Jefferson is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Jefferson campgrounds just for you. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Iowa camping adventure.
Millions of years before the plains of Iowa were inhabited by the Sauk, Fox and Sioux peoples, much of the American Midwest was covered by a shallow inland sea. It was at this time that the area’s sandstone deposits began forming. Fast-forward to just 13,000 years ago, with the inland sea now long gone, Ice Age glacial meltwater raced across the dry plains, carving and scouring channels and canyons into the sandstone terrain. One of these canyons can be found in Iowa’s Ledges State Park. This 1,000-acre nature preserve and recreation area is located on a wide bend on the Des Moines River, and is just 40 miles north of the city of Des Moines. The park is subject to frequent flooding when the river breaches its banks, but is otherwise a popular year-round outdoor recreation destination. Visitors to Ledges can enjoy a variety of hiking, fishing and paddling opportunities, as well as explore a prehistoric river canyon that showcases nature’s ability to sculpt the landscape.
The campground at Ledges State Park features 94 tent and RV sites situated among deciduous woods not far from the Des Moines River. Campers can choose from full-hookup, partial-hookup, or primitive tent sites. Most sites are back-in; only a few are pull-through for larger vehicles. Tent sites are located in both in the main camp area, and in a secluded walk-in area. There is also a youth group site. All sites are equipped with picnic tables, fire pits and cooking grills, and all have access to water faucets, flush restrooms, showers, and trash receptacles; a dump station is located near the campground entrance. The campground also features a kids’ playground, outdoor amphitheater, and is within walking distance of trails and picnic areas. Some roads and/or facilities may not be open or available in the winter. Reservations are accepted, however the park saves about half of the sites for first-come, first-served campers; sites are $11–$19/night.
$12 - $18 / night
$20 / night
$20 - $25 / night
We are very excited to provide you and your family a memorable Iowa camping experience at the best rated Des Moines RV Park & Campground. If it's been years since you've camped at Des Moines West KOA, make it a point to stop back in to see all the new and exciting improvements, including 2 Dog Parks, Huge Jumping Pillow, Jump Shot (Trampoline Basketball), Water Wars, Paddle Boats, Organized Weekend Activities, Ladder Ball, Horseshoes, & Hunt Brother's Pizza & Wings. We promise you'll be pleasantly surprised. The park is nestled 1.5 miles north of I-80, off exit 106, amongst beautiful Iowa farm fields, in a peaceful rural setting, where the only thing you'll hear are the songbirds singing!
This recreation area is part of Saylorville Lake
$12 - $18 / night
Self-registration campground (no reservations - first come, first serve) 135 electrical campsites $20/night 50/30/110 amp hookup 5 "group" camping areas (park in any arrangement) 27 non-electrical campsites - $11 / night Youth camping area (by reservation only) Modern shower houses with flush toilets Multiple water hydrants Two dump stations Luxury cabins (by reservation only) Boating (no wake lake) Fishing and bait shop 9-hole golf course and clubhouse with restaurant Hiking trails Updated playgrounds Swimming beach Two enclosed shelters (by reservation only) Two open air shelters Wildlife viewing
Please view the Park Rules below for further information.
Operating Hours & Seasons
The campground is open from April 15 - October 15, but may be open later depending on weather.
Park hours are 5:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Closures The campgrounds will be closed during the winter months, however, the roads through the park will be open to allow for wildlife viewing.
$12 - $20 / night
Timberline Campground is nestled on the outskirts of Waukee, Iowa, which is located just a few miles west of West Des Moines. It is conveniently situated one and a half miles away from Interstate 80, but your ears won’t be able to tell.
From the shady campsites to the immaculate facilities, Timberline Campground continues to delight its guests time and time again. Let your hosts show you how Timberline Campground provides country camping with city convenience!
Timberline is private property, not public property, and shall not be used as public property. Check in at the office and register all guests and planned activities.
$35 - $80 / 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
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.
went out here with family and had a amtime azing
we love it here people are great price is Right Showers are hot every time it a WOnderfull place •to be .
Great little hideaway of a campground, very reasonably priced and clean , fresh drinking water with dump stations and hot water showers and modern toilet facilities,
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.
