Best Tent Camping near Mason City, IA
Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Mason City? Finding a place to camp in Iowa with your tent has never been easier. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Best Tent Sites Near Mason City, Iowa (15)
1. Rice Lake Wildlife Management Area
1 Review•4 Photos•24 SavesLeland, Iowa- Pets
- Phone Service
- ADA Access
- Tents
- Dispersed
- Drinking Water
5. Colwell County Park
Be the first to review!•1 PhotoFloyd, IowaThis peaceful primitive campground includes a picnic shelter, pit toilet and fishing access to the Little Cedar River. Purchased in 1966, this park is managed for camping, picnicking, and wildlife viewing.
- Pets
- Fires
- ADA Access
- Tents
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Trash
7. South Fork Access
Be the first to review!•1 SaveHampton, IowaDespite only being 10 acres, South Fork Park has much to offer. For anglers, this park offers access to the West Fork River and a 3 acre lake. In addition to its aquatic resources, the area provides a small variety of upland game and waterfowl hunting. Primitive camping is allowed but no water resources or toilet facilities are available.
- Pets
- Tents
Recent Tent Reviews near Mason City, IA
174 Reviews of 15 Mason City Campgrounds
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Cheryl W.
Guide
White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park
Nice state park
This is a rustic state park with limited amenities. There are no water or electric hook ups. However clean water is available in the park. The park does have flush toilets and showers. We found these to be in good condition and clean. The showers had warm water. The water stream is on a timer and so are the lights. The shower stalls are Individual stalls. The interior roads are dirt roads with a few potholes they are very narrow. The camping sites are nice sized and relatively private. There is a gravel pad on each site and some have a tent pad. Each site had a picnic table and a fire ring. There are plenty of walking and biking trails and there are walk-in tent camp sites. However, you cannot see the lake from the campground and there is no access to the lake from the campground. We were able to drive through the campground with our 40 foot fifth wheel. But just barely, be careful! 
- EmilyGuide
Beeds Lake State Park — Beed's Lake State Park
Great Variety!
Good variety of activites to do, with lots of camping sites- including some right next to the lake. We went tent camping and had a great time. Would recommend as a great fishing destination. Also very cool to see the Dam, with a great walking path.
- EmilyGuide
Eldred Sherwood Park
Small, but perfect.
Had a great time tent camping in the primitive area. It was cold so we didn't get to enjoy the water but we did enjoy a nice walk around the lake. The facilities were not open when we were there in late April, but they looked nice from the outsode.
- CCari B.
TravelerBeeds Lake State Park — Beed's Lake State Park
Lovely campground and park
Very well maintained campground in a small but lovely park. Host was very nice and there were lots of open spots on a Saturday in late September. Loved our tent site with a short walk to the lake and clean bathrooms
- Nichole M.
ScoutRudd Eastside Park
Super fun and kid friendly !!
Loved camping here, we have 4-5 times already this year! We tent camped but they’ve got lots of spaces for campers and tents as well, bathrooms are close, there is a nice lake near with play equipment located at the lake and at the campground, the campground has old bikes for the kids to use, everyone there is so nice! We love it
- Jennifer D.Traveler
Beeds Lake State Park — Beed's Lake State Park
Nice small park
First time at Beeds Lake. Easy access to most sites as many are parallel parking style. Lots of shade on the outer sites, plenty of tent sites as well. Camp hosts were available and helpful. This will be in our list of places to return to.
- SSydneyScout
Oakwoods Trails Campground
Lovely campground with lots of trees!
This is a great campground with lots of shade and spacious tent pads! The large oak trees throughout the campground made for beautiful scenery and nice spots to string a hammock up. My site was right next to the bathroom building which did have a light on all night, but I had an eye mask so that didn’t bother me. $25/night for a tent site
Katie J.GuideBeeds Lake State Park — Beed's Lake State Park
Tent sites
Great state park for a quiet weekend trip. Tons of great tent sites, but it seemed like the RV spots were pretty close together. We stayed at #142 and it was the perfect tent location. Right on the water, distanced from our site neighbors, and a sandbar nearby for some fishing. The swimming beach was gross, but the hiking trail was great for an easy walk with kids.
