Looking for an adventure where you can explore Le Mars and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Le Mars, including sites, reviews, and tips. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Le Mars campsites are perfect for tent campers.
Camping is allowed and free. Camp only in designated sites marked with brown camping signs and metal fire rings. Visit the Camping Page for more rules and regulations. No camping fees are required but we do ask that you leave us your basic itinerary for your safety. https://www.nps.gov/mnrr/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm Watch campfires. Dead and down wood may be collected. Motorized vehicles and horses are prohibited on the property. Do not damage or remove the cultural or natural features. Bow Creek Recreation Area provides many opportunities for the public to experience a part of the Missouri National Recreational River. The 205-acre property includes a mix of wetlands, grasslands, riparian cottonwood forest, and mesic-bur oak forest. Rock and sediment exposures along the Missouri River reveal past geologic events. A mowed grass trail is planned for the property to loop through these environments. In the restored prairie, look for dragonflies and butterflies. In the cottonwood and oak forests, watch for wildlife sign including resident whitetail deer and turkey.
Traveler
Was it expecting how nice this campground was compared to more primitive ones in the area. Beautiful site! Has tent camping, full rv hook ups, and a nice playground for the kids.
Guide
Camped in tents. Was impressed with the options of tent sites. Offers all the amenities we needed while tenting. Wooded sites. Beautiful scenery and plenty outdoor activities to take in. Would recommend to those seeking a lake, woods, hiking, swimming, and family friendly camping adventure.
Traveler
They have 62 RV spots and seven tent camping sites the RV spots have a really nice level concrete pad half of them have electric and water and the other half also have a sewer hook up charge was $20 a night beautiful old trees new management that is really keeping everything clean Showers and restrooms Fills up on weekends
 
RangerThe campsite seems to be more for RVs. Tent camping is just a field with a few picnic tables in it and has a bit of a walk from the parking lot with your equipment. The shower house was nice and clean. There is a barn there to use as a picnic shelter which is very pretty. The overall campground is pleasant and in beautiful country.
Guide
Had a grassy & shady tent site. There were vault/pit toilets close and regular restrooms with showers a little walk away (showers needed to be cleaned). Water spigot was close by too. Wish we had more time to explore the park itself because there was lots of hiking/waking trails. Overall no complaints
Guide
Be prepared to higher your campground expectations after this one! Definitely one of the cleanest most well kept campgrounds I’ve seen in a while. Shower rooms/bathrooms are immaculate, and smell so nice. Site was perfect for both an RV or a tent. They offer tent, back in, or pull through. We tent camped at an back on site across from both the play area and the shower rooms. Loved it! Hope to come back and hike the trails x kids said they looked beautiful.
Traveler
Most of this open campground is devoted to RV's, most are unoccupied during the week. There are only 4 tent sites on the south edge of the area, the acreage is covered with tall cottonwood trees which provide partial sun/shade but no privacy. There is a short trail which goes down to the Missouri River. There was a pit latrine in the tent area and two shower houses in the RV sections. Tent fee $10 per night
Guide
Decent size spots with lakefront views at just about all of them. There is a swimming hole with a little beach and walking/bike trail. They have tent sites that you have to walk to but they are right on the water away from all of the RV sites. The town of Rock Valley is small but very quaint. I'd reccomend the coffee shop Rooted. Will definitely be coming back here.
Guide
This campground has seen huge improvements over the last decade. They now sport an impressive set of cabins and other facilities for the 21st century camper. Tent camping continues to be available and has better privacy than many sites throughout Nebraska. The park isn't far from a small town where you can easily get anything you might need for your trip. Explore some of the activites that staff hold weekly or go take a hike! There's also playgrounds and a pool for the kids.
ScoutThe address is WRONG. The location for is NOT. had to call to make reservations and the lady was unhelpful and rude. $15 for tent site. Then was told it was $25 and change to make a reservation online to save my spot and if anyone was there they would make us call back to reserve the site. This was abnormal for a state park and wish I had just camped somewhere from a local.
Guide
A tent site was $40 with no electricity so it’s more pricy then other sites but they have a ton of things to do. Checkers, chess, swings, play set, mini golf, inflatable bouncy blog, pool, and more. They had a gift shop with anything you needed to buy. The bathrooms were very nice and clean but did smell a bit. They had electricity/ wall outlets in the bathrooms. The highway is very close so you do hear cars. Privacy fences around the site to block out the neighborhood. Very nice staff!