Great place to stay. Just a few minutes drive to High Trestle Bridge and right off the river. People were accommodating and friendly. Right between Madrid and Woodward with small town conveniences…
It’s very quite here and the few guests that are here are friendly, has a water full hydrant to refill water jugs and bathroom is full and functioning with hot showers and electricity very clean and very nice
Have stayed here several times, one of our grandkids favorite KOA's. Staff is one of the nicest and most helpful we've ever encountered.
Great location, good facilities (shower, spigot with drinking water, restroom with flush toilets). Plenty of space in tent area - shade and soft grass. A bit noisy when I stayed (people playing loud music into the evening). Overall a good place to stay
Stayed here for five nights attending a family reunion. First time staying at a koa and it was awesome. From the site service firewood and food delivery, to the location and people who stopped here in their travels. I will definitely stay at a KOA again!
Very quiet and nice neighbors camping next store , fresh water well on pump next to our campsite number #1 electric and non electric site’s ,electric sites run $18 a night non electric $11 a night , has very clean bath house with toilets and hot water for showering
QUIETEST KOA IN AMERICA. no hiway no traintracks or airport! Well kept.. bathrooms are a little scarce and WET.. but very nice little campground and VERY friendly staff.
Timberline is among my favorite campgrounds, always has great people, nice shade trees, fun pool, and quality facilities.
Marta and crew were so friendly and helpful! Clean bathrooms, beautiful property. Close to hwy but far enough away. We called ahead to arrive after hours and had to get back on the road in the morning. Wish we could’ve stayed longer!
Snug if you have slide outs, must watch to see you don't hit neighbor's trailer as you extend. Awnings literally touch neighbors. Crazy good time, if that's what you're into. I like the cabins!
We love to return here every year!
Recently updated two-way fresh-fill/santiary dump station. There is Ice Cube Consessions and the skating rink from Memorial Day through Labor Day every year. Great long-term hosts really make this park feel like going home.
Chatting with others around camp, there is no cell service provider that functions in this park. The WIFI is shared between dozens of sites, and the absolute BEST speed I have ever seen here is a 14, and I only saw that once. WIFI tends to average right around 5mps. That's right, 5. There is no remote working out here, if your work requires any semblance of quality, which is really too bad; the rest of everything out here is WONDERFUL! Great neighbors, wildlife, the trail, fishing, boating, the playground... everything else is wonderful. I know we can do better for WIFIs. Fees were just increased again this year, surely we can afford a bit better than this!
Great vibes. Camp's pretty far from the bones of the park, but the hike's relatively plesant. Cell coverage is terrible out here, and there is no WIFI to help keep people connected.
Great sites, phenomenol hosts. LOVE the playground, and the culture; this is home during the summer months. Terrible WIFI, absolutely no cell coverage out here. Not sure how they justify raising camping rates here if the ameneties do not reflect modern needs for family enjoyment. Yes we like smores, and watching the birds, and fishing, and hiking; but so help me, we like our Netflix too, and I sure would like to be able to watch the weather report. Even Dish coverage is spotty out here. It's weird, we're not down in a valley or anything. Not sure why this is such a dead zone out here.
Very courteous staff and clean campground. Pizza on site is excellent snd you can order it ahead for your arrival.
Campground literally empty and our 2nd car could not sit at the camper??? Get a life!!! I swear they always find something to bother us about, we are done camping here!!! No room for a fire unless you want it 2 foot from your camper. Go to Little field or Hancock.
Canyon road and limestone cliffs are awesome. Secluded spots in the trees. If you have Verizon and rely on data this may not be the campground for you.
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
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.
Beautiful view of the lake! Multiple options of camping sites. Clean RR and showers. Nice area!
Spacious sites along a gorgeous lake..quiet..wish every campground was this nice!
We camped here to be close to the Iowa High Trestle Trail for bicycling and it's very handy for that. Nothing fancy, but has plenty of sites, flush toilets and showers available. Sites with electric are $18/night and primitive sites are $11/night ...hard to beat that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Jefferson, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Jefferson, IA is Ledges State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 39 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Jefferson, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 glamping camping locations near Jefferson, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