- Desiree R.Guide
MacNider Campground
Peace in the city
This campground is just across the river from East Park, a very large part in Mason city. The river flows through the park and there are several, maybe 5 playgrounds in the park. The campground is also next door to the city pool.
- DDeanna J.Guide
White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park
Woodland/Prairie/Wetland
We spent four nights tent camping at the White Fox Campground of Myre-Big Island State Park in June 2022. This park is a combination woodland/prairie/wetland setting. The White Fox Campground is on the fringes of a woodland. Our campsite was grassy and open with trees and shrubs curving along the back of the site. The site had the usual fire ring with grill and a large picnic table.
There are some nice trails for hiking through woodlands and prairie and alongside wetlands. We saw a lot of wildlife: several deer, red squirrels, chipmunks, a raccoon, a woodchuck, lots of different birds, and several different types of butterflies. In the mornings the birdsong was pretty amazing, loud and long lasting.
There are two freeways and a rail line near the park, but the noise from them was only bothersome on one morning of our stay.
There is a second campground on the Big Island portion of the park. Big Island is wooded and has some beautiful trails that we enjoyed.
- DDeanna J.Guide
White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park
Delayed Autumn
We tent camped at Myre-Big Island State Park in Minnesota from September 30 to October 3, 2022. The weather was warmer than usual at this time of year, and the fall color development was a couple weeks behind normal. It was cool but beautiful during the daytime (light jacket/sweater weather). The temperature dropped at night but didn’t require anything more than our sleeping bags to keep us warm. The earlier sunset meant meal cooking and cleanup needed to be a bit earlier, but it also meant longer time for beautiful campfires in the evenings.
The trails were in great shape and beautiful with past-peak grasses and developing colors in the trees. Most of the wildflowers were done for the year, but some were still in bloom. Deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and lots of birds were active near the trails and campgrounds.
We have camped here previously, in early summer. Then the bugs were abundant and aggressive on the Big Island trails. During this fall trip, there were very few.
- BBrandon P.Scout
Shellrock River Co Preserve
It’s nice quiet to listen to old podcast. Have a fire. Not much more is needed
It’s quiet, clean, and has some pretty views of the Iowa nite sky
Taylor A.GuideSportsman Park
Nice small place
Good little campground with tent,cabins and rv sites and reasonable
- MMichael N.Traveler
Prairie Bridges Park
Very nice!
Great small town campground. Very quiet, especially on weekdays. Great place to take long walks with great paths and scenery. Small town Iowa with convenience store close by.
- EEmma N.Traveler
Eldred Sherwood Park
Hidden gem (in a cornfield)
This is about as "middle of nowhere" as you can get in Iowa 🙂! The campground offers both electric RV sites and primitive sites (with an accompanying bathhouse ~500 feet away)
The park offers a couple nice walking paths both forested and prairie. The lake is small, but I'm told has some good fishing.
Alyssa D.Guide
Wilkinson
Good for free camping!
Large open field next to some woods with some fire pits and one “site” has a picnic table and a small covering. It’s good for what it is, free camping! We’ve gone a few times, it’s first come first serve, no reservations. Not really much hiking but an okay spot if you’re just looking for a place to pitch a tent and have a fire.
Troy L.GuideWhite Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park
Awesome Site
Facilities are top notch and private. The nicest showed and restroom you can imagine. Large tent pads and a quiet area. Not busy when we went. There is a small hiking trail as well. The lake isn’t anything spectacular, it’s quite dirty but we were only there for a night.
- Hannah H.Guide
Lake Louise State Park Campground
Lake Louise Summer
Good time! It rained and was a little muddy, but it was nice. Site 11 is kind of small for a large tent like we have. The group sites are close by and they were quite loud, but the rest of the park was nice and quiet. There is horse camping here, and the lake is nice for swimming.
