Join the fun near Grinnell. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Iowa camping has to offer. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Grinnell, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
Camp in one of several campsites near the park’s lake, featuring both electric and non-electric sites, a modern restroom and shower building. Several campsites sit on the water’s edge and provide beautiful views of Rock Creek Lake. One-fourth of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and advanced campsite reservations through the online reservation system for Rock Creek State Park
$6 - $12 / night
Wallashuck Campground is located on Lake Red Rock, Iowa___s largest lake. It is just 10 minutes from Pella, known for its Dutch heritage, and 15 minutes from Knoxville, the Sprint car capital of the world. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, biking and viewing wildlife. For more information regarding the Army Corps of Engineers and the Lake Red Rock Project, click here:Lake Red Rock Website__
Lake Red Rock offers excellent boating, water skiing and swimming opportunities. Miles of water trails for kayakers and canoeists are designated along the shoreline. Anglers will find crappie, largemouth and striped bass,walleye, channel and flathead catfish, northern pike and bluegill. Several miles of trails for hiking and biking are in the area. The 15 mile paved Volksweg Trail stretches west from Pella to the Des Moines River and to the Cordova Recreation Area.
Lake Red Rock offers excellent boating, water skiing and swimming opportunities. Miles of water trails for kayakers and canoeists are designated along the shoreline. Anglers will find crappie, largemouth and striped bass,walleye, channel and flathead catfish, northern pike and bluegill. Several miles of trails for hiking and biking are in the area. The 15 mile paved Volksweg Trail stretches west from Pella to the Des Moines River and to the Cordova Recreation Area.
Lake Red Rock is situated on the Des Moines River. Hardwood forests cover the lake shore at Wallashuck, offering shade and scenic views. Wildlife is abundant around the lake. A wide variety of waterfowl, including the American White Pelican, migrates through the area in spring and fall. Bald eagles can be observed from November through March. White-tailed deer , turkeys and other small animals are commonly viewed around the lake.
Des Moines, Iowa's capital, is an hour away, with numerous shopping and dining opportunities, museums and the Blank Park Zoo.
A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amound. Cancel or change reservations through recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees.
$24 / night
$7 / night
Lake Iowa Park offers a quiet, safe and beautifully-maintained campground that includes 120 rocked pads with electricity, shower houses and a dump station. There are water hydrants with rural water spread throughout the campground to fill your camper tanks. There are two non-electric areas suitable for tents which are within a short walk to the shower house. Currently there are no reservations for camping, it is all first come first served.
2 cabins are available for rent. Each cabin has a full kitchen and ADA compliant bathroom and will sleep 8 people.
As of June 2023, Otter Creek Lake & Park has reopened to the public.This reopening includes all camping area, roadways, trails, etc. Though the refilling process has begun, the lake is still mostly empty. Fishing, swimming, boating, and other water activities are unavailable, as the lake has not yet filled with water. Restoration includes establishment of excellent fish habitat, improved angler access, removal of sedimentation, irrigation improvements, and more.
Seventy (70) acre lake hosting quality fishing, boating, and swimming.
Two open air shelters with approx. capacity of 72 persons each.
Electric camp section with 65 unit capacity.
Tent section with 18 sites, 45 tent capacity
Swimming beach offered at no charge
Picnicking. Tables to entertain up to 400 persons
Concrete boat ramp providing safe and convenient access to lake
Fish cleaning station located next to boat ramp
Sanitary dump station for trailer units using campground
Modern showerhouse (for campers)
Six vault latrines scattered throughout park
Two acre native prairie (never tilled by man)
Headquarters for maintenance operations
Two play areas with assorted play equipment including swings, jungle gyms, spring toys, slides.
3.0 mile loop scenic hiking trail around lake
Handicap access provides safe and easy access to beach play area.
Tama County Nature Center houses main office, 5,600 sq. ft. on main floor, 2,600 sq. ft. in basement, handicap accessible building. The Nature Center is popular for social events including weddings, receptions, family reunions, and workshops.
Visitors kiosk with vending machine is located directly south of the concrete boat landing.$10 - $20 / night
Cherry Glen Campground is located on the 26,000-acre Saylorville Lake Project, which stretches more than 50 miles up the Des Moines River Valley. The lake provides a wide variety of recreational activities, including boating, swimming, fishing, hiking and hunting.
