Best Equestrian Camping near Mineola, IA

To be perfectly honest we camp at Nodaway often- but that because of its location - close to work and such. However there are limited activities at Nodaway.

The camp sites are nice and large- easy to get into and each one had its own water and electric. There are 11 on what we call the upper circle and 4 on the lower circle. The bath house is located at the far end so if you are on the lower circle or at the end it can be a walk. It isn't fancy by any means- a single sink, toilet, and shower in the same room- one for each sex. It gets the job done- but it is no frills. There is a dump station centrally located that you can easily pull up to on your way out.

The park is big- lots of trails for hiking and horses. They are usually very well maintained- they keep them mowed in nice wide paths and the trails range from nice and flat to a bit more steep.

There is a little pond but there are no fish in it and it could use some work- lots of moss and such.

There are several different picnic areas and a second bathroom away from the campgrounds. The playground is outdated but there is a large area where kids can play soccer or tag and while the equipment is old it is not in bad shape.

There is a beautiful look out area (away from the camprounds) that looks over Clarinda and is very nice to watch the annual 4th of July fireworks from the Clarinda A's baseball team.

We love Nodaway not because of the amenities but because we can all get together and be close to work/school/home. Camping here does require some yard games and activities for entertainment- but you are just a couple minutes from the store if you forget something!

Be careful not to drive by Hucklebarney Woods, if you're not careful you will pass it by. There is a sign but it is not very visible and you may have to hit your brakes pretty hard, so be careful.

The first entrance to the park is an equestrian campground that was closed when I arrived. Don't stop there, keep driving another 300 yards and you will find the main entrance to the park.

For a county park with limited resources it meets expectations. The biggest detractor is all of the goose poop but I suppose you can live with that, especially if you are pulling a camper. You can't swim in the pond but the views are nice. I would honestly say that this is not where I would choose to camp but it is a great place to stop and have a picnic.

Stayed one night on Sept 4. Camped at site 35 in the non-equestrian campground; non-electric fee $15. Parked van on the grass at this site. Like nearly all of the sites in this campground, this site was close to the campground road. Overall, I felt that the campsites were all bunched together - offering no privacy and spacing between sites. The shower house was closed during our visit. Water was also turned off at the wayer pumps in the campground. There was one single vault toilet available for all of the campers; it was reasonably clean. Wayne, the campground host, was nice & helpful. There is a self-serve firewood station in the campground; cost is either $5 or $10, depending on the amount of wood you purchase. The campsites have a picnic table & metal fire ring. I wasn't too pleased with this campground, but I was very happy with the nearby hiking trails within the park. It's a pretty state park with hills & lush forest. The day use areas looked great. I recommend those traveling along I-29 to stop at this park - not necessarily for the camping, but for the hiking. Had some T-Mobile 4G service.