RangerThey have a lot of different sleeping options, from tent to hotel-like cabins. We went a long time ago when it was just tent sites. Some were along the river but most are back in the forest. Aside from the river, there are trails and a pool. Friends have said there are many very recent additions including rock climbing walls, archery, horseback riding, etc. The charm of the area is still there: riverfront views, rolling hills, simple trails through nature. Many other small parks along the whole river nearby, plus a full golf course and Sioux City. Perfect for a road trip stopover or a long weekend for locals.
RangerWas only on site for 7 hours, but was very impressed with our spot, the clean, modern shower and bathrooms, and nature (there were turkey feathers from a night visitor when we woke!) We had the best tent site on the grounds, corner spot with decent trees and distance, most other spots are right on top of each other. Case in point, the only place for our car was on the road, no pull off.
Reservations can be made ahead of time online. However day passes have to be purchased in person, cash, on site day of.
Would definitely come back for a longer stay if we could get #4 or #5 for sure.
LegendThis park is definitely a must see for all types of campers. They have everything for all types of campers. There is a visitors center that has a little bit of the history of the area as well as education of the Missouri river. There is different types of cabins, (or look more like houses). There is a little fishing pond by the visitors center, as well as a swimming pool. There are paved roads through out the park with a few designated rv campsites. As well as tent camping scattered throughout the park, and camping off the Missouri river. There are several hiking trails, horseback riding, archery, 2 lookout points, and even a golf course. This is a place that anybody can find a outdoor activity to do.
TravelerClay County Park underwent some staffing and management changes at the beginning of last year. The whole area was thoroughly cleaned, trees trimmed, trails groomed, restrooms spiffed, etc. Guest feedback on these changes was overwhelmingly positive and we expect further growth this season.
We've begun working closely with SD Game, Fish and Parks and they are a great partner. This season, we will be adopting their reservation platform for guests to register. We expect to continue making incremental improvements and are looking forward to the 2023 camping season.
For additional information, please visit our Facebook Page (Clay County Park). We will be open for campers beginning Saturday April 15, 2023. Reservations can be made online at campsd.com or through the call center at 1-800-710-2267 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Follow the link and select "Make a reservation" tab. Reservations are accepted up to 90 days in advance of your arrival at the park. **Camping reservations must be made before setting up on a campsite.
Clay County Park features 40 electric campsites, 8 tent sites, 1 cabin, a multi-use trail, picnic shelters, and a boat ramp. We look forward to seeing you at the park soon! Thank you.
Park staff and volunteers did a great end of season cleanup and are now fine-tuning details for Summer 2023.
LegendThis is a large state park in the northwest corner of Iowa, surprisingly wooded considering how close to Sioux City it is located. Touted as a year-round park, there is a large network of trails, some of which can be used as equestrian. HOWEVER, the trails are not labeled and there is no (or very fleeting) cell service so that even after looking at the map (located on a board in the park, not a paper one), I wandered aimlessly around the park getting lost. One of the trailheads requires that you tramp directly through Site 12 to access! I explored this trail for approximately a quarter of a mile, but it became very overgrown and because I was not sure where I was going, I ended up turning around.
The campground is divided into three sections
• Sites 1-11 are located on either side of the access road are a bit too close together for our preference and despite the park being so wooded, have no foliage or other visible separation between the sites. These sites all have electric hookups
• Sites 12-14 are at the top of the hill and have the easiest access to the restrooms; they also have electric hookups. In my opinion, Site 14 would be the most desirable. Given that there are only three sites here, there was a surprising number of cars driving past these sites.
• Sites 15-30 are primitive tent sites and located near Cabin#3 (a CCC cabin).
The bathrooms were clean and (don’t laugh at me), the toilets had lids! Given the current virus situation, this was a nice and welcome surprise!
There was no camp host and we only saw one ranger during our stay. There is a nice playground, but it is not located anywhere near the campground (it is located closer to two of the cabins). If you are camping with children, please note this. There are three cabins, one that was built by the CCC and a lodge which also looked to be a CCC product, although it did not appear to be open when we were there.