Visitors enjoy Saylorville Lake for its excellent boating, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming opportunities. Anglers will find walleye, wiper, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and northern pike. The paved Neal Smith Trail winds 24 miles from Des Moines to Big Creek State Park and connects the campgrounds on the east side of the lake. It is designated as a National Recreation Trail and is used for biking, hiking, jogging, walking and in-line skating.
Visitors enjoy Saylorville Lake for its excellent boating, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming opportunities. Anglers will find walleye, wiper, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and northern pike. The paved Neal Smith Trail winds 24 miles from Des Moines to Big Creek State Park and connects the campgrounds on the east side of the lake. It is designated as a National Recreation Trail and is used for biking, hiking, jogging, walking and in-line skating.
Cherry Glen, the oldest and most popular campground on the lake, is nestled on a compact 13-acre wooded ridge. Wildlife is abundant throughout the project. White-tailed deer, turkeys, waterfowl and other small game animals roam the lands around the lake.
$26 / night
$20 / night
Not too far off the highway. Very clean and quiet. The campground is above the lake but a short trail will take you to the lake. Couldn't see the lake from where we camped, but nice woody area behind our campsite. Nice little visitor area. Lots of trails to walk with the dog including a nice trail along the lake.
Great place to spend one night. If I had more time, I would have gone paddle boarding or fishing on the lake.
Very clean, easy to reserve. Bathroom was a pit toilet but clean. Camp spot was clean and well-maintained.
Very well kept campground! Bathrooms and entire area was really in perfect shape. One of the cleanest showers and bathrooms I have seen. $10 for tent, $16 for electric - how can you go wrong?
Only issue is that the spots are pretty close together. Around 2:30am there was so much smoke in our van from nearby campfires that I woke up sick and my dog threw up all over the bed. At 3am we decided we needed to move to an electric site because it was too much to have the windows open. I felt really bad for anyone in a tent. I coughed all the next day.
The campground was not that busy so there is no way I would stay here on a busy holiday weekend due to the spots being too close. If a few people make a fire you better shut down all your windows. No sleeping in the cool, night air here.
But this is an issue at other places too. Just never experienced anything on this level before. Esp considering no one in our section even had a fire going.
I wish campgrounds would start banning these fires. But that’s a topic for a later date.
Other than that it was a great spot.
$12 a night for primitive camping and you get nice warm showers by the main entrance and nice bathrooms by the main entrance. Stand-alone bathrooms throughout the park have the deep composting toilets that smell bad but whatever the ones up front are nice. Would recommend 10/10
I like this place, I really do. It certainly packs a punch with all of the amenities that Kellogg RV Park offers up, not least of which is partnering up with apparently the best burger joint in the whole of Iowa. Burgers and camping? Can it get any better? Well, while this location gets extra points for achieving EZ on- and off-again I80 highway access, that likely is also its downside, as you are so close to arguably the busiest of all thoroughfares here in the state of Iowa that it makes you wonder if you are really getting away from it all or just taking a quick pitstop.
As for the grounds themselves, they are very well organized and nearly everything on this property is either brand-spanking new or has a nice degree of ‘kitsch’ that just feels right where you are at in the middle of the Midwest. There’s a well-appointed separate laundry location on the NE corner of RV Park, with a community shower/ bathroom facility smack-dab in the middle of the place, making it central and convenient to get refreshed. There’s a simple little loop that will jog you around the place, where in all there’s some 38 spots perfectly carved out for RVs or 5th Wheelers. While the map for Kellogg RV Park indicates a playground behind the laundry, if it was there to begin with, it has been replaced by a chicken coop, which I have to admit is pretty dang awesome to be woken up by these fine-feathered friends each dawn. Plus, um, there’s fresh eggs for your brunch munching pleasure!
With amenities in mind, each pull-thru, gravel-strewn site (all 18’ wide with lengths ranging from 65’ to 85’) comes equipped with all of the typical hook-ups (20 / 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage) along with plenty of in-ground fire rings, stand-up BBQ grills and plenty of brand new picnic tables along with complimentary WiFi. There’s solar panels on the for southwest corner of the campground, which sadly eliminates the vibe that you are out in nature. If there was just one bit of advice I would give this place it’s this(and it’s quite simple): plant some trees! That’s the one thing I noticed that felt incredibly weird… there’s just a few trees in this whole place. Granted, it is somewhat surrounded by corn fields, but here’s a hint: After mid-September when all that corn is harvested, the place feels like a barren desert, so how you compensate for that is by planting trees, shrubs, bush or anything that would make this place feel like it was planted in nature versus carved out of a watershed.
