Best Tent Camping near Marshalltown, IA

Recent Tent Reviews near Marshalltown, Iowa

366 Reviews of 22 Marshalltown Campgrounds

• R

  Russ G.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 14, 2019

  Acorn Valley

  Peaceful, lots of riverbed area to explore

  We’re big fans of Acorn Valley. It’s quiet and there is plenty of shade in the tent camping area. The tent sites lead to some small trails which end at the riverbed. Our boys love exploring here.

• 

  Jamee N.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 17, 2020

  Newton KOA

  Family Friendly

  We tried to stay here on probably the hottest day of the year. It was just wayyyyy too hot so we made sandwiches and decided to drive through the night, but it wasn’t this KOA’s fault! Very friendly staff. Tons for kids and families to do. My only complaint is that where we were, tent spot #1...there wasn’t really any soaration of the tent sites. People moved in beside us and were literally in our site because there wasn’t anything stopping them. Probably a better place for RV camping over tent camping.

• 

  Kerry M.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 25, 2021

  Riverview Park Campground

  Urban campground is near a busy highway

  This campground has many sites to choose from - RV with hookups as well as some non-electric tent sites. There are quite a few activities in Marshalltown, and it is within the Marshalltown city limits.

  The downside is proximity. It is right next to the highway. When I was there in a tent, the hog trucks would drive by all night (loud and smelly). The RV sites are closest to the road, so maybe it is not so bad in an RV, but it is not particularly enjoyable in a tent.

  Pros:

  + Marshalltown has quite a few places to eat

  + Nice bike trails (and a great bicycle store downtown)

  + It is near the Iowa River

  + Nice park in general with activities like a dog park

  + Camp host on-site

  + Decent sized campsites

  + Playground for the kids

  Cons:

  + It can get busy on a summer weekend

  + Noisy - right by the highway

  + Mosquitos are really bad here

• A

  Amanda H.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 19, 2023

  Wallashuck

  Convenience with some space

  We were able to camp in a tent near RVs without feeling crowded. The restrooms, showers, and playground were all close by…great for camping with kids. There were some nicer than ours and some with less privacy or further away than we’d prefer.

  A nice mix of convenience and privacy. Perfect location to showers and playground for kids. Ample space for our needs, but not overly private

• 

  Willy W.

  Ranger

  

  May. 31, 2020

  Newton KOA

  KOA is OK

  Newton KOA

  This is the primary location for camping in Newton. It’s right off interstate I-80 and is very close to the Iowa Speedway.

  There are places to go tent camping but it’s primarily setup for rvs. The tent camping spots have a picnic table and fire pit.

  The RV sports are pretty nice, most have the usual hookups. This place can get pretty busy when there is a race going on.

  There is a creek in the back and some pretty easy hiking trails to explore. There is a fish cleaning station near the creek. They do also have a pond with bass and bluegill. They also have a pool by the office but it’s currently being painted.

  Overall this is a pretty nice KOA and it’s very clean and maintained. You can hear the interstate but you get used to it.

• 

  Kaylinn W.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 8, 2019

  Hickory Grove Campground

  Little patch of heaven

  We go camping at Breezy Bay and it’s our favorite. We tent camp, so the modern bathrooms (with showers!!) is a huge plus. The spots are some of the biggest we’ve seen at any campground, so there aren’t many and it’s almost always quiet. Lots of trees for shade but the lake has trails and a swimming beach with watercraft rentals. Truly a hidden gem in central Iowa!

• M

  Mitch

  Guide

  

  May. 7, 2021

  Stoehr Fishing Area

  overnight tent only

  small park with maybe one primitive tent site no fire pit 24 hour is the length you can stay. 2 small fishing ponds.

• 

  Willy W.

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 1, 2020

  Mariposa Recreation Area

  Country Camping

  If you want to go out in the country and do some tent camping this is the place!

  The lake has been drained and dredged and is slowly filling back up. It’s pretty spacious and has lots of room for tent camping. I wouldn’t bring an RV here.

  There are bathroom facilities by the lake area and the camping area which is near the back.

  The fishing here used to be really good with catfish, bluegill, bass. They do allow boats (electric motor only), kayaks and canoes. I haven’t fished here since they updated the lake.

  There are hiking trails and one that goes to a back pond. There is a butterfly garden and playground for the kids to explore. There is also a shelter to have parties with picnic tables.