Kerry M.
RangerBeeds Lake State Park — Beed's Lake State Park
Camping by a beautiful lake
Beeds Lake campground offers an opportunity to camp by a picturesque lake with a beautiful waterfall.
There are many campsites to choose from. My only negative point for Beeds Lake is that the campground is very "campgroundy". Many of the RV sites are very close together, which is the norm in Iowa. However, there are a few on the outskirts that have a little more privacy.
Things to do:
- Nice trails to hike or bike
- Beautiful small lake, great for kayaking and fishing
- Paddle boat rental available
- Man-made waterfall
- Fishing (lake and beneath the waterfall)
- Enjoy the nearby town of Hampton
- TTorey H.Guide
Oakwoods Trails Campground
Quiet Farm Campground
Clean and well maintained campground about a quarter mile past owner’s farm buildings. Signs for registration are easy to follow, stop at the Office (garage) to check in. Cash or check only, no cards. Campground was very nice with mature trees. Bathroom and shower available. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. Some sites suitable for hammock camping. If you need a level site for a rooftop tent be sure to ask, my site was easily switched after I did. Overall very nice experience.
Matt S.
Legend
McIntosh Woods State Park Campground
Leave your Apple Macintosh computer at home and spend the night at McIntosh Woods State Park
Clear Lake is a popular place to spend time in North Central Iowa. McIntosh Woods State Park is right on the lake front. The campground is not on the lake, but it has some nice shade with open space.
It also has Yurts to rent as well. There is a large station for cleaning fish and a huge picnic area with wide open space and a nice playground. There is a beach for swimming but there is no lifeguard on duty. There is also a boat ramp and a few docks for launching.
This is a great campground if you like to boat or fish. Before you get in the water make sure you check with the locals to make sure there is no harmful algae. This is a great place to spend the weekend.
- PPeter H.Guide
Thorpe Park
Really neat little park
Gorgeous little park right on a series of small lakes. Camping is in grassy and forested area. You dive on grass and park next to a table and power outlet. Many of these spots are not level and seem better suited to tents than larger RVs but some spots could work for vans, class C or small class A RVs. I also saw one cabin for rent. This is all near the water and has bathrooms and a water faucet. I also noticed pretty good AT&T cell coverage here. This area has historically been bad for cell coverage so maybe that is improving.
Steph H.LegendLake Louise State Park Campground
Great Group Site
Our group of 12 stayed at one of the two group sites at Lake Louise State Park. Our site holds up to 30 and the neighboring site holds up to 50. Our site was a beautiful spot with large shade trees, three picnic tables and two fire pits. We also had a large grassy area to play and an area to put up our tents that was away from the activities. A vault toilet was beside us but it was also for the other group site so they had to constantly walk thru our site to get to it. The trails were nice but small and the beach is not recommended. Even though it's part of a river it was very stagnant yucky water and dirty sand.
Chloe T.Traveler
Myre State Park Campgrounds
Beautiful and easy to get to backpacking sites
Sites are approximately 2 miles from parking and the hike it relatively easy with minimal elevation change. You have a choice between a grassy walk or walking mainly on tar and gravel as part of the Blazing Star Trail. They are also accessible by boat.
There are 4 backpacking sites and they are well-spaced so you each have privacy. #3 and #4 are close enough that you could be in a group together but #1 and #2 are pretty isolated. Each site has a fire pit, picnic table, wood cabinet/fish cleaning table, at least 1 flat spot for a tent, and a nearby porta potty.
Views of the lake are amazing with a variety of birds making appearances. Harvesting season may bring some farm sounds but otherwise, aside from the occasional train, you'll mainly hear the sounds of nature around you.
If you can make the walk carrying everything, including water, on your back, definitely check out one of these sites.
Lee D.Legend
Pilot Knob State Park — Pilot Knob State Preserve
Layout of campground would be challenging if full
General: A mixture of tent (non-electric) and electric sites, mostly arranged in several rows.