While the main office is up front where you would have seen that Iowa’s Best Burger Café sign, where there’s also an Amoco gas station along with a convenience market that has limited groceries and supplies. Bonus points to Kellogg RV Park for having an F5-rated tornado shelter located on-site, so while your RV might blow away, no worries, you and those you hold most precious will be protected in the event of a tornado, which is important because this state gets hit by them all the time. They’ll also sell you a bundle of firewood for$6 / bundle, which is fair, especially considering that they’ll deliver the bundles directly to your site.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) IMHO the best sites are those located as far east and north as possible (yes, right near the laundry facilities and chicken coop). Why? Well, because they will be furthest away from I80, so less noise, plus they are on the periphery, so this offers up better views of corn country, and additionally, more tranquility. Plus the shower / restroom facilities are centrally located, so not too far away; (2) If you are looking to get buzzed while out here at Kellogg RV Park, you are in luck as just nearby there’s Grinnell Craft Brewhouse, Buzzed Bee Meadery as well as Van Wijk Winery – all of which are absolutely worth the visit!; (3) Should your foodie vibes need to be tamed while here, head on over to nearby Maytag Blue Cheese for a slice or slab or head on over to Dayton Meat Products, which not only processes meat in case you are out and about with a bow & arrow, but will serve up some pretty outrageously awesome sausages, loins and particular cuts of meats that you just can’t find anywhere nearby. Oh, and if farmer’s markets are your thing, then check out nearby Grinnell Farmers Market or Jasper County Farmer’s Market – both just 10 minutes from here; and (4) Once you grow tired of pillaging your on-board mini-fridge or Cordova roto-molded cooler and are looking for some local fare, I will have to admit that Iowa’s Best Burger Café does live up to its boast – and while I didn’t have another burger while I was in the ‘Hawkeye State’ I do make it my business to check stuff out when I see ‘Best’ noted anywhere and there’s reasonable proof behind this claim here, so give the good folks here the better side of your discerning tastes and try them out. Oh, and there’s that little thing that there’s not too much competition in these parts, so unless you are up for a good drive, the only other joint is RJ’s Bar& Grill, which trust me, is much more Bar than Grill.
Happy Camping!
I live just 7 miles away, but I love to take my grand daughter here for overnight camping. Most of the sites are tucked into the woods and very spacious. It's only $7/night! There is some play equipment for children. There is only a pit toilet in the campground and it's nice enough for midnight runs. (Bring your flashlight!) Drive up the road to the observatory and there is a bathroom with flush toilets and a hot shower, also a water spigot on the back side. There is also a big group site for family get togethers. There is a nice little circle hike that's not too difficult and was great for rehab after my knee replacement. I'd highly recommend it, but I don't want it to get too crowded!
20 bucks a day you submit your fill out sheet at the service area and drop it off in a drop box.
Came in late, even though there were several empty spaces turns out they were reserved. Very nice camp host told us we could have a non-electric site, none of them were reserved. Bathroom/showers were clean.
Definitely follow the directions on Dyrt, google took us on a winding gravel road that led to the same place.
The sites are very spacious, could easily accommodate multiple tents.
We arrived just after 9p after a long long day of driving and found the park easy to navigate.
Please be courteous when finding a spot after dark. The park was mostly empty but even still some people were shining flashlights at our tent.
Hoping to do an early morning hike, the trails, observatory and orienteering course all look awesome.
The entire property was well maintained, previous campers enjoyed copious amounts of beer and threw the cans into the brush, but I can't fault the park for that.
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
We were able to camp in a tent near RVs without feeling crowded. The restrooms, showers, and playground were all close by…great for camping with kids. There were some nicer than ours and some with less privacy or further away than we’d prefer.
A nice mix of convenience and privacy. Perfect location to showers and playground for kids. Ample space for our needs, but not overly private
Stayed 2 nights in 6/7. No shade, giant electrical boxes, whole campground is downhill from dump station and the smell on Sunday morning is really unpleasant. Feels like whole campground is crammed together and smoke from campfires is thick enough to chew.
When we were there, teens were running littler kids off the playground; someone dumped all the TP in the men's room in to the toilets on Sunday morning, and the showers were too hot to use, with no way to adjust water temp.
On the bright side, the lake is pretty, it's right there at the campground. Boat, kayak and canoe rentals seemed reasonable and little store was convenient.
