Best Tent Camping near Harpers Ferry, IA

Recent Tent Reviews near Harpers Ferry, Iowa

426 Reviews of 18 Harpers Ferry Campgrounds

• A

  Amanda C.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 4, 2020

  Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

  Great park!

  I tent camped at Six Pines Campground for 3 nights in August. The park has two campgrounds and this one is non electric with pit toilets and water. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring with a really nice grill. The sites are large and flat and the ones on the outside of the loop are well shaded. Two trails can be accessed from the tent campground - Six Pines trail and West Lake trail. There are two shower houses that you can use at the RV campground but it takes about 15-20 minutes to drive across the park to that campground. The park is very large with about 20 miles of trails. There is a spring fed creek and, if you stay away from the trout fishing area, you can play and wade in the creek. It has a sandy/rocky bottom and sandy banks. It felt wonderful on a hot day. There is a swim beach on the lake but it was closed due to E. coli in the water. There’s a small camp store too. At night in this campground there are no lights except in the registration kiosk so it’s perfect for star gazing. The Field of Dreams movie site is just 45 minutes away and makes for a fun side trip. There is a town about 10 minutes away with a couple restaurants and coffee shops. The Six Pines trail can be taken from the campground to the Backbone trail. The Backbone trail is along a rocky ridge. There are side trails down to the base of the cliffs and lots of rock climbing to do. Very fun to explore the side paths and climb up the rock walls.

• 

  Brian M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 9, 2023

  Waukon City Park

  Great campground

  Free firewood, free wifi, water and electric at each campsite. Found a nice shady site for tent camping.

• 

  Emily S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 28, 2019

  Pulpit Rock Campground

  Clean

  Very nice, clean campground with a lot of amenities. Tent camping on the river was neat, but tents were very close together due to the small sites

• 

  Chris C.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 3, 2017

  Bloody Run County Park

  Hidden gem

  Quiet park with beautiful campground. Great for tent camping. Had no luck fishing the stream but a friend with me caught a couple.

• 

  Katsu T.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 21, 2017

  Beauford T. Anderson Park

  Campground in middle of town

  A weird little campground. It’s just smack in the middle of a small town. Electric hookups for those with campers, water and public restroom and shower house. $8 for tent camping. Gas station close by

• 

  Michael V.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 11, 2022

  Houston Nature Center

  Bike trail campground with parking near by.

  Has very clean showers and toilets. Owl center at office. Tent sites only and not many. Must make reservations but typically not many people here camping.

• 

  Stephanie K.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 3, 2020

  Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground

  Out there

  A lot of electric sites. Tent sites further back in the campground through multiple water crossings (ok for cars). Campsites beautiful wooded sites in the bluffs. Definitely a campground to see!

• 

  Ann E.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 16, 2019

  Pulpit Rock Campground

  Nothing crazy special, well kept sites

  I was there on a Monday and was the only tent around. Site 15 is the best for tent sites, it’s right at the delta of where two streams meet. It’s a quick bike ride to pulpit rock brewing and other parks.

• 

  Michael V.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 17, 2022

  Justin Trails Resort

  We stayed in one of the cabins

  Beautiful place, tent camping is available. Great breakfast and romantic setting for our anniversary. They sell wine and food in the store. Host is amazing and friendly. Disc golf is busy here, in winter they have sledding hills. The llamas are fun to feed.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 26, 2022

  Little Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest

  Great State Forest CG with trout streams

  Stayed in 2 primitive tent sites: table, fire ring, shaded. Great sites for hat are all within walking to stocked trout streams! CG is in valley, cooled air, shaded, cold water streams to cool off. Pit toilets, trash bins, self registration with some sites reservable.

• 

  Dani K.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 25, 2017

  Pulpit Rock Campground

  Decorah is worth the trip! BEAUTIFUL

  Decorah is so beautiful. The river is right beside the tent sites. Hiking trails close by. Caves and water falls only a short drive away. Tubing, canoeing, and kayaking services behind camp grounds. Super affordable site rates. Shower house. Picnic tables and fire pits at each site.