  It’s nice that’s it’s been updated and cleaned up.

• M

  Maybo H.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 2, 2021

  Grant Park (Warren County Consevation Board)

  Amazing free find

  Got here a bit late and almost didn’t get a site. Very clean and nice with grassy tent sites. Best free site I have ever been to.

• 

  Michael M.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 19, 2019

  Diamond Lake County Park

  Great view

  Fills up fast on rv side but great views. 1st come 1 serve. Lots of sites on the water and plenty of tent sites. Decent fishing, lots of bluegill and some crappie.

• 

  Ben K.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 28, 2023

  Thomas Mitchell County Park

  Clean and quiet in tent

  Spent 2 nights tent camping here. We stayed at site 4, glad I read reviews on here. I personally would not want to be in a site beyond number 7 as it gets too close to the dump station and subsequent “sewage lagoon”

  Shower house was clean, pretty quiet, and only 5 miles off the highway

• 

  Willy W.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 13, 2019

  Thomas Mitchell County Park

  Best little park

  Great place to go tent camping, very clean and quiet. They sell firewood bundles for $5. Easy trails for the kids to go hiking and playing in the creek to cool off in the heat. There is even a pond for fishing that you can take a trail from the campsite to. 100% going to go back and camp again.

• 

  Zachariah M.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 7, 2019

  Bob Shelter Recreation Area & Campground

  Nice spot

  I would suggest getting reservations. We stopped on a Friday with out one, they were booked. We only wanted one night in a tent. They don’t have designated tent sites but they have one overflow sight and they let us use it for the night. Price is great, $20 per night. Easy to get rvs into the spots and a lot to do for the kids.

• 

  Kerry M.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 29, 2021

  Union Grove State Park Campground

  Campsite at a beautiful little Iowa lake

  Union Grove is known for having good lake fishing. The lake is also a great place for kayaking or canoeing.

  The campground has mostly RV sites, but there are a handful of smaller tent sites at the back, which are my favorite. The campground is quiet.

  Amenities:

  Showers and toilets

  Dump station

  Water

  2 cabins

  Things to do nearby:

  Enjoy the lake

  Matchstick Marvels in nearby Gladbrook

• B

  Billy K.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 4, 2018

  Swede Point Park

  Hidden Gem

  Small county park with clean showers and restrooms. Several short trails, mile mile and a half maybe. Tent camping is always available (literally - was just there over Labor day weekend and had no trouble getting a spot on Saturday), with maybe 20 electric sites, no reservations. New this year is firewood for purchase. Not far from the famous High Trestle Trail for you bicycle enthusiasts! My wife and I teardrop trailer camp here as often as we can.

• 

  Max K.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 3, 2020

  George Wyth State Park Campground

  Good Base Camp to Explore Cedar Falls

  It was kind of loud, but it was busy. The lake for swimming was a little gross but we did it anyway. The bike trails are excellent and same for hiking. Bathrooms were a little old but clean when we were there, but there were massive hornets all over the bathroom area. It's also pretty bright here at night because it's right in the city. But overall, a decent, cheap place to tent camp if you want to explore Cedar Falls.

• 

  Christine R.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 11, 2021

  Rock Creek State Park Campground

  Early Spring Visit

  Used to go here as a kid, was always good fishing. We visited one week before the water and modern bathrooms were ready, so that was challenging. The park seemed a little rough to be on the cusp of true spring camping. Derecho looks to have hit here, lots of clean up to do. I never saw a ranger or any staff. Gorgeous tent camping area and waterfront sites. Great bike trail that goes right into Grinnell. We were in site 39 and it’s a great one!

• A

  Anthony W.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 3, 2022

  Adventureland Campground

  Parking more than camping

  I stayed at Adventureland for the summer months and had no issues. The staff was very helpful, plenty of laundry/restrooms throughout the campground and pretty clean overall. Concrete pads with full hook ups (30/50 amp, water and sewage) make setting up quick. Tent camping is an option in the back of the campground. Nature is not really the draw of this campground, convenience is more the approach. With a theme park on one side and a casino on the other, both in walking distance. It’s more of a park and party place hahaha

• 

  Kerry M.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 1, 2021

  Timmons Grove County Park

  Electric sites only, but beautiful area

  All campsites at Timmons Grove are$18/night and are electric. I have visited this place many times but only camped once. This place has never been busy when I have visited.

