catch a shuttle to the fair."

    4. Kellogg RV Park

    12 Reviews
    Kellogg, IA
    48 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 526-8535

    "The sites are mostly pull through with full service electric, water, and sewer. The only real issue is the constant noise from I-80 which is just to the south of the campground."

    "Level sites with full hookups Plenty of space to walk the dog

    Right next to a gas station with great burgers and tenderloins! 

    It was cold and windy so we didn't get out much to explore."

    6. Lakeside Casino RV Park

    4 Reviews
    Woodburn, IA
    50 miles
    Website
    +1 (877) 477-5253

    $35 - $45 / night

    "All the spaces are pulled through. It is very clean. There is full hook up for water, electric and sewer. All spaces are paved. There are picnic tables scattered throughout the park."

    "The park was clean with level sites. The front desk person was friendly and helped me with my reservation. It was a close walk to Pilot for supplies."

    7. Des Moines West KOA Holiday

    23 Reviews
    Earlham, IA
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 834-2729

    "Gravel sites require some leveling. Not much privacy between sites nor shade. Bathhouses were clean and private. Laundry available. Off leash dog area available."

    "Spots kind of level, lots of choices of pull thru or buddy sites. Decent playground, water pillow for bouncing, fishing pond, dog park, swimming pool. Well maintained, lots of planned activities."

    8. Jester County Park

    30 Reviews
    Granger, IA
    3 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 323-5300

    $20 - $25 / night

    "Nice CG located on the North end of Saylorville Reservoir. Camped in the upper CG site#145. Numerous shade trees, gravel pad and room for our 20' trailer and TV."

    "Iowa county parks are amazing. They pour money into them and it really shows. Clean, I mean immaculate. Nature/Conservancy center there is just next level."

    9. Bob Shelter Recreation Area & Campground

    15 Reviews
    Johnston, IA
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 276-0873

    $22 - $26 / night

    "We stayed at spot 20 which was extra wide, concrete pad with electric hook up. No water or sewer."

    "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."

    10. Acorn Valley

    11 Reviews
    Polk City, IA
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 276-0429

    $14 - $84 / night

    "We parked at a site by the playground and bathhouse , and could sit at our camper and watch our son play at a safe distance"

    "Booked an outer ring site surrounded by trees (and some pretty bold raccoons around bonfire time ;) )."

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RV Park Reviews near Granger, IA

499 Reviews of 86 Granger Campgrounds


  • L
    Nov. 5, 2021

    Dolliver Memorial State Park Campground

    Beautiful and tranquil

    Dolliver State Park was our maiden voyage in our travel trailer and it was obvious we were pitiful newbies! The park's beauty and tranquility did get disturbed a couple times when our dogs got loose (newbs!). The park staff were friendly and very helpful as were our fellow campers. The sites are mostly level with picnic tables and fire rings. Sites range from shady to sunny and the reservation website depicts the sites with a small photo and details about the amount of slope and shade. Cell service was good but no WiFi without a hotspot for us. We had fun, learned a lot and plan to camp here again!

  • H
    Aug. 20, 2018

    Prairie Flower Recreation Area

    Fantastic Space and View!

    This quickly became one of our favorite close to home spots. Sites are large and there is plenty of space between sites. We had a concrete pad with a picnic table and fire pit with grill grate. Most are back in sites, but once settled we had a gorgeous view of the lake and sunsets. Restrooms were clean and dump stations were easily accessible. This is now our go to spot when we want to camp but stay close to home!

  • N
    Aug. 17, 2023

    Adair City Park

    Great overnight spot

    Park was clean and close to highway. Husband said bathrooms were clean enough. Didn't use the showers. Arrived around 10pm on a Tuesday and there were 3 spots left. Not all spots could accommodate big rigs. About 8 sites total with electric and water hookups. $15/night for RVs and $6 for tents. Drop box and dump station by the bathrooms. Police rolled through shortly after we arrived. Safe area now but marker says this is the site of Jesse James first train robbery in July 1873. Would definitely come back if passing through.

