The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Hampton. Hampton is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Hampton, IA. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
$17 - $35 / night
"We love coming to Clear Lake! The campgrounds are always very well kept, bathrooms very clean! Easy access to the lake, and the town has so much to do during the summer months!"
"Clear lake state park is a nice campground. It does get very busy during peak season and traffic is continuous. It is clean and close to the beach. Down town and other shopping is a short drive away."
"Kids had a great time playing in the water, our site was about 20 ft from the waters edge."
$10 - $28 / night
"Located by New Ulm, MN this campground has plenty of activities in the park or very near the park."
"When driving to my site two fawns were laying near the playground."
"Big grassy field surrounded by huge (walnut) trees. There a gravel track that goes along a large river. Trees everywhere so bring bug spray. Quiet, peaceful. Not private but worth it."
$15 - $23 / night
"**
- Iowa state parks are a bargain! This one is $11 for a non-electric site, $16 for an electric site. (Rates go down to $6 and $11 from 10/1-4/30.)"
"On Cedar Valley bike trail (100+miles of interconnecting bike trial. major Hwy on two sides of park, sleeping in a tenet it was very noisy at night. and a train track close by (again at night)"
$19 - $37 / night
"We chose to stay in the equestrian campsite (even though we didn't have horses) because it was a bit more secluded and shaded. The campsites were nice and the lake and stream were very nice as well."
"There were a few campers with horse but not many. Hitching posts behind each site which we enjoyed seeing."
"Dump station and dumpsters near the exit. Clean bathrooms and showers. Lots of space at each campsite. Good hiking and horse trails."
$19 - $54 / night
"Walking, hiking and exploring. People are here camping with their horses but the campground is still nice and quiet."
$25 - $50 / night
TravelerI stayed here at the start of the summer and had a great time. We chose to stay in the equestrian campsite (even though we didn't have horses) because it was a bit more secluded and shaded. The campsites were nice and the lake and stream were very nice as well. I was surprised to see a school of muskie while fishing, but it appeared that they were spawning at the time. If you go camping in May, make sure to bring a slightly heavier fishing pole to handle the musky. They're worth it.
TravelerYou will love this park. There are about 20 self-serve sites with electric and water. Self serve firewood. Dump station and dumpsters near the exit. Clean bathrooms and showers. Lots of space at each campsite. Good hiking and horse trails. Sitting right on the Cedar River, it’s a great location to kayak and tube. Cheap at $20 a night. We showed up at 8:00 on a Fryevening and spots were available!
TravelerThe only open site was in the North Equine Campground so we took a chance. We really did like the Campground, it was well maintained, clean and quiet. There were a few campers with horse but not many. Hitching posts behind each site which we enjoyed seeing. The roads inside the campground were all asphalt so lots of bikers enjoying rides around the grounds. There was also a nice playground for the kids surrounded by a well maintained, large, grassy area.
There were many empty sites because so many had no electric. It made for lots of nice open space. Unfortunately, we had no shade in the afternoon so weren't able to eat dinner outside or enjoy a fire in the evening. We are fortunate we camped in a 5th wheel so we could escape the heat, we would have left after the first night otherwise.
We did drive through the Beach Campground and the South Equine Campground. Beach had very little shade and was primarily families with younger children. The beach looked real nice, not too crowded for a hot,
July day.
North Equine was where most of the horse folks were staying it was quite crowded. A very bustling area.
LegendWhy Should You Camp Here?
Iowa state parks are a bargain! This one is $11 for a non-electric site, $16 for an electric site. (Rates go down to $6 and $11 from 10/1-4/30.) There is no separate park entry fee (unlike some states).
You can rent kayaks, canoes or pedal boats near the campground at Wyth Lake. And there are 3 other nearby lakes.
There's a small beach at Wyth Lake.
The Cedar River is on the edge of the campground.
You're so close to Cedar Falls and Waterloo which means there are craft breweries!
We were only there for a night but I saw this on reserveamerica.com: "The Lake-to-State Park Bike Route is a 50 mile route connecting Pine Lake and George Wyth State Park. The route primarily utilizes county highways and established bike routes and paths once inside Cedar Falls/Waterloo."
We didn't do everything we could do there, because we were just passing through. Check this out: https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/george-wyth-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=IA&parkId=610125
Amenities
The usual fire ring and picnic table
Dump station and potable water
Flush toilets and running water in bathrooms along with push button showers. Ok, push button showers are not ideal. Just keep pushing that button and hopefully you'll be okay with the temperature that you can't control!
GuideI like beach camp, but I LOVE north equestrian camp. Wish the boxes accomodated my rig. It's easy in spring or fall, we can get by with 30 amps. If you need 50 amps, you're going to want to head to the Beach Camp.
GuideFirst time camping at south campground. Loving it so far! Restrooms/showers and playgrounds are all still closed due to covid but there is still plenty to do! Walking, hiking and exploring. People are here camping with their horses but the campground is still nice and quiet.
ScoutIt’s quiet, clean, and has some pretty views of the Iowa nite sky
ScoutNice park with some easy hiking trails and great bike paths. Both also good for any runners. All are really flat and would be easy for older people or young children to do. There is also a beach that is open seasonally and docks dotted throughout for fishing boats or kayaks. Really nice for kayaking and paddleboarding. Not much if any current (unless your in the river portion) which makes it smooth for anyone to do including kids. Campground isn't bad. Usually very clean and the hosts are nice. There is a nice playground in the middle and we've rarely had any noise problems. If you plan it right you can get a site right next to the Cedar River. Really pretty in the evening. That being said, because it is so close to river anytime it rains heavily there is flooding in several areas of the park. And almost every year (usually late summer, early fall) it rains enough to flood a good portion of the park. In 2 out of the last 3 years it's even been bad enough to close the park completely. And it is fairly close to the highway. That's good for convenience sake of getting in and out of the park, but it does mean there is some road noise in the parts of the park.
LegendGeneral: A mixture of tent (non-electric) and electric sites, mostly arranged in several rows.
Site Quality: Mixed. Not all sites are level, and most do not have delineated parking pads (there is a small pavement indent to show where to access the site). A fire pit and picnic table complete the site. Most of the sites are too close together for our liking, however, when we were there (a Monday at the end of August, the day before school started), we were only one of three sites occupied so for our stay it didn’t matter.
Bathhouse: Basic but clean. My biggest complaint is there were no hooks or shelves for toiletries by the sinks. The showers looked nice but we did not use them.
Activities: Horseback riding (there are trails for this), hiking, fishing. Although we did see several trailheads, I did not have a map so didn’t explore them. There is an observation tower, but it is a two-mile walk/drive from the campground (on paved roads; I didn’t try to find hiking trails to get there).
Misc: A shout-out to the great host, Pam, who greeted us as we arrived. The observation tower, entrance gates, and picnic shelter were all constructed by the CCC and were beautiful. It almost seemed like the campground was an afterthought as it is outside the entrance gates and nowhere near the tower. The layout of the campground would be challenging if all sites were occupied.
Horse camping in Iowa offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and equestrian-friendly amenities, making it an ideal choice for horse lovers looking to explore the state's beautiful landscapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Hampton, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Hampton, IA is Clear Lake State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 12 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Hampton, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 equestrian camping locations near Hampton, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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