Best Equestrian Camping near La Motte, IA

 This is a very large state park located halfway between Mineral Point and New Glarus, both nice visiting destinations in their own right.
It has a large lake with three boat launches, a main one with a motor ramp, a canoe launch near the marshy end, and a fishing pier. There's also a boat rental place run by the nearby Cork Down Saloon. There are no boat-in or lake accessible campsites however.
 The campground is up a long 30 degree hill across from the main launch and Beach/ main picnic area. The sites are more secluded from each other than you'll find at most parks , which is very nice. Beware that some sites are so secluded that they are bi-level. That is, parking pad and then step(s) down to the site. Be sure to check the photos provided when reserving.  There are very nice walk-in sites, but no carts are provided.
the facilities are clean, but there's only one building with running water and showers. Water throughout has a mild iron taste.
There's no playground in the camp area, it's located in a picnic area near the canoe launch that you pass as you com in. Not walking distance, remember the big hill.
 There's an Ice Cream/concession at the east end of the lake with limited hours. Beyond that is the Cork Down Saloon, just outside the secondary entrance to the park. It's your closest option to eat out. Also there is the private Chalet campground (see others for a review) Neither has a view of the lake as they are below the Dam.
A fun place to visit in the area is the Toy Train Barn Museum in Argyle, indoors if you have a rainy day.

Nice quiet little primitive campground next to the Wapsipinicon River. Unfortunately, when I was there the last weekend of May, the gnats were bad, and the mosquitoes were just starting to gear up. HOWEVER, take bug spray and enjoy the rustic peacefulness of this "best kept secret" for primitive and inexpensive camping sites. Beautiful location, ranger close by, wood for sale just across the bridge, fire pits and picnic tables at every site. Good for RV, trailer or tent camping… level ground and lots of shade. Primitive bathrooms, no showers or running water.

First, once you are here and settled, the rolling hills and man-made lake are truly peaceful. I have camped here for over 30 years, and seen many changes. Unfortunately, this State Park is the hardest hit by the budget crisis. The roads are a pot-hole obstacle course, and the bait shop/boat rental, and restaurant is closed. There are always three campers taking advantage of the Campground Host position, but nine times out of ten, you have to wait until well in to the evening for the one, overworked, ranger to check you in. Surprisingly, the bath house is always clean. Do not plan on mountain biking...the trails are open to everything, and the road apples are impossible to avoid...not a pretty site as mountain bikes do not have fenders. The absolute most annoying thing about this park is that there are "gawkers" that constantly flow from Lena, and zig-zag the entire campgrounds. All Saturday evening, after church on Sunday, and anytime you are outside of your camper, you can expect gawkers driving by at 3mph, staring like the village idiot. The only humor is to stand there and make like you are filming them, or taking their picture...although some seem to like even that...WIERD!!! (None of them have car passes or trailer hitches...or, a life.)

We saw an article about "Dutch Days" in nearby Fulton on www.OnlyInYourState.com, (first weekend in May) and thought it looked like fun. The nearest campground at Thomson causeway recreational area was closed both for repairs and for flooding so this was our best choice.
It was not crowded this early in the season, though most of the sites are pretty private and that wasn't an issue. We stayed in the 60's loop which is more open than most since it has the playground. There's only one shower building, which is clean and well-kept, and it is on the 80's loop, though there are paths to it from the others.
There are a few pull-through sites, but I'm not sure they're indicated. The ADA sites are large and well paved, though the tables do not have wheelchair overhangs.
Fire rings are hit and miss, our site had a low square pit with a non-adjustable flip-over grill, other sites had taller, circular rings, check site photos.
There are two trails downhill to the lake from the 60's loop, no lakeside campsites.
The lake is small but pleasant and stocked with fish. There are boat rentals available and a small restaurant and general store.
We went on day trips to Fulton and Clinton, IA. Eagle point park has a good view of the Mississippi, but  more spectacular views are at Mississippi Palisades State Park, a 50 min drive.
If you don't feel like cooking, a great choice is the Candlelight Inn(s), half an hour to the east or west in Clinton, Sterling or Rock Falls. A great family restaurant/ steakhouse famous for it's "Chicken George" (they'll give you a free sample to get you hooked)

This campground is beautiful! The hiking trails and the lake were very nice. Showers and bathrooms were extremely clean and well maintained. Our campsite, #92, was a little bit of like/dislike experience.

What we didn’t like was how slanted the site was. We struggled to find a flat-ish part to put our tent and ended up having to sleep on a slant. We also moved the picnic table like 20 times just to try and find a spot that it would sit flat.

What we loved about our site was how private it felt. We had to walk downhill into the lower part of our site which was nice because it was far from the road. Our site was also next to an opening in the woods which was filled with deer throughout the day. At night it was beautiful to walk into to look up at the stars.