Olivia P.
Scout
ScoutHickory Hills Park
Hiking
There are a couple small hiking trails, but they were very well maintained and an easy hike to get my daughter started in her backpack.
Camping near Johnston, IA
112 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Search destinations
Add dates
Johnston, Iowa features several established campgrounds along the Saylorville Lake area, providing a mix of camping experiences within close proximity to Des Moines. Prairie Flower Recreation Area and Cherry Glen Campground offer both tent and RV sites with electric hookups, while Jester County Park includes cabin accommodations and glamping options. The Saylorville Lake Administration Office manages multiple recreation areas including Bob Shelter Recreation Area and Acorn Valley, creating a network of camping destinations within a 10-mile radius of Johnston.
Camping season in the Johnston area typically runs from May through October, with some facilities like Jester County Park remaining open year-round. Most campgrounds require reservations, particularly during summer weekends and holidays when sites fill quickly. The region experiences typical Midwestern seasonal patterns with hot, sometimes humid summers and cold winters that limit camping opportunities. Facilities vary significantly between locations, with amenities like showers available at some campgrounds but not others. Water and electric hookups are common at most established sites, though sewer connections are less prevalent. As one visitor noted, "Cherry Glen Campground is above average overall for central Iowa with views of Saylorville Lake, plenty of shade, and clean restrooms."
Campers consistently rate water access as a primary draw for camping in the Johnston area. Saylorville Lake provides opportunities for fishing, boating, and swimming, with several campgrounds offering boat-in access alongside traditional drive-in sites. Jester County Park receives positive reviews for its spacious sites and clean facilities, while Prairie Flower Recreation Area earns high marks for its waterfront location. Highway noise affects some campgrounds, particularly those closest to major roads. A reviewer mentioned that "Acorn Valley is a good place to camp within an hour of Des Moines," highlighting the convenience of these campgrounds for weekend getaways from the metropolitan area. Most sites include fire rings and picnic tables, with firewood available for purchase at many locations.
Best Campgrounds near Johnston (112)
1. Jester County Park
"A couple minor complaints that I developed would be that it is right next to the golf course so there is a lot of near by traffic, and people like to cruise on motorcycles and drive muscle cars through"
"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."
from $20 - $25 / night
Check Availability2. Prairie Flower Recreation Area
"The Prarie Flower campground at Saylorville Lake is an open, flat grassy campground near wooded trails around the US Army Corps of Engineers land."
"Lots of prairie area around, spacious sites. Varying levels of shade. A25, had a good amount of shade and was near the nice playground and nice bathrooms. No view of the lake from loop A."
from $20 - $336 / night
Check Availability3. Bob Shelter Recreation Area & Campground
"We stayed here for two nights while visiting family nearby. It’s a pretty location with the dam and waterway right there. The sites are well spaced."
"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."
from $22 - $26 / night
Check Availability4. Cherry Glen Campground
"Above average overall for central Iowa. Views of Saylorville Lake. Plenty of shade. Clean restrooms. It’s a large park and some sites are close together, but generally spacious. Good cell service."
"Lots of RV sites around. The whole area around Saylorville Lake has camping. Lush green plots of land everywhere. I forget how pretty it is in the Midwest when I'm gone for so long."
from $24 - $26 / night
Check Availability5. Acorn Valley
"Clean bathrooms, close to the lake, playground, and a lot of sites. It does get busy. As you would expect there are a lot of bugs on a hot day in Iowa. Tent sites have good shade from trees."
"Great find on our way through Iowa. Clean and spacious. Very quiet, just listen to the frogs at night."
from $14 - $84 / night
Check Availability6. Griffs Valley View RV Park
"Has a cute pond and is adjacent to a bike and running trail. The main lodge has very clean restrooms and showers with hot water! Recommended"
"There is also a very nice bike trail right outside the park."
from $35 - $90 / night
Check Availability7. Walnut Woods State Park Campground
"There's a boat camp, a bird watching area, a playground, plany of park space with picnic tables and BBQ pits, hiking and biking trails, and even a lodge that I assume can be rented for events."
"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."
from $25 - $40 / night
Check Availability8. Timberline Campground
"If you’re traveling through Des Moines, Iowa area; this is the place you will want to camp at!"
"The site we were on is sorta blacktop but the sides have crumbled and it has a slight tilt to it so stepping down out of the camper was tricky as your feet tend to slide in the loose rocks."
from $35 - $80 / night
Check Availability9. Ledges State Park Campground
"One of my favorite locations to camp in Iowa as a Boy Scout growing up was Ledges State Park. Since I hadn't been back in years, I decided to check it out and spend a night camping there."
"One of the more beautiful places to camp in Iowa. Awesome hiking trails and really well-shaded campsites."
from $18 - $38 / night
Check Availability10. Yellow Banks County Park
"Close proximity to the state fair without being to close. Great stay! Our site had an open field behind it definitely recommend."
"There are two RV sites with shower houses, and about 10 tentsites on a large rectangular area in the back surrounded by trees."