• 

  Katie J.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 8, 2020

  Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

  Favorite Iowa Park

  This park is perfect for families or anyone looking for plenty of activities. They have boat rentals, amazing trails, a camp store onsite, a swimming beach and super clean bathrooms. Stayed at tent site #24 in the Southlake Campground, and it was fairly quiet even on a busy holiday weekend.

• B

  B B.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 12, 2022

  Lake Meyer County Park Campground

  Great spot, tents included

  This is a great little park if you need a place to stop for the night. It was very inexpensive for tents ($10 I think) and the tent camping area was very nice with 3 giant pine trees and some picnic tables and fire rings. As someone who bicycle tours I appreciated fire wood being on site and close to where the tent area is. The bathrooms aren’t the best but they worked. Overall its a safe, clean, welcoming campground for both tents and RV’s.

• S

  Steve S.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 15, 2023

  Houston Nature Center

  Great Campground for Cyclists

  Spacious, level, well kept, quiet. $10/night, which is great. Spotless showers and bathrooms, access to drinking water. The International Owl Center was a welcome discovery. Best tent campground on the Root River Trail.

• J

  James W.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 15, 2024

  Alana Springs Lodge and Campground

  Very quiet rural campground

  We stayed here in our tent. This is a rural campground, somewhat dated, but very pleasant. It is true that the bathrooms were an older style but they were clean and functional and we found no fault with them. Most of the residents are seasonal and we had nice shady and grassy areas for tent camping, This campground is not near a busy highway, lake, or either area where there is a lot of noise. It is nice and quiet. The hostess was very nice and welcoming. We would certainly stay here again.

• 

  Dj Y.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 19, 2024

  Grant River Recreation Area

  Sandy and Gentleman worker=AMAZING

  I was hitchhiking thru, was dropped off by a ride that said he was buying a $14 tent site for me, come to find out he never did, I just was honest with sandy and the gentleman worker and offered the only 8$ I had, no sir, they said please stay for free and just enjoy. WONDERFUL PPL THAT CARE ABOUT OTHERS!! THANKS YALL

• 

  James D.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 30, 2016

  Pikes Peak State Park Campground

  Had a great time at this former military fort on the Mississippi

  This park is arranged more for RV's than tent camping and you cannot set up right along the river but can get pretty close if you are in tent spot 25. The sites are really close to each other. Bear Mound is cool to see if you appreciate the history behind it. Bridal falls is also a must see if you are there. The hiking trails can be done with a long day hike and offer some beautiful scenery as the leaves are changing. One of the few spots I have stayed along the Mississippi and one of my favorites.

• R

  Rachel H.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 21, 2018

  Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

  Fantastic location cation for individual or group tent camping!

  I went with a group of entering sixth grade Girl Scouts on a weekend tent camping trip to this park. The campsites were simple to access and the grounds were easy to navigate. We hiked on the famous Backbone trail - a really fun hike that isn’t too incredibly long. The grounds were well kept and we had a phenomenal time. The girls gathered our firewood in the neighboring tree line, and our evenings were filled with fun and friendly camping neighbors. I highly recommend this park.

• 

  Kenneth M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 6, 2024

  Clayton Hills Campground

  Best Owners Ever

  I was looking around for a place and being the weekend after the 4th of July, I knew there wouldn't be many options. This place is literally a hidden gem and should get more focus!!! The owner had a spot for my family and me!!! When he found out that I was only tent camping, he even lowered the price!!! He didn't have to do that at all and it wasn't expected. Grassy locations everywhere. Wonderful water and electric hookups!!! A little piece of heaven here. JJ is an AMAZING host!!!

• 

  Amber Z.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 17, 2018

  Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground

  Disappointed with camping but hiking was great!

  I was disappointed with camping here. We stayed in a tent site, W##. We felt lucky with this because the W sites were more secluded and you didn't feel like you were on top of your camping neighbors. The bathrooms and showers here were very gross though. The hiking here had great views but trails were not labeled well. The Big Spring was also a great natural water feature to relax in after a hot hike!

