Best Equestrian Camping near La Motte, IA

Recent Equestrian Reviews in La Motte

59 Reviews of 7 La Motte Campgrounds

• 

  Sarah B.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 19, 2024

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Def do not recommend for summer 2024!

  I wanted so badly to love this campground experience, but just didn't. Site 19 was an easy walk-in that theoretically had nearby vault toilets, parking, and water.

  Each site only had space for one car to park before walking in. Not a huge deal, but annoying as there were 2 of us who drove separate and we had to problem solve. When we got to the site I was shocked to see that what was labeled as a tent site had literally NO flat space to actually set up a tent. Spacious site, but fully sloped.

  Also, what I would have loved to know, is that the vault toilets are closed because they are doing construction to build something new in that space. Construction that starts loudly each day at 7am. Honestly every site from about #35 down was affected by the noise because the construction is happening in the middle of the loop (and actually blocking some of the one-way road as well).

  The park in general was okay. Per the usual, the pet areas were lacking. No beach at all, just grass covered in goose poop and one cut out on the raised shore between tall grasses and foliage where a dog could potentially jump in. Certainly nowhere for a human to enjoy the water with their pups unfortunately.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 12, 2024

  Scott County Park- South East Corner Campground

  Primitive Equestrian site

  Primitive site offers table, fire ring, grill, tie up, outhouse, open space, hard surface parking. Trail is adjacent.

• 

  Stacie H.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 19, 2023

  Morrison-Rockwood State Park

  A lovely campground with the CLEANEST bathrooms and showerhouse!

  This campground is a lovely gem! Most of the camp sites are fairly secluded from one another by distance and from surrounding foliage (see pic). The exceptions would be sites 55-64 that loop around the playground. We, unfortunately, didn't know this and so had site 61. It was nice little spot with plenty of shade but I was a bit jealous of those with more secluded spots, especially since we are tent campers and all of the others on the loop were big RVs.

  The pros:

  - The campground hosts were lovely. Friendly but not overbearing, as some can be.

  - The on site restaurant/bait shop/ boat rental was very convenient! Husband forgot to pack something and the little bait shop had what we needed. Plus, we were able to buy firewood there, too.

  - Lovely scenery! The hiking trails were well maintained and there were lots of beautiful flowers, bird, and butterflies. We even saw a raccoon!

  - The (and I cannot emphasize this enough) CLEANEST campground bathrooms I've ever seen! I'm not squeamish and have been camping for years so my expectations for campground bathroom cleanliness is well calibrated but these bathrooms (even the vault toilets!) were amazingly clean! There weren't even spiderwebs on the ceiling of the shower house. Just *chef's kiss*

  - The water from the pump was very clean.

  The cons:

  -  Lack of privacy/seclusion for the 55-64 sites along the loop.

  - For that same loop, since it circles the playground, if kids playing noises bother you, might want to choose a different site.

  - The food at the restaurant was meh. It was fine- it was sustenance. Nothing to write home about.

  - LOTS of big RVs. It wasn't an issue for us on this trip, but on other camping trips sometimes being surrounded by big RVs just isn't a great vibe.

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 30, 2023

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Nice alternative to Gov. Dodge or Devil's Lake (No rocks or vews though)

   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.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 9, 2023

  Scott County Park- South East Corner Campground

  Open CG with minimal amenties

  Site is located in the very SE corner of the park with: charcoal grill, fire ring, outhouse, picnic table, recycle station adjacent, tie-up, hard surface for RV. No water onsite. Trails available.

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  

  May. 19, 2023

  Morrison-Rockwood State Park

  A nice state park that makes a nice base

  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)

• 

  Tiffany K.

  Guide

  

  May. 8, 2023

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Family Camping near Lake

  This campground offers sites with electricity for RVs but some of the sites seem pretty narrow to use RV awnings. We booked an RV site but decided to camp. The site had a picnic table and fire ring but since it was an RV spot not a lot of good tent placement options. There are numerous pit toilets to use. The park has hiking trails that are accessible from the campground. The lake has a walking trail, kayak ramps and boat ramps.

• 

  Stephanie S.

