Best Equestrian Camping near Lanesboro, IA

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. It's close to how I remember it.

The campground has a good picnic area, restrooms, and an excellent trail. It's also inexpensive.

What I enjoy most about this park compared to others in Iowa are the sandstone ledges and the slopes on the trail. There are some excellent views, so make sure your phone has enough battery to take photos (unlike me). I also spent a lot of time off the trail. It isn't too hard to get around. I'm not one who enjoys staying at a park that is mostly flat, so this is definitely a good place in Iowa for me to camp.

If you are looking for a cool place to camp within an hour of Des Moines, you should seriously consider this park.

The only open site was in the North Equine Campground so we took a chance. We really did like the Campground, it was well maintained, clean and quiet. There were a few campers with horse but not many. Hitching posts behind each site which we enjoyed seeing. The roads inside the campground were all asphalt so lots of bikers enjoying rides around the grounds. There was also a nice playground for the kids surrounded by a well maintained, large, grassy area. There were many empty sites because so many had no electric. It made for lots of nice open space. Unfortunately, we had no shade in the afternoon so weren't able to eat dinner outside or enjoy a fire in the evening. We are fortunate we camped in a 5th wheel so we could escape the heat, we would have left after the first night otherwise.
We did drive through the Beach Campground and the South Equine Campground. Beach had very little shade and was primarily families with younger children. The beach looked real nice, not too crowded for a hot, July day. North Equine was where most of the horse folks were staying it was quite crowded. A very bustling area.

Comfortable and scenic park in Iowa with forested trails, gorge, and natural water features amidst the farm fields and rolling hills.  Campground sites are well spaced and mostly level, many with shade and decent privacy.  Mix of hookups for different needs; access to water and trash was easy.  The bathrooms were a bit dated and unclean when we visited, but not terrible.  Good cell coverage in the area and we could do work and school with our Verizon Hotspot.  Beware of the raccoons!   They were not aggressive from the standpoint of approaching us, but they were brash in approaching camper and supplies after dark, and they were a constant presence at the dumpster.  Do not leave food out!  Deer and other small game/wildlife seem abundant.  Trails were poorly signed, but the park is relatively small and getting lost or wandering does not have bad consequences; you'll find where you wanted to go without too much trouble.