• A

  Alison

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 18, 2018

  Houston Nature Center

  Root River Bike Trail

  This campsite is at the trailhead for the Root River Bike Trail. This bike trail is so awesome and by far the best in the tri-state area!

  The nature center is tent camping only but they do have nice spots with picnic tables and grills. Even though I'm not a kid, I thought the park was AWESOME. They litterally have a tree house to play in!!!! The Nature Center also has a bike servicing station, showers, and bathrooms. Everything is extremely clean and the town of Houston is so sweet. I will visit again!

• 

  Khenia F.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 20, 2022

  Grant River Recreation Area

  Spacious with train tracks

  The tent site that we were at was very specious for my dog to run freely with his long leash. A lot of shade and space for everyone. We stayed right by the bathrooms. Showers have a push button so water pressure and temperature was not very great. The river was a great view and campground was big to walk around. Plenty of people coming through but a quiet neighborhood. Other than the train passing right by us, we enjoyed our time there.

• J

  Juliet H.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 25, 2020

  Pettibone Resort

  Okay for tents

  Tent sites are just okay. They are located directly across from houseboats, so little privacy. The area was also damp, which meant lots of bugs. I was envious of the RV side, which looked much nicer. It was not quiet due to being practically under the bridge into La Crosse. On the upside, The man working there was very friendly and helpful. It did not appear that anyone was masked or social distancing. The bar was open and patrons were next to each other on stools at the bar. Employees were also not wearing masks.

• 

  Laura E.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 17, 2021

  Blackhawk Park

  Good spot to sleep over on the road

  We stopped here to sleep on our way home from a long road trip. The electric sites are like a typical RV park, not much space or privace. We had site 40west and it was larger, but too close to the smelly pit toilets. Showers nice, hot and clean. The tent sites looked spacious, but not very private. The campground is in a beautiful setting and not far off The Great River Road. We enjoyed watching a muskrat family playing in the stream by our site. We would definitely use this campground as a layover again.

• 

  Travis P.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 29, 2020

  Pulpit Rock Campground

  Crowded, many RVs. Decent tent sites along river.

  From someone who typically prefers backpacking and sleeping in remote areas, this campground facility, pretty much in the city, is okay.

  The facilities are nice, bathrooms were clean. What I didn't enjoy was how close each RV site is. The sparks from our fire were making their way to our neighbors site.

  The campground is situated next to the Trout Run Trail, providing quick and easy access to the 11-mile loop or in to the city center of Decorah.

  Overall, decent for a city campground, but very crowded. The tent sites near the river look more spaced out.

• 

  Amber Z.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 19, 2018

  Pikes Peak State Park Campground

  Uneven and Open Camping

  This campground had 60+ campsites. The sites were very open and did not appear to be planned very well for camping functionality. The tent sites appeared to be very flat. Many other sites were very uneven and were challenging to get a camper into. The electric boxes in sites were also placed in strange areas (middle of campsite, 10+feet from camper parking pad, etc). The campground was also very open.

  We did enjoy the peacefulness of this campground though. Lots of star viewing opportunities. Very limited road noise. Nice hiking trails. The overlook was also a great place to relax.

  We definitely would return to this campground for the hiking opportunities; but we would chose to bring our tent instead of our camping trailer.

• 

  Lourene M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 29, 2018

  Skip-A-Way Resort

  Very family friendly

  This campground has a lot of fun activities from April 15 thru Oct 15. They have permanent sites and rentals. There is tent sites and rental campers also. Sewer, water and electric. Some weekly activities include canoeing, tubing down the Turkey River, swimming, fishing and paddle boats in the Lake, a splash pad for kids and occasionally a dumping tank for free, also miniture golf. There. Is a store and bar on the grounds as wellas a pavilion for use any time where they also have children's movies every Saturday night during season. New bathrooms with shower's and rentals for canoes and tubes for the River. Very family friendly and affordable.