Best Tent Camping near Missouri Valley, IA

Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Missouri Valley? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Missouri Valley, including sites, reviews, and tips. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Iowa camping adventure.

Best Tent Sites Near Missouri Valley, IA (9)


Recent Tent Reviews in Missouri Valley

423 Reviews of 9 Missouri Valley Campgrounds


  • C
    Camper-submitted photo from Bob Hardy RV Park
    Nov. 14, 2024

    Bob Hardy RV Park

    Campsite

    Cute little campground, electrical only. Picnic table and grill at each site. No fires. Shower house available until it's gets down to freezing weather. Dump station and water fill.

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Jones Pond
    Nov. 4, 2024

    Jones Pond

    Hidden Gem

    Very quiet and peaceful place I have been there few times and I never see anyone else around. There is no bathroom or drinking water so make sure you are ready for that. October is a very colorful time of the year very peaceful the pond for what I heard isn’t a good place for fishing but just a mile away there is a hunting park highly recommend it

  • stephen W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Hitchcock County Nature Center
    Oct. 11, 2024

    Hitchcock County Nature Center

    Stay for the trails

    I pulled in late at night easy to navigate stayed the next day and did some trails apparently the land formations are 1 of only 2 in the world how about that Iowa.

  • Pat V.
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Wanahoo State Recreation Area
    Oct. 4, 2024

    Lake Wanahoo State Recreation Area

    Quiet and relaxed weekend

    It’s been a few years since we stayed at Lake Wanahoo, but we decided to stay there over our anniversary weekend. The place is still great, and this time of year it was very quiet and peaceful.

    I was able to fish at the lake, we used the trails for walking and biking. Being close to town allowed us to have a great anniversary dinner at a steakhouse!

    We are definitely going to be using it more!

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds
    Sep. 25, 2024

    Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

    Cheap and easy to get to from the highway

    This is a no-frills stop off on a road trip kind of place. The bathrooms were pretty gross and there are lights on all night so hopefully you have a blackout tent or good shades on your RV. It's nothing to write home about but it was quiet and I slept well. I would stay again

  • B
    Camper-submitted photo from Hitchcock County Nature Center
    Sep. 19, 2024

    Hitchcock County Nature Center

    Meh, for tent camping

    Stopped overnight in late August. Did not want to drag our gear up/down a hill to the tent campsites in the lower loop. Paid more to stay in the upper RV loop where we listened to a neighbor's generator all night. Pretty buggy. Showers/toilets okay. Note there are at least 2 railroads running nearby in the wee hours of the morning. Also, this is on the flight path for jets leaving (I assume) the Omaha airport. Not a restful night--won't be back.

  • K
    Camper-submitted photo from Platte River State Park Campground
    Sep. 16, 2024

    Platte River State Park Campground

    Just one night

    If you don’t mind lugging your stuff to your tent spot, it’s primitive, no frills camping at its finest! We chose the closest spot to the vault toilets. There are only 4. It’s a bit off the beaten path but we got to enjoy the beautiful horses. Bonus!

  • Jason G.
    Camper-submitted photo from Military Park Camp Ashland Campground
    Sep. 14, 2024

    Military Park Camp Ashland Campground

    Unimpressed

    I planned an event at this military installation because of pricing and being a gated community.  The prices are good and the overall area is clean but the reason for the rating given is below:

    Due to this being a military site with a managed gate, ID or authorization roster is required...I submitted and got my roster approved within the allotted time only to find out that it was not shared with the gate guards so no one was being let in.  The keys for each facility had issues like broken locks or no pin code given for the key system to even get the keys.  The cabins are nice but not very well cleaned and the emergency phone number that is provided is a great feature although no one answered it. 

    If you find yourself looking for a venue for your event, pass on this one.  Too much hassle for the money saved.  I wish the state of Nebraska could figure out how to hire competent people to manage their facilities.

  • Steve R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Decatur Bend Access
    Sep. 10, 2024

    Decatur Bend Access

    Quiet and safe. Been twice now

    We live(my dog and I) on a motorcycle - think Van Life on two wheels. A quiet place to put up a tent is so welcome. There are no amenities. It's strictly dry and pack out but a great place for a few tents or a couple vans. Highly motorcycle travel recommended

  • Christopher W.
    Camper-submitted photo from Hildreth Lighthouse Campground
    Jul. 30, 2024

    Hildreth Lighthouse Campground

    Nice flat piece of grass

    Stayed July 2024,

    Good: Flat piece of grass to place two tents for only $ 20 bucks. Just what I needed at 10pm 

    Bad: One quote from son sums it nicely, "saw the mens room and so used the women's". Also, two miles of dirt road was less than fun. Would have been nice if the pay station had more directions.

