Best Tent Camping near Mount Ayr, IA

Recent Tent Reviews near Mount Ayr, Iowa

138 Reviews of 6 Mount Ayr Campgrounds

• 

  Sayler O.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 19, 2023

  Mozingo Lake County Tent Campground

  Early fall camp

  Came out to camp one night with my 5 year old. We stated on a friday night in October and the campground was not too busy at all.. maybe only 5 other groups there. Showers and bathroom were all fine, campsite was clean and well maintained. Loved that the tent camping sites were actually surrounded by trees, I see way to many tent campsites that are basically just in the middle of a grass field. There are walking paths and a couple of playgrounds around the lake close enough to walk to but far enough away they wont ever be a bother. Also if you like disc golf than this is the place to go, there is a brand new 18 hole course right next to the camp!

• 

  Abby G.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 8, 2019

  Mormon Trail County Park

  Off the Grid

  Mormon Trail is absolutely beautiful. Myself and some friends tent camped there over the weekend and we were not disappointed! It is a very small state park with only a couple tent sites/camper sites, so it is not over populated. The drive there is easy and beautiful. Big RV’s/campers might have a difficult time getting there as the road turns into a one lane, curvy gravel road. AT&T has absolutely no service there, but US cellular does. No showers/clean bathrooms, just 2 waterless restrooms. The lake has a very large, mostly shallow, swimming area, the water is absolutely perfect, along with a big sandy beach area. You can boat and fish on the lake as well. The stars are also very bright and beautiful (we are from a city with the light pollution hides them). I would highly recommend visiting this campsite if you love off the grid camping and don’t need to shower/primp everyday. What a relaxing/fun weekend we had!

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 15, 2017

  Three Mile Lake Recreation Area

  Three Mile Rec Area is clean and beautiful

  I have to say, of all of the campgrounds and parks that I have visited in southern Iowa near highway 34, Three Mile is the best.

  This park is clean with nice amenities and a beautiful lake. During the week you can almost have the place to yourself... it is a different story on the weekends.

  You can tent camp or pull your camper and just enjoy the setting. If you don't like to tent camp and don't have a camper, don't worry, there are several cabins for rent.

  There are showers and bathrooms and an awesome playground for the younger kids.

  I am definitely adding this to my list for regular stays with my family.

• 

  Tarrah C.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 13, 2022

  Viking Lake State Park Campground

  Nice stay

  The tent sites are small and depending on your location you may have to haul your stuff to your site. The hiking was nice only 5 miles though.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 15, 2017

  Thayer Lake Rec Area

  Skip Thayer Lake and go to Three Mile SP

  This is a really small campground with a few electric boxes to park your camper on the outside of the parking lot next to the lake and one average tent site with a fire ring and picnic table.

  The lake is a good local spot for fishing but I would go to Three Mile State Park to camp with my family, it's just an extra 10 or 15 minute drive away.

• 

  Nicole B.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 23, 2022

  Lake Icaria Co Park

  Easily my favorite spot

  This is a very clean, lovely camp ground. The spots are spacious, and there are tons of options. In the fall we went and had no neighbors. It’s busy in summer, but well kept. They had people cleaning the bathrooms constantly (my mom kept pointing out, in awe, that it was “practically hourly”) which was great for tent camping with a large group! It’s quiet, beautiful lake, great boating, great swim spot, fun park for kids. Beautiful trees and hiking especially in the fall.

• 

  Jacob W.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 7, 2022

  Mine Pond Campground — Stephens State Forest

  Vibrant Iowa forest in summer

  I tent camped at “Mine Pond Campground” in Stephen’s State Forest in July 2022. I arrived about 8:15pm and had about 45 minutes of daylight to pitch camp. The campground feels deep in a vibrant Iowa forest surrounded by lush greenery. That said, mosquitoes swarmed me instantly. And “Mine Pond” is a small muddy pond without the most remote possibility of swimming. The pond kind of seems too small to fish but maybe. A storm blew in around dark and it rained much of the night. The frogs sang loudly deep into the night (see my video for the audio), which I enjoyed. A pair of barred owls hooted and laughed in the dark trees. I departed early while it was still dark. I don’t think I’ll return to this place.