Drive Time
- 16 min from Des Moines, IA
- 33 min from Ames, IA
- 1 hr 49 min from Cedar Rapids, IA
- 1 hr 55 min from Waterloo, IA
Recent Camping Photos near Johnston, IA
85 Photos of 112 Johnston Campgrounds
Nancy C.
Acorn Valley
phillip L.
Cherry Glen Campground
Mia L.
Prairie Flower Recreation Area
Larissa C.
Jester County Park
Stephanie S.
Walnut Woods State Park Campground
Matt M.
Iowa State Fair Campgrounds
Erik W.
Adventureland Campground
Pat F.
Swede Point Park
May M.
Yellow Banks County Park
Willy W.
Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt
Shannon G.
Thomas Mitchell County Park
Charity T.
Des Moines West KOA Holiday
Recent Reviews near Johnston, IA
549 Reviews of 112 Johnston Campgrounds
Ashley D.ScoutIowa State Fairgrounds
Horrible & expensive
They show tent camping reservations allowed online and they even let you book a tent to Camp online for paying $32 but then when they come around and talk to you they don't say anything about not having a tent allowed and they don't give you the codes to the restroom and then they just close the office and go to bed and then at 11:00 at night the sheriff comes and tells you to grab all your stuff because there's no camping allowed and put you out on the street with nowhere to go and no more money cuz you wasted all your money on that stupid site that you didn't even get to stay at and then you realize that after you carried all your stuff over to the bar and had to sleep outside on the streets with your service dog when you have disabilities and you told them you have seizures that you had a seizure and now you have to go to the hospital and you lost your tent because somebody stole it so now you have nowhere to live because you're homeless and somebody stole your only house which was your tent because the sheriff kicked you out at 10:00 or 11:00 at night that was really great thanks that was the best experience in my whole life not really and thanks for putting my stress level so high that I went to seizures when people have disabilities you guys should be more accommodating and be more open and honest and be more willing to talk to people
- RRussell T.
GuideReece Park
Remote and Relaxing
Arrived at Reece Memorial Park in the early afternoon. I stopped by the Octagonal shelter at the south entrance of the park. This is a large shelter house with a fireplace in the middle of the building with several picnic tables.
I then drove down the road and entered into the west entrance of the park and followed it around the loop. There is a wide open area with a small slide and Merry-go-round, along with a couple of picnic tables.
I found, what I think, the best campsite in the park, and it was open. It sits along the creek and there was a fire ring there. This park is all primitive campsites, and so be prepared for that, although the description of the campground mentions vault toilets, I did not see them.
It was a very nice relaxing campsite, and the fact that there was no cell service, made it even better! There were a few vehicles drive through, and a little road noise, but I enjoyed my stay there. The creek was up, and it looks like part of the park might still be closed on the South side.
To primitive camp, the cost is $10.00 a night, and registration is with a QR Code, but since there is little to no cell service, it was difficult to get registered, so you may want to pay before you go.
Angela E.ScoutPrairie Ridge Camping
Quiet and peaceful
Such a wonderful, quiet, and peaceful place. We stayed Thur-Sat so we were basically the only ones here.
I have never seen such clean and gorgeous bathrooms at a campground before along with a very clean laundry room. The bathrooms were large and HC accessible with rain showers and benches.
There are campers and a cabin to rent, and a nice walking trail. While we didn't use any, they have a driving range, archery, waterside, and paddles boats.
There's a gas station only a couple miles away so we could gas up the night before leaving without pulling our camper with.
The only downside was the amount of Ticks. I know with camping comes Ticks but I wish they would spray or something to control the amount of them crawling across our camping rug and into our camper.
If we come this way again, will definitely stay here as it's just a 15 minutes off I-35.
- JJeffrey S.
TravelerTrailside Campground
Fair grounds camping
This location is on the east side of Jefferson on the old Lincoln highway at the Greene county fair grounds directly next to the Milwaukee trestle bike trail. It has both tent and RV camping spots. The RV is parallel parking with electric only. Black water dump site is at the waist water treatment plant by the public swimming pool on west Russell street on the south side of the street across from south walnut street entrance. The fairgrounds dose have horse and livestock amenities and events at times of the year with the Greene county fair and other events. It also has an agricultural museum and other events in the summer.
Noah P.TravelerGriffs Valley View RV Park
One night stay
Park was pretty full, but they found us a spot for the night. Excellent pricing and the yards are BIG compared to other places we've stayed. Would definitely come back
- RRob M.Scout
Bob Shelter Recreation Area & Campground
Spots are a little small, but they are level and well kept.
Testing out a new set up and this has full service with electric, water and sewer line.
- RRussell T.Guide
Grammer Grove Wildlife Area
Nice Overnight Getaway
Arrived just before dusk and I was the only person in the park. Set up across the road from the Accessible Porta-potty. There is a nice playground for kids, and a couple of shelter houses. The park is set up to handle a large amount of horses with access to the trails throughout the park. The Iowa river backs up the park, and I felt it was a nice and peaceful evening.
Make sure you check out the boulder down by the creek!