    Future: I would remember to make a reservation at the KOA 10 minutes away.

  • C
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Manawa State Park Campground
    Jul. 26, 2024

    Lake Manawa State Park Campground

    Not great for tents

    This campsite seems nice, but with blaring Omaha heat and no trees, the heat here is absolutely brutal. It was mid July and still 96 degrees at 7:00pm, so I ended up leaving knowing it would be too hot for a comfortable night sleep. Beautiful view of the lake and short walk to the swimming beach.

  • Kyla B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Dead Timber State Rec Area
    Jul. 21, 2024

    Dead Timber State Rec Area

    Quiet retreat

    There are areas dedicated for daily use, primitive camping and electric sites. Great Lake for kayaking or a small jon boat. Has restrooms available, no showers. No dumpsite. Fire pit and picnic table available at sites.

    Appears to be a quiet retreat with minimal campers.

  • Randall K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Bluffs Run RV Park at Horseshoe Casino
    Jul. 19, 2024

    Bluffs Run RV Park at Horseshoe Casino

    Simple, easy and free

    Great spot! Easy on/off. Was $45 for overnight with amenities.

    We opted for the free stay which was great. Nice, flat parking lot with other rv’s and tractor trailers off to the side.

    Slept great. Used the casino bathrooms and really liked it for a free overnight. Casino is fun too!

    Would def stay here again. Felt very safe and well lit. Noise was minimal and only came from the tractor trailers. If I had parked at the other end I wouldn’t have even heard it.

    Got take out from Modern Love to bring back. Molo is amazing - all vegan and most GF too. Never pass through Omaha without a visit there. Great way to end the night.

  • W
    Camper-submitted photo from Memphis Lake State Rec Area
    Jul. 17, 2024

    Memphis Lake State Rec Area

    Nice simple campground

    Don’t forget the day use fee it’s $14 a day for out of state and seven dollars in state A decent number of mosquitoes on my visit in July in the evening

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Hitchcock County Nature Center
    Jul. 5, 2024

    Hitchcock County Nature Center

    Amazing!!

    We camp all the time at different locations, and I 100% recommend this campground! The hosts are so polite and helpful and they keep the place immaculate. Even the pit toilets were spotless and didn’t smell. The hosts went around several times a day collecting trash and even mopping the pit bathrooms. Camping here also gives you access to the playground and nature trails into some beautiful countryside. The only downside is bring several bottles of bugspray, the mosquitos are terrible!

  • Madison H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Arrowhead Park Pottawattamie County Park
    Jul. 5, 2024

    Arrowhead Park Pottawattamie County Park

    10 out of 10

    This was the perfect place for us — just passing through on our way out to Wyoming. This camp ground is awesome all around — especially for tent campers. Absolutely beautiful views of the lake and so many open camp sites even on the 4th of July. I wish we could have spent more time here.

  • C
    Camper-submitted photo from Eugene T. Mahoney State Park Campground
    Jun. 20, 2024

    Eugene T. Mahoney State Park Campground

    Great stay passing through

    Populated but spacious. Friendly staff. Lots of greenery and trees. Only stayed one night but the list of activities seemed great. Safe, relaxing place. Bathrooms and showers could use some work but I was happy for a warm shower after traveling so long. Highway and trains can be heard from a distance but I found it soothing.

  • AUDREY S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Weeping Water
    Jun. 18, 2024

    Weeping Water

    Stopped for RV dump only

    Did not stop to Camp!!, only dumped my tanks and filled up water. Wish I would’ve stayed. Looks like a very well done out-of-the-way and quaint park. $20 for dumping, or camping and dumping, seven dollars for tent campers.

  • TThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Huff - Warner Access Area
    Jun. 15, 2024

    Huff - Warner Access Area

    Nice campground with easy access

    Clean and mostly well-kept campground. Much nicer than I had expected. Has on-site host, but we didn't see much of her/him/them. Had good cell service (ATT).