LegendI had the please of staying at this beautiful Nebraska state park with my youngest son on a return trip home from North Dakota over the July 4th weekend 2019. We pulled in after office ours and easily found several primitive walk up sites to choose from. We selected T45 for it’s proximity to a scenic Missouri River overlook and it’s flat, shaded ground. Ponca SP is a large clean and hilly state park offering just about everything you could want from Glamping in cabins to roughing it on one of several pack in trails. There is plentiful wildlife to observe. We witnessed deer and many species of birds in our one evening and morning stay. Guests to the park can partake in horse trail rides($), golf($), fishing, hunting, shooting/ archery range, biking/hiking, water activities such as kayaking or canoeing on the Missouri River, and a large pool near the entrance. Food service is also available on site if you get tired of cooking at your camp. If you want a power site for an RV I’d highly recommend reserving well in advance because this is a popular SP. For those of us who tent camp without power you’ll likely find the perfect spot for your small to large tent on a walk up site with plentiful shade trees at all of the sites that I observed. I highly recommend trying to get the site one spot to the North of T45, it literally looks right over the Missouri River and sits just steps away from the scenic overlook. The bathroom facility right by T45 was clean and well maintained and there was a water faucet next to this site as well as the trash bins. Scenic hikes, drives, or bike rides around the park are largely shaded with a rich tree canopy over rolling hills throughout the park. There are at least two scenic river overlooks with historical referenced to the area’s rich history including the Lewis and Clark expedition. Check the park’s web site at outdoornebraska.gov/Ponca/ to find out what educational and fun events might be happening at the park. They hold a Harvest/Halloween event over a few days in October each year, but you’ll have to book a site a year in advance if you want to for sure get a spot during that time. Don’t forget to stop in to the education center and learn all about the river’s history. The education center is top notch and one of our favorite things about the park. This is a five star state park by any measure and I can’t wait for a return trip to this park.
Traveler
Scenic park is across the Missouri river from Sioux City, Iowa. It is easy to get to. Very friendly staff. Restrooms are kept clean. It is a large campground with several different restrooms with showers. There is a number of permanent campsites, there is also some that can be reserved. Some are also pull thru's. Ice and firewood are available on site. There is a separate area available for tents. With it being on the edge of South Sioux City, Ne and across the river from Sioux City, Ia. there is lots of shopping options close by. It can also be reserved for groups, with a shelter available for use. There are some sunny spots and also spots with lots of shade. I really like this campground!
Traveler
Small park, peaceful, river access for canoe/kayak. No designated camp sites but plenty of space for tent or camper.
ScoutThere are 8 spots at this campground for RVs to tents.
GuideThis is our go to spot when we travel to Sioux City Iowa for basketball. Right across the river with a great view! Clean restrooms and showers! Third year here. Great staff too!
ScoutThis is a small little kmown spot in the small town of Alton Iowa. It is $10 and there are a couple spots that have electric hook ups, a water pump hydrant, And a dumpsite. The camping fee is $10 per spot self-pay.
GuideSo much fishing! River and lake. Very peaceful during the spring and fall. Great mushroom hunting in the hills. Lots of spots for rvs, tents, and they have cabins. Love the shooting range.
Traveler$11 for one night in a tent. Was a halfway point to my destination and a last minute thing. Has some cool trails, and the area is nice enough. Bathroom/showers are a mess, but it’s a state park so I didn’t expect much.
Guide
Very cheap , 15$ a night for rv with electric and water, 5$ for tents. Huge swimming area with slides for kids, and river with a lot of fish!!! Brand New shower houses .
Guide
We arrived on the cusp of the 100 year anniversary celebration of the Nebraska State Parks. Lots of fun extra things to do!
We found a great space in the Turkey Ridge campground. Electric with a water spigot between 2 spaces. We were in a tree cave with very little sunlight. Another campground Oak Bluff is for reservations only. Lots of tent spots and primitive tent only.
We rode our bike around and got an incredible workout with lots of hills.
Great views of the Missouri at the 3 state corners viewing area.
For the 100 years celebration they had re-enactments, making walking stick adornments, bird catch and release to show an up close and personal peek at the local birds.
The town of Ponca is a few miles outside the park and several nice little places for groceries, beer, a pharmacy, pizza, etc!
Pretty warm and humid for us high desert folk but we enjoyed our stay.
TravelerFound a site with no problem but clearly this is an RV focused campground. I did find a nice grassy area for my tent but my neighbors aren’t far. The river is nice and the walking trails are ok.
Tent camping near Le Mars, Iowa offers a variety of options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to enjoy nature and unwind. With several campgrounds in the area, you can find the perfect spot to pitch your tent and explore the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Le Mars, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Le Mars, IA is Ranney Knob Area with a 3-star rating from 1 review.
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TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Le Mars, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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