  • J
    Dec. 14, 2021

    Jester County Park

    Nice, Quiet CG

    Nice CG located on the North end of Saylorville Reservoir. Camped in the upper CG site#145. Numerous shade trees, gravel pad and room for our 20' trailer and TV. CG has a kids playground, hiking trails, Equestrian Center, golf course and nature center. Plenty to do with the city of Ankeny just 15 minutes away. CG was fairly empty until around Thursday and filled on the weekend. Seniors can get$5 off per day of their reservation. Dump station is at the entrance of the CG. We camped at Jester Park in a Travel Trailer.

  • Jason F.
    Jun. 14, 2022

    Walnut Woods State Park Campground

    Comfortable Camping Convenient To Des Moines

    Walnut Woods is conveniently located 25 minutes outside of downtown Des Moines. Sites are paved and mostly level, although we did have to throw a couple of blocks under one side of our TT tires. Most sites feature 20/30/50 electric, a fire ring and a picnic table. Some also have water and sewer hookups. Sites are relatively small and close together, so get comfortable looking into your neighbors’ site/camper depending on how your site is oriented. The road around the campground is paved, but very narrow. We had to ask our neighbor across the street to temporarily move their tow vehicle so that we’d have adequate room to back into our site.

    There is a bathroom, trash dumpsters, and a dump station with both potable and tank cleanout water spigots. There are trail heads near the campground that follow along the raccoon river for almost 2 miles. It was very muddy when we camped here, so we had to turn around about 1.5 miles into our hike and backtrack due to an impassible area.

    3 bars of T-Mobile and 2 bars of AT&T were more than sufficient for internet browsing and streaming.

  • A
    Apr. 3, 2022

    Adventureland Campground

    Parking more than camping

    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

  • Renee H.
    May. 23, 2024

    Des Moines West KOA Holiday

    Nice modern KOA

    Large modern KOA with sites to accommodate all sizes of rigs and also tent campers. Gravel sites require some leveling. Not much privacy between sites nor shade. Bathhouses were clean and private. Laundry available. Off leash dog area available. Convenient to John Wayne’s birthplace and covered bridges of Madison County. Bulk propane tanks were on site for winter campers. Camper cabins available. Small store with Hunt Brothers pizza to order. Gathering room on site and pedal car racetrack. Verizon cell signal was good. Garbage dumpster and dump station on site.

  • J
    Sep. 30, 2018

    Prairie Flower Recreation Area

    A lovely COE campground with wide level spaces

    The individual sites are quite spacious. They are paved and level and can accommodate large rigs. We have never looked for a pull-through site, we back in with our 37' Allegro Bus, so I cannot comment on them. There are several group camping loops that can accommodate small and large groups of campers. The campground, including showers and restrooms, is clean and well-maintained. There are beautiful views of the lake in the Cornflower loop. There are playgrounds for the children and plenty of space for them to run and play. Saylorville Reservoir has a marina, with a restaurant/bar. We have to keep our motorhome in storage, so we use Prairie Flower campground as our staging area when we get ready for an away trip. We can get in an out with food and whatever else we need to take with us, and we can utilize the dump station before leaving. We also like to go camping there mid-week and enjoy the quiet time.

  • GThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 26, 2022

    Timberline Campground

    Beautiful forested overnight stay

    We called ahead to see if they had sites available that night. Arrived just before the office closed at 7pm. They were ready for us and escorted us to our pull-through full-hookups site near the front of the campground. This is a huge property but laid out in different sections that each have their own flavor. The pull-throughs near the front are level, gravel pads with grass all around. Other areas are forested and some are hilly. Full-hookups worked fine. We stayed in site 121, which faces an open grassy area backed by a little forest that echoed with beautiful wildlife sounds in the evening. There are no campground lights except at the restrooms, so it’s great for stargazing! The restrooms were good.


Guide to Granger

Camping options near Granger, Iowa sit at approximately 850-900 feet elevation in the Des Moines River Valley. The region experiences humid continental climate with warm summers and cold winters, making May through October the prime camping season. Local campgrounds operate within Polk County's rolling hills terrain, offering direct access to Saylorville Lake and multiple conservation areas with hiking trails connecting camping areas to water recreation.

What to do

Fishing at stocked ponds: Griffs Valley View RV Park in Altoona maintains a clean fishing pond where campers can catch bluegill. "There is a really nice pond for fishing that has some bluegills. The water is very clean," notes Willy W.