  I generally do not camp electric, so$18/night was steep for non-electric tent camping. There is no shower and the restroom is a port-a-potty.

  The area itself is really beautiful. There are good hiking trails, including a walk through some wildflowers. Bird watchers will love this place. Also expect to see deer and turkeys.

  There is boat access to the Iowa river as well as a public hunting area(I have not gone boating or fishing here, or hunting).

  Other than the nearby highway, which is not too bad for noise, the campground is really quiet.

  The price and the nearby highway are my only real complaints here. I am giving it 4 stars.

• 

  Kerry M.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 25, 2021

  Wolf Creek Rec Area

  Quiet campground in the heart of Iowa

  Wolf Creek is a nice little campground near Beaman, IA (Beaman is very small, near Conrad as well which has a grocery store).

  There are 10 RV sites, which are $15/night and several tent/small camper sites which are $10/night.

  The campground has potable water but no showers. There are vault toilets.

  The campground has a nice playground, which was a feature we enjoyed when my daughter was little.

  My favorite part about this campground is the privacy. The tent sites are spread out and it is fairly easy to find one without neighbors too close.

  Activities:

  + Playground

  + Creek fishing

  + Nice benches and swings

  + Comet trail for hiking and biking

  + Hunting nearby

• 

  Whitney S.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 9, 2022

  Yellow Banks County Park

  Ever changing

  I camped here in 2021 and I enjoyed it but the first night I was there I ran my vehicle down the second night I was there I took a tour on the campgrounds and got verbally accosted but another camper for walking near their campground and then I mistakenly left some food out and my dog and I were woken up by wild dogs.
  In 2022 I came out again and it was a much better adventure the campgrounds are beautiful they have two different electric sights and they have a newly furnished tent site.

• P

  Patti M.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 18, 2018

  Cherry Glen Campground

  Relaxing in the beauty that is Iowa

  Went in without a reservation. No problem. Pleasantly surprised to find out it's an Army Corps of Engineers park; meaning if you have a annual National Parks pass, you get a discount. Didn't know that. We paid $11 for a tent site. Lots of RV sites around. The whole area around Saylorville Lake has camping. Lush green plots of land everywhere. I forget how pretty it is in the Midwest when I'm gone for so long. Quiet, relaxing place. Friendly staff. We took a long walk through the campground and others nearby. Boating and swimming in the lake.

• 

  Willy W.

  Ranger

  

  May. 31, 2020

  Adventureland Campground

  It’s an adventure.

  This is a great spot if you plan on staying in the area and want to go to Adventure Land or Prairie Meadows. There are lots of restaurants near by like Spectators and Jethro’s BBQ.

  As far as the RV park goes it’s pretty busy, mostly small families and older folks. The lots aren’t very big and you are kind of packed in there. They have a swimming pool and a fishing pond. The office also has a little store to buy goods.

  They do have a small area to tent camp in. I probably would stick go rv though. There are also comfort stations lol for showers and bathrooms.

  They do also sell firewood and during July 4th Adventure land puts on a really great fireworks show.

• 

  Kerry M.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 29, 2021

  T. F. Clark Co Park

  Off the beaten path county park in Iowa

  This campground offered much privacy when I went - I was the only person camping (tent camping). It was very quiet.

  That being said, there are not many amenities. It has a vault toilet. I did not check the water hydrant, or even try to locate it, since I brought my own water for one night of camping. There is a small playground for the kids, but it is definitely not a modern playground (think back to the 1970's style playground when I was a kid!).

  There are opportunities to hike and view wildlife - my favorite outdoor activities.

  This campground is a real bargain. It was $10/night for any site, including the electric (I stayed in one of the non-electric sites near the back).

  For me, it offers solitude. I will be coming back regularly.

• 

  j B.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 17, 2021

  Swede Point Park

  Great camping experience

  This county park has many amenities not to mention that it is close to a very popular bike trail (High Tressel Trail Bridge). There are a few miles of mowed trails along with a couple of trail through the woods up and down hills. Do you like volleyball? They have that and ahalf court basketball too. If your family or group likes games, the park maintains a flat well groomed area for play games. The bathroom/shower house has music 🎶. Wood is for sale. I plan to return. Plan to get here Wednesday or Thursday because this park is FIRST COME basis. NO RESERVATIONS! AndALL of the electrical sites were full Thursday evening. There were plenty on tent sites still available.