    The only serious complaint I can make is that the water, while potable (so we were told), has a very, very strong iron/metallic taste. To the point that, for us, it was undrinkable.

    The campsite we chose was level, concrete, and cost $20 (the site we wanted by the water had electric). Very little shade though, which made it really hot (other sites had more shade).

    Other observations: 

    The river current is quite fast here. I wouldn't plan on letting my kids or dogs get into the water, except to, maybe, wade at the boat ramp where it is protected from the current by small islands where the creek comes in.

    They have a table near the boat ramp that, I assume, is for cleaning your caught fish. If it matters, it did not have running water.

    The small dock from the boat access area felt unstable and one had to step across a couple of rocks to get to it from land, maybe because the river level was up(?).

    Of the 4 bathroom/shower combination rooms in the bathhouse, only two were unlocked. That said, we were the only tent campers and the RV campers didn't seem to be using them. And they were clean and in good repair.

    Our campsite was right next to the facility loading/unloading barges next to the campground. (They were unloading dried soybeans while we were there.) There are also security lights, but the light is mostly blocked by the trees at night. They start work at 7am and seem to stop at 4pm during the week. 

    I would call this location reasonably quiet. But not absolutely quiet. There is noise from various sources at various times: the loading/unloading from the barges, the farming going on across the road from the campground, boats going up or down the river, and, minimally, the sound from the traffic on the highway. So not absolutely quiet, but it wasn't loud enough or continual enough to detract from the stay.

    Lastly, it probably doesn't need to be said, but I didn't think of it before our stay (duh), so just a reminder. You're camping by a river (i.e., water), so there are many, many flying insects. Be sure to have insect repellent, as they are merciless.

  • a
    Camper-submitted photo from Arrowhead Park Pottawattamie County Park
    Jun. 15, 2024

    Arrowhead Park Pottawattamie County Park

    Perfect getaway

    Perfect place to get away for the weekend. Grounds are clean bathrooms are clean. Shout out to Dave the park ranger for being very generous. We drove from Davenport to stay here for Father’s Day weekend and we will definitely be back. You also can tent camp right next to the water as well. Love it!

  • Michael M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Two Rivers State Recreation Area
    Jun. 9, 2024

    Two Rivers State Recreation Area

    Quick getaway to nature

    A short drive from Omaha, two rivers offers generally clean TV and tent camping sites across multiple campgrounds. I camped right by the river. Also a short walk to the outhouse and playground. Fun and quick trip if you’re in the Omaha area. My boys (4&7) loved it.

  • C
    Camper-submitted photo from Czechland Lake Recreation Area
    May. 5, 2024

    Czechland Lake Recreation Area

    Great first come first serve campground

    This is a nice small campground that is well taken care of. We stayed at site number 8 which may be one of the more unlevel spots. The passenger side of our 5th wheel was about 7" lower than driver side and rear of fifth wheel was about 3" lower than front before we levelled out. 

    Pros:

    -Well maintained walking trails that are perfect for dogs

    -Most sites have 30 and 50 amp hookups

    -Fire rings and picnic tables at most sites

    -$18 a night for electric hookups

    -Quiet

    Cons:

    -Some sites are very unlevel  

    -No water or dump station

  • Paula C.
    Camper-submitted photo from Bluffs Run RV Park at Horseshoe Casino
    May. 5, 2024

    Bluffs Run RV Park at Horseshoe Casino

    Great Free Stop

    We called the casino & they told us we could park in the lot for free. If you want electricity & ahowers, you can pay. We just needed a place to sleep as there are not a lot of campgrounds here. Highway was a bit noisy and a distant train was heard twice through the night. No one bothered us which was all we needed! Got a shower at a nearby truck stop. Big open lot with lots of space. Also had a dumpter I made use of (small bag of car trash).

  • CThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Hitchcock County Nature Center
    Apr. 10, 2024

    Hitchcock County Nature Center

    One of the best places ever.

    Only spent one night but would have stayed longer if we would have had time. Nice clean bathhouse and restrooms. Lots of hiking trails and even hiking sticks. We really enjoyed this short stay!



Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular tent campsite near Missouri Valley, IA?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Missouri Valley, IA is Preparation Canyon State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 6 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find tent camping near Missouri Valley, IA?

    TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Missouri Valley, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.