There were just a couple of minor annoyances, and the first was someone’s dog barking at everything for a good part of the night, and the other was some machine noise down the road into the late evening. Other than that though, I felt it was a great time, and plan to visit again, maybe later in the summer or even in the winter, as the park is open all year.
The cost was$10 per night, and you can register on-site with a dropbox.
- TTonyScout
Beaver Lake Campground
Last Resort
Campsites flat and open with water view. Bathrooms were subpar and smells worse than pit toilets. This was a last resort booking as we weren’t finding places open with a shower due to time of year.
Owner was very friendly, but campground not worth the $32 per night charge.
Guide to Johnston
Johnston area campgrounds offer diverse camping options within a 25-mile radius of the Des Moines River valley. Elevations range from 840 to 960 feet above sea level, with terrain that includes both wooded areas and prairie landscapes. Most camping areas maintain seasonal hours from April through October, though several maintain limited winter availability.
What to do
Hiking trails and wildlife viewing: At Jester County Park, visitors can explore hiking trails and observe native animals. "They advertise Elk and Bison which are smart enough to stay far away from humans, as it should be," notes jim S., who also mentions the "Nature/Conservancy center there is just next level."
Fishing opportunities: Bob Shelter Recreation Area & Campground provides fishing access below the Saylorville Dam spillway. "Love to camp here and watch the spill way," shares Roger O. The area attracts anglers year-round, with catfish being the primary catch in the river sections.
Biking access: Many campgrounds connect to the regional trail system. At Griffs Valley View RV Park, campers can directly access the Chichaqua Valley Trail. As Anthony W. explains, "Nicely paved 25 mile long biking and walking Chichaqua Valley Trail runs right between the campground and the campground office."
What campers like
Spacious campsites: Prairie Flower Recreation Area receives high marks for its generous sites. "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," says Heather S., who adds it's "now our go to spot when we want to camp but stay close to home!"
Clean facilities: The maintained bathrooms and shower facilities across multiple campgrounds consistently earn positive comments. At Yellow Banks County Park, campers appreciate the well-maintained grounds. Kelly notes it has the "best sites around, large flat white rock cinder size area with picnic table, fire ring. Sites are well spaced. Shaded."
Water features: The combination of river access and fishing ponds attracts many visitors. "The banks are amazing! River access and a pond to fish!" writes Steve H. about Yellow Banks County Park, adding that he's "camped here my whole life" though he wishes "there was more camping riverside."
What you should know
Reservation requirements: Many campgrounds fill quickly during peak season. Elizabeth A. notes about Cherry Glen Campground, "It's hard to get a reservation!" Similarly, at Prairie Flower, campers advise planning well ahead: "This campground is a hot spot for Des Moines to escape the weekend - with that said, reservations are a must!"
Utilities and hookups: Available utilities vary significantly between campgrounds. Some locations like Cherry Glen offer electric hookups only, as Terry G. points out: "no water or sewer electrical only." Other facilities provide full service connections.
Seasonal flooding: Areas near the Des Moines River may experience closures due to high water. Matt S. noted that "Ledges State Park is one of the most visited parks in Iowa" but had been temporarily closed due to flooding, while other campgrounds sometimes redirect visitors when water levels rise.
Tips for camping with families
Playground access: Several campgrounds feature playgrounds for children. At Acorn Valley, Dana K. appreciates how the layout works for families: "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."
Wildlife education: Jester Park offers educational opportunities about local wildlife. "The Nature/Conservancy center there is just next level," writes one reviewer, while Luke C. mentions "Buffalo ranch near by which is cool" and provides an opportunity for children to learn about native animals.
Site selection for kids: At Acorn Valley, Jessica recommends "an outer ring site surrounded by trees" and notes that "playground and pond were awesome for keeping kids entertained. Just a short hike down Corydon to the lake, and a short drive to Jester Park for the natural playscape."
Tips from RVers
Dump station planning: Prairie Flower Recreation Area's single dump station creates challenges during busy checkout periods. "Trying to leave on a Sunday is a good 1 hour wait... I hate going there knowing that instead of getting to enjoy Sunday - I'll be busy draining my pooper."
Leveling considerations: Most campgrounds provide level sites, but preparation helps. At Prairie Flower, Mia L. advises: "Not all loops are paved. A is not. But the site was pretty level, wasn't too much trouble to get our trailer backed in and leveled. No water hook ups, so fill up after you get in the campground before you park."
Site measurements: RVs of various sizes can be accommodated, but knowing site dimensions helps. At Bob Shelter Recreation Area, Wendy H. found "spot 20 which was extra wide, concrete pad with electric hook up. No water or sewer. Spot 20 is at the end which makes it very private with nice large grassy area adjacent to wooded area."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular campground near Johnston, IA?
Which is the most popular campground near Johnston, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Johnston, IA is Jester County Park with a 4.5-star rating from 30 reviews.
What parks are near Johnston, IA?
What parks are near Johnston, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 5 parks near Johnston, IA that allow camping, notably Saylorville Lake and Lake Red Rock.
Keep Exploring