• 

  Isaac F.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 20, 2021

  Lake of Three Fires State Park Campground

  Had the lake to ourselves!

  Although there were RVers and a nice group of Boy Scoutspaet of the time, there was no one else in our tent camping side. We had chilly weather, but marvelous views of the water with a rare flock of pelicans! Some of the trails were muddy, but there plenty of others to choose from. Red buds and flowers were starting to bring the forest to life.

  All fire pits have an incredible grate system for cooking. There's an over abundance of limbs and twigs for firewood, although a saw would come in handy. Clean, quiet, and as beautiful as ever- that's our lake!

• 

  Eugene B.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 11, 2021

  Little River Recreation Area

  Rv/tent sites on a big lake... Fish, fish, fish

  Nice little campground 4.5 miles of the freeway...9 minutes away from a small town with stores that stay open till 9. A bait shop onsite, closes early. Most rv sites with power, walk in tent sites w/o. Rates are great $12/15. Showers and flush toilets onsite as well as cabin rentals, canoe rental and fire wood available. Downside is a lot of flying bugs...not really biting just annoying. The lake has a lot of fish in it I hear... Family friendly.

• 

  Jim H.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 8, 2018

  Green Valley State Park Campground

  Nice, clean campground

  Campsite was pretty packed on a Saturday night in late September. We didn't have a reservation but was able to get one of the last tent sites available. Nice spot, fire pits have nice swinging grates on them. There was a picnic table at our spot as well. Great view of the lake from here. We were in Campsite 092. Only drawback is that there must be a cow farm somewhere to the south as you will hear cows mooing all night at this campground.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 28, 2022

  Little River Recreation Area

  Off the beaten path and very quiet

  General: This small county park (16 electric, 14 tent sites plus three cabins) is not reservable which might be an issue on summer weekends but on a Sunday in April, was no problem. Including us, only three sites were occupied. The rates are very reasonable -$15 for electric, and $12 for tent sites. 

  Site Quality/Facilities: Each site has a generous-sized picnic table and fire ring. Some sites are better than others, however. Sites 2 and 3 (both electric) are sloped down and the driveway is a bit overgrown. No physical separation between sites which when we were there was not an issue but might be when more crowded. Some of the sites have a direct water view but again, some are more sloped than others. 

  Bathhouse: A short hike uphill from all sites but it was very clean when we were there. The showers also looked clean, but I did not use them so cannot comment on how well they worked. 

  Activities/Amenities: Fishing! We saw a few boats on the water when we were there and there were two docks, one of them handicapped accessible. Swimming is not allowed but there is a nice day-use area not far down the road with a nice beach and picnic area. There are also horseshoe pits and a small but very nice playground. No hiking trails that I could discern. There was also a small little free library. 

  When we were there, we appreciated the quiet, out-of-the-way setting. It is close to the town of Leon but we circumvented it on the way in and out so I don’t know what services might be available.

• M

  Megan M.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 28, 2021

  Lake of Three Fires State Park Campground

  Gem But Could Be Better

  As tent campers we found a lot to love at Lake of Three Fires, but also found ourselves wanting more. It’s got a gorgeous lake, and some camping sites are out of this world, but it can be inconsistent and there’s not a lot to do.

  Pros: -While the electric hookup sites were full, primitive campers had their pick of the campground even during the middle of the summer. Plenty of open non-electric sites to choose from.
  -Site 55 is an absolute GEM. Spacious and right on the water! We didn’t have any neighbors so it was like we had the whole place to ourselves. -Good fishing at the lake, and plenty of quiet spots to fish from -The lake is quiet and relatively calm -Excellent (and clean!) modern bathrooms, by far the best we’ve encountered

  Cons: -There’s not a lot to do other than fishing and hanging out by the campsite -The trails are quite poorly marked and seem to only have entry and exit points at each end of the point, so unless you want to commit to the full 8 miles, you’ll have to turn