Site Quality: Mixed. Not all sites are level, and most do not have delineated parking pads (there is a small pavement indent to show where to access the site). A fire pit and picnic table complete the site. Most of the sites are too close together for our liking, however, when we were there (a Monday at the end of August, the day before school started), we were only one of three sites occupied so for our stay it didn’t matter.
Bathhouse: Basic but clean. My biggest complaint is there were no hooks or shelves for toiletries by the sinks. The showers looked nice but we did not use them.
Activities: Horseback riding (there are trails for this), hiking, fishing. Although we did see several trailheads, I did not have a map so didn’t explore them. There is an observation tower, but it is a two-mile walk/drive from the campground (on paved roads; I didn’t try to find hiking trails to get there).
Misc: A shout-out to the great host, Pam, who greeted us as we arrived. The observation tower, entrance gates, and picnic shelter were all constructed by the CCC and were beautiful. It almost seemed like the campground was an afterthought as it is outside the entrance gates and nowhere near the tower. The layout of the campground would be challenging if all sites were occupied.
- Rachel O.Guide
Myre State Park Campgrounds
Bird Songs/Sounds Galore at BP1
You have to check-in at the camp office, which closes at 8pm. I didn’t realize this and arrived at 8:20pm and probably made the nice state park lady work late. Don’t be me.
This remote site is about a mile hike in from the parking area. Easy/moderate hike in. Saw 6 or 7 deer hiking in. At my site, BP1 or backpack 1 or R1, you have water access nearby so prep for the sounds of waterfowl. PELICANS! They flap loudly when entering or exiting the water. Very cool to watch. I wasn’t bothered by it, just a surprise. Other posts somewhere on the internet mentioned the interstate noise being an issue at this site-I did not have that experience. Occasionally, I’d hear the revving of someone’s extremely loud motorcycle or semi engine (maybe 5 times total) in the distance, but the nature sounds covered it for me. I woke up to so many bird sounds. The 2 crows were annoying but fortunately they took off and I got to hear the songbirds more clearly.
The site itself was very nice. Partially shaded, but also allowed for sunshine during the day. The park provides firewood at the backpacking sites, which is nice since this park has a no firewood collecting rule. Flat, clear areas to pitch your tent.
- NNichole H.Scout
MacNider Campground
Quaint city campground
This campground is fairly small but fits our 43’ rig well. The ground and well kept and staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. There is a nice playground on site plus the city pool is right next door. There are also awesome parks within walking distance. If we ever come through this area again we will definitely be staying here!
Guide to Mason City
Mason City, Iowa, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for a peaceful escape. From scenic views to essential amenities, there’s something for everyone.
Local Attractions for Tent Campers
- Enjoy the serene environment at Shellrock River Co Preserve, where you can unwind by the river and take in the natural beauty.
- Explore the fishing opportunities at Rice Lake Wildlife Management Area, a well-reviewed spot known for its quiet atmosphere and scenic overlook.
- Visit Chickasaw Park, a unique area that was once a quarry, offering swimming and fishing at your own risk.
Tent Camping Prices Near Mason City
- Camping at Shellrock River Co Preserve is free, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious campers.
- For a small fee of around $10 per night, you can stay at Chickasaw Park, which provides a primitive camping experience.
- River Ranch Camping offers a backwoods camping vibe with essential amenities, perfect for those looking for a rustic experience.
Tips for Tent Camping Near Mason City
- Bring your own firewood when visiting Shellrock River Co Preserve, as firewood is not provided on-site.
- Be prepared for a primitive experience at Chickasaw Park, where facilities are limited, including no showers or trash disposal.
- If you’re looking for a quiet spot, Rice Lake Wildlife Management Area is a great choice, but be aware that it can get crowded if other campers are present.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Mason City, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Mason City, IA is Rice Lake Wildlife Management Area with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Mason City, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 15 tent camping locations near Mason City, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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