  Guide

  

  May. 8, 2023

  Morrison-Rockwood State Park

  Woodsy and cozy camping

  We enjoyed the beautiful lake and cute restaurant/gift shop. We liked the different loops of campsites with pit toilets every where and a nice modern bathroom/shower house also. There were several camp hosts scattered among the camp site loops. Our campsite had a more open feel than some of the others. It wasn’t as heavily treed and we liked that. The sites were very well spaced apart. There were many well worn paths that lead to the lake, but it was too wet from previous rain for us to explore those. We did enjoy walking along the various loops among the trees. We will definitely return and bring some friends with us next time.

• 

  Alex H.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 26, 2022

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  No Flat Spots

  Very nice park. Well marked and maintained trails. A large lake with boat launch and beach area. Separate pet area.

  We spent the weekend at site 101, which is a tent site. I wouldn't recommend this site. based on a quick walkaround, it seemed a bit smaller than other sites. That's not really a deal-breaker, but it didn't really have any flat spots to pitch the tent. We ended up pitching it up on the parking area, but it was still a bit slanted and we could feel the tire divot a little through the air mattresses. Aside from that, it was great. The site had a picnic table and fire ring that we used a lot. It was secluded from the surrounding sites.

  We hiked the Windy Ridge trail and the Prairie Loop trail. both were well maintained and enjoyable trails. We also spent some time on the beach.

• 

  Kelly M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 19, 2022

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Love this State Park

  Great beach, lots of space with picnic tables. Awesome concession stand- great ice cream. We enjoy this park. Lots of bat houses so the mosquitoes weren't a problem.

• S

  Steph

  Guide

  

  Aug. 2, 2022

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Great low key park!

  Loved this quiet park! Camped at site 62 which is tent only. The site was huge and could easily fit 4 tents. Most sites had good privacy. Bathrooms could use a little work along with signage. However, I will absolutely be going back.

• 

  Art S.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 18, 2022

  Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreation Area

  Camping with plenty of area to explore

  This was an unexpected good find in Illinois. The campground was nice with the standard set up - picnic tables, restrooms, water available. You can follow the road or the trails and make your way to the lake. We didn't go in the lake but we saw people fishing.

  The hiking trails were enjoyed often by us. We found one section that had some interesting wildflowers. We paused and turned around when we found the archery area. We suggest keeping an eye on hunting season if you head this way.

  We would certainly return in the future.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 11, 2022

  Scott County Park- South East Corner Campground

  Small County primitive equestrian cg

  Site has hard surface for vehicle/trailer, table, grill, non potable water, outhouse, tie-up, trails, shade trees. Located in SE corner of Scott County Park. Firewood, ice, concessions can be found in main park along with pool, golf, Pride Lake for fishing and paddling. Historical Pioneer Village is located at north end of main park.

• D

  Doug

  Guide

  

  Jul. 10, 2022

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Great WI State Park camp

  Great camping here. Water readily available. Clean bathrooms. Welcome center when you arrive. People friendly. Lot of different types of sites. Lot of sites. Did about 10mi of hiking. Buggy, but it's June in WI.

• 

  Mike F.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 15, 2022

  Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreation Area

  Very Clean State Park

  All sites are clean. They clean out fire pits after every weekend. Some sites were not the most level. All Roads are newly paved. New/Updated Dump station. Once you enter the park, there are some drastic hills to navigate. We didn't get to use the lake. It was refilling, via letting nature fill the lake back up. I'm not sure why, but the lake was drained some time back, when the park was closed for over a year for the maintenance that was done.

• 

  Amber C.

  Guide

  

  May. 27, 2022

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Peaceful, large lots

  This Campground was spacious and quiet. We camped in April so it wasn't as crowded but I can imagine in summer this is a popular destination with the large lake. Lots of nice hiking trails. The water was still turned off since it was the off season so we didn't look at any of the facilities but everything seemed well maintained.