• 

  Willy W.

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 1, 2020

  Rock Creek State Park Campground

  Rock Creek Rocks

  Rock Creek is known for its crappie and large mouth bass fishing. The lake has lots of features like brush piles, vertical structures, mossy areas and you can go over by the bridge and fish the rocks. It’s a great place if you have a boat or kayak/canoe.

  The camping is very nice. There are RV electrical sites available along with water/sewage. Most of them have tables also. The spots aren’t huge but there are lots of places to camp. On the weekends it’s pretty busy but during the weekday it empties out.

  The tent camping side is really big also and it’s hardly ever filled up. You can reserve some spots right on the water and fish from your tent. Most all the sites have their own fire ring and some have tables.

  There are lots of restroom facilities located around the lake that are pretty clean.

  For activities you can go hiking, fishing, there is disc golf and there is a beach to go swimming in. Morel mushroom hunting is pretty popular here in the wood areas. They have grill pits to grill on and picnic tables through out the area. There are also some playgrounds for the little ones to play in.

  I highly recommend this place.

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 1, 2024

  Newton KOA

  This KOA Deserves Your Attention

  Literally a single stone’s throw from I80, one of the busiest thoroughfares you’ll find yourself on here in the great ‘Hawkeye State,’ this is one campground that very much deserves your attention, despite being a KOA. In fact, this campground outpost is so close to the highway that you’ll be hard pressed not to see or hear it during your entire stay. While this KOA does sit down a bit from the hustle & bustle that comes with a major interstate highway, a good number of the available RV sites sit on a sloping hill that is the same elevation as the highway itself, so if you do have the choice, opt for the lower sites (more on that later). 

  Sitting just 30 minutes east of Des Moines, Newton KOA offers up about 100 sites for RVs and 5th wheelers offering up all the standard hook-ups (water, sewage and 30 / 50 amp- but be careful because some sites only offer 30 or 50, while some do offer both, so be sure to ask when making your reservation). For mi tent pitching bredren, there’s about a dozen or so sites to choose from and all are fairly intermingled with the RV sites, although each site does sit on a plush patch of grass, so this KOA does a nice job on that front of integration. Oh, and if you don’t have an RV, 5th wheeler or a tent, on worries, this KOA will rent you one of its three cabins. 

  As this is a KOA you can expect a ton of amenities and this place does not disappoint with: catch & release fishing pond w/ fish cleaning station (that is oddly placed about as far away from the fishing pond as you can get), disc golf course, K9 camp for the puppies, cable TV, WiFi, in-ground pool (available 5/25 until 9/3) with ADA pool lift, horseshoes, meeting rooms, firewood for sale, LP gas refueling station, pool table, shuffleboard, social lounge, two kids playground, laundr-O-mat, basketball court, restroom & shower facilities, mini-market with basic groceries, ping pong, jump pad, game room, gaga pit, designated dumpster and dump station and of course the scattered fire pits and picnic tables. Just to go above and beyond, this KOA serves up free breakfast of flapjacks on Saturdays. Yahoo! 

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Whether you are pitching a tent or pulling up in your RV, the best sites IMHO are those in the lower valley, but located right in front of the main office, where there are 6 RV slots numbered #45 – 50 and 6 tent sites numbered T1 – T6; (2) Should you get hungry and might want to try some local fare, check out Taco John’s and La Cabaña Mexican Restaurant, which I guess stand for ‘local’ around here, although there is Newton Family Restaurant. If you are looking for something really different and amazing, I would suggest heading on over to Dan’s Sandwich Shop, which feels like real Americana from a bygone era, complete with a diner-esque vibe and matching elbow counter to warm up to over a nice piece of apple pie, scoop of ice cream washed down with a hot mug of coffee; (3) While this KOA has a mini-market, you will find a bigger selection with better prices just down the road at the local Walmart, where just due west of this, you’ll find a Hy-Vee Grocery store with a wine & spirits shop positioned there as well. Further down the road, you have excellent fresh cut meat from Fareway Grocery, but check out the local hotspot, Newton Market as well; and (4) While what you will discover from an outdoor standpoint at Newton KOA is interesting, if you want something more substantial, head to Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens for 6 acres of family-friendly landscape to explore with more displays and demonstrations that you can shake a stick at! Seriously, there’s a butterfly garden, peony border and nearly 200 individual species of trees here to check out. 

  Happy Camping!