Cycling on paved trails: Access the 25-mile Chichaqua Valley Trail directly from your campsite at multiple locations. "Nicely paved 25 mile long biking and walking Chichaqua Valley Trail runs right between the campground and the campground office," reports Anthony W.

Wildlife viewing: Visit the bison and elk viewing areas at Jester County Park where conservation efforts maintain these native species. "They advertise Elk and Bison which are smart enough to stay far away from humans, as it should be," explains Jim S.

Explore nature centers: The recently built Nature Center at Jester Park provides educational programs and exhibits about local ecosystems. "Nature/Conservancy center there is just next level," states a camper who visited the park.

What campers like

Clean facilities: Restrooms and shower houses receive consistent praise at campgrounds throughout the area. "The main lodge has very clean restrooms and showers with hot water!" shares Paula O. about her stay.

Hiking access: Acorn Valley offers direct trail access to riverbed exploration areas from tent sites. "The tent sites lead to some small trails which end at the riverbed. Our boys love exploring here," explains camper Russ G.

Recreational amenities: Many campgrounds include playgrounds, fishing ponds and gathering spaces. "There is a recreational building and bathroom facilities to use as well," notes a visitor to Griffs Valley View, while another camper adds, "We had a great stay here, check in was easy, getting firewood was easy, the bathhouses were so clean and nice, hiking and views were amazing!"

Spacious campsites: Well-maintained sites with adequate spacing receive positive comments. "Sites are large with nicely manicured lawns," describes Preston G. about his camping experience in the area.

What you should know

Seasonal operation: Many campgrounds close after Labor Day, including Acorn Valley which operates "early June to late August" according to its official season. "I tried to stay at Acorn Valley to find out it is closed after Labor Day," shares Matt S.

Reservation requirements: Popular campgrounds fill quickly, especially on weekends from May through September. "The voicemail said it was fully booked from May until September," reports Mike M. about one RV park.

Wildlife encounters: Raccoons are active at night in several campgrounds. "Biggest downside is the resident raccoons. Come out every night to rummage through possible food options. Secure your food and they're no problem unless you're a light sleeper," advises John F.

Interstate noise: Some campgrounds sit close to major highways. At Shady Brook Camping & RV Adventures, one camper noted, "You could literally throw a rock from the entrance and hit a passing semi," though another camper reported, "We didn't hear a sound."

Tips for camping with families

Playground access: Choose sites near play areas for convenient supervision. "We parked at a site by the playground and bathhouse, and could sit at our camper and watch our son play at a safe distance," recommends Dana K. about Acorn Valley.

Water activities: Saylorville Lake provides swimming and boating options during summer months, with several campgrounds offering direct or nearby lake access. "Just a short hike down Corydon to the lake," notes Jessica about the walk from Acorn Valley.

Nature programs: The Nature Center at Jester Park runs regular educational activities for children. Multiple reviews mention the value of these structured learning opportunities for families.

Storm shelters: Some RV parks maintain severe weather shelters, important during summer thunderstorm season. "The community center has nice showers, laundry, game room. Kitchen with attached TV room, oh and storm shelter," points out Tim H.

Tips from RVers

Site leveling: Be prepared with blocks at River Oaks RV Park as campsites may require adjustment. "Sites are gravel and it looked like most campers had to use blocks," shares Jim C.

Hookup configurations: Bring various length hoses and adapters for different campground layouts. "My only issue was that my hose was just barely long enough but that was my fault not the campgrounds," notes Preston G.

Internet access: Connectivity varies widely between rv parks near Granger, Iowa. "Free WiFi was good; we streamed tv. It did freeze a few times but hard to tell if it was the WiFi or the provider," reports a camper at River Oaks RV Park.

Dump station design: The Bob Shelter Recreation Area offers a well-designed dump station that receives consistent praise. "I've never been to one so thought out and efficient. Weird favorite thing but if you know you know," explains Jim S.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular RV campsite near Granger, IA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Granger, IA is Griffs Valley View RV Park with a 4.6-star rating from 11 reviews.

What is the best site to find RV camping near Granger, IA?

TheDyrt.com has all 86 RV camping locations near Granger, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.