• 

  Amy W.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 2, 2022

  Morrison-Rockwood State Park

  Family friendly; great first timers

  first timers/ young kids- yes. Primitive campers- no. My husband had never been camping. I grew up with very primitive camping- no electricity, only pit toilets, sometimes fresh water, and no showers (milk jug showers!) Little by little, I’m warming him up to camping. This is a great place for new campers, families of young kids, or just looking for an easier trip. There’s a shower house with flush toilets, warm showers, and surprisingly CLEAN! The site was medium size. Enough room to spread out. Ground was flat so finding a tent site was no problem. Electric hookup worked. Picnic table was good. Check your site before booking! One section of sites is like an open field? No trees and full view of others. But these surround a playground- also very nice. Glamping with young kids? These sites would be a perfect. AT&T and Verizon cell service worked fine

• 

  Bentz E.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 25, 2021

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Great spot, close to water

  Great spot to camp. Right by a lake. There is a dock out onto the water for easy access if you want to bring your kayaks, paddleboards, etc. Easy to get to and a beautiful drive through the country to get there in the fall. There are a lot of bugs due to the proximity to the lake

• 

  Joanne I.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 9, 2021

  Morrison-Rockwood State Park

  Morrison Rockwood

  Pretty location for boating or relaxing. Limited hiking with poor maps. Adequate pit toilets throughout campgrounds. One shower house with flush toilets that was decent. Concessions with snacks and boat rentals, but closed on Mondays--even holidays. Our campsite was spacious but some are open and too close together. Good for one night unless you have your own boat.

• 

  Calli N.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 2, 2021

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Nice for lake access in SW WI

  We went to Yellowstone Lake with the primary intention of kayaking. The lake is man made and not very clear (it’s very shallow, only 14ft max depth), but the water quality is fine. The kayak launch was nice and had overflow parking. The lake was a very nice and easy paddle.

  The beach itself looked nice, but it’s mainly grass on a tiered hill. It was very busy when we were here, so we only stopped here to have lunch. 

  We stayed at site 60 which we really liked. It was pushed back and had a private feel, even though it was right next to the water (which is also a plus) and a double site. Firepit wasn’t the best, the grate was  getting pretty deformed. Bathrooms were pretty nice with several shower rooms available. 

  Overall it’s a nice park, especially since it has a lake and is close to Madison. It just doesn’t stand out among some of our other parks (hence the 3 star rating).

• B

  Briana B.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 18, 2021

  Rockwood State Park Campground

  Quiet little campground

  Nice long trail, friendly people, and a cute little ice cream shop that was a lifesaver after a long hike. Beautiful scenery, firewood available for $6 a bundle, water, electricity and fairly clean bathrooms with showers. We tent camped for $20 a night.

• 

  Amy R.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 11, 2021

  Morrison-Rockwood State Park

  Quiet, private sites, friendly host

  If you want to spend a lot of your time just relaxing at camp, this is a great spot. Our site was huge, flat and private - no trouble finding flat ground to pitch the tent. It rained a lot, unfortunately, but the host stopped by and made sure we knew how to find the shower house for shelter if the weather became dangerous. We had a couple hours when the rain paused long enough for a short hike. There is a small lake for fishing and paddling, and a restaurant in the park (ended up being vital since I forgot to pack coffee). Site had electric and was a short walk to privy and water.

• P

  Pam O.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 9, 2021

  Morrison-Rockwood State Park

  Great spring camping

  We camped the last weekend in April and we loved it. The pad was uneven but we got our pup leveled out. We couldn't hike as much due to some hunting still going on but we made due. We will be back to this camp ground.

• 

  Scott S.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 26, 2021

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Mixed Feelings

  This is a rather large state park. Some of the sites have nice buffers around them others do not. AT&T cell service 4 bars. There are a lot of bigger rigs but some of the sites would be to small for them. Not all sites have electricity.

• 

  Jennifer B.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 21, 2021

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Lots of Wildlife, Nice Campsite!

  We stayed here last summer and had the biggest site we’ve ever had in all our camping trips. Had an owl friend spend two days with us in a tree! Beautiful sites and the paved roads are great for biking!

• R

  Ryan

  Scout

  

  Feb. 20, 2021

  Matsell Bridge Natural Area

  Great place

  Good campsite for a mellow weekend. When i visited we were the only campers there an it was awesome!

• 

  Michael L.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 31, 2020

  Yellowstone Lake State Park Campground

  Great relaxing weekend

  Yellowstone Lake is great for hiking and fishing. They even have a swimming area. But a must is the small ice cream shop that has even lunch menu. The wife and I just loved the small town that was a drive away as well