No wake lake. Boat and kayak rental and a small store with basic necessities. Campground has some 30 amp and some 50 amp sites. New playground for the kids. Clean facilities.
The campground area is clean. Showers and toilets are clean. The RV section of campground was nearly full but the tent/non-hook up section had lots of space. One can camp on lakeside but be aware that these spots have a slope, not comfortable for my van. Park management was fine with changing campsite. Contact info for ranger was available at entrance. Overall good experience.
Very nice, clean and comfortable campground for an overnight stop. Price is right! The “office” is a little gas station, hamburger cafe with a very efficient and friendly check in person. 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. But nothing that a good set of earplugs can’t fix. Our little dog especially liked the two chicken coops at east side of the the campground! (Not noisy or any problem - just a reminder that you are in Iowa!). Overall, very nice and has clean restrooms. The sign on the “office” says they have Iowas “BEST” Hamburger. We didn’t try it, but will take their word for it!
Was looking forward to camping there until I found out they do not allow pets at tent sites. Apparently they don’t feel responsible pet owners use tents. Not happy will never stay there
This campground is big and clean. It’s pretty peaceful & quiet. I have been here before. I did forget site 13 has a tree that seems to drop things on my roof and internet isn’t very strong. 1-2 bars on Verizon
Beautiful scenery with lake front camping. Sunset over the lake! Found a great trail to hike, also the opportunity to rent a boat or paddlebord. Clean bathroom with good showers. Limited shade options.
We rolled up to this campground past 10pm on a Thursday night just looking for a safe spot to sleep and hopefully a shower before getting back on the road. This place was great. The drive into the grounds was a little confusing, but I imagine that in the daylight we would have had an easier time. There was no camp office that we could find, but we were pleasantly surprised when we found an open spot that we could make a same day reservation and payment online ($29 for an electric site after fees). There are QR codes at each site that you can scan to quickly and easily do this on the spot. You can reserve online ahead of time as well. The bathhouse was very clean and had two showers that had hot water. We could not hear the highway from our spot despite it being close by, and the other campers around were very quiet. My only somewhat negative note about this place is I am not sure at all where tent campers are intended to go. We were in a van and this was perfect for us, but for non-vehicle campers this may not be as ideal.
Clean place very open and gorgeous and peaceful
We were definitely the one little tent in a sea of RVs at this campground. People were actually coming over to look at our tent (lol). There was not a lot of privacy, but otherwise it was a cool campground. We were able to camp right on the edge of the lake. Bathrooms and showers were relatively clean. Firewood is available. Depending on where you are in the campground, some AT&T service is available.
The good: The area around the lake and near by pond, is not overly developed. There are wild raspberries and mulberries, lots of wildlife. We had a blue jay that visited us regularly at our campsite, along with deer walking through. The bad: very few sites have a view of the lake. To walk to the lake or near by pond you must go down hill, which could be a problem for any one with mobility issues. Once down to the water trail are easy to walk. I would say if you can try and get sites, 67-70. They have beautiful views.
We needed to stop for the night and this was a great choice. It was right off the interstate but the sounds of traffic wasn't too bad. The site was an easy pull through and pretty level. The bathrooms were clean. The showers were clean, hot and good pressure. I loved the chicken coops and the landscaping. The burgers were not the greatest but ok. I would stop here again if passing through.
This is a really nice rural state park, by a little lake. Had no bug issues, well maintained, lots of diffrent kinds of campers, lot of kids but not unreasonable on the noise. Camp host helpful!
Easy in and out. Great communication. Late check in easy. Clean bathrooms and showers. Felt very safe with my family. E/W/S all available but we only used electric.
If you have US Cellular you’ll be disappointed with reception. Verizon has reception. Nice campground overlooking a lake. Pontoon and boat rentals. Sites are a bit uneven. Leveled up on worse than these before.
I have created a space in my minivan so I'm a vamping and I have reserved the same spot for one weekend a month for the next 8 months and I am so excited to have a place to come and relax while decompressing from My crazy Life.
Camping near Grinnell, Iowa, offers a variety of beautiful spots for outdoor enthusiasts. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a fun family adventure, there are plenty of campgrounds to explore.
Camping near Grinnell, Iowa, has something for everyone, whether you're in a tent or an RV. Enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Grinnell, IA is Rock Creek State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 18 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 13 glamping camping locations near Grinnell, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
