Best Campgrounds near Klemme, IA

Big Island was nicely wooded, keeping a very cool temperature but with little cover from other campsites. Tent pad and fire pit were well maintained. Restrooms were well cleaned, if not exactly maintained (soap and Toilet paper ran light over the weekend, and spiders hung out after a cleaning). ADA accessible. Even with a few trails closed, plenty of trails to explore around the Big Island campground. Rented a tandem kayak from the ranger station, looked like one of the two kayaks, plenty of canoes for rent. Spotted pelicans, turtles, and birds along the shore. Campground host never came by, but the ranger was spotted twice once to keep hammock straps off a smaller tree. Mosquitos were out in full force during the cooler weather.

I stayed at this campground a week after Memorial Day weekend along with my dogs in our minivan/tent. I butted up against woods with neighbors to one side which made me feel like I had a pretty private area to myself. Other than the bugs, which it is that time of the year, I enjoyed our time and the almost non-existent cellphone service. However, I was able to text my family via satellite to let them know I was okay. It could be seen as a pro or con, but I think we all need no phone time at some point to just set still and relax. I look forward to camping here again soon!

I really enjoyed my stay here. I had planned for one night but I enjoyed it so much I stayed for 3. The fairgrounds are dead quiet when there is not an event going on. The locals come through on walks because the fairgrounds are so pleasant. There is a nice walking path with gardens and artwork, and a playground as well. 

There is a very clean bath house that has one shower. There are water hydrants throughout the fairgrounds but none at the camp sites. There is no dump station on the property. The sites are paved and most require some leveling. They are pretty short, my motorhome is 25 feet long and when I parked the back of my rig was over the grass. Some of the other sites might be a little longer.

There is a cell tower right next to the fairgrounds. I had excellent T-mobile (5G) and Verizon (4G) signal & speeds here.

There is a train track nearby, I heard trains once or twice a day. I did not hear any horns at night, but some during the day. It was not too loud.

The downtown part of Northwood is about a 15 minute walk. There you'll find a handful of restaurants and a very nice, very small, coffee shop. There is a grocery store in town, as well as a hardware store and a pharmacy. All within a 10-15 minute walk from the fairgrounds. 

There is a very nice city park with bike paths, located right on the river, in the Southwest part of town. It's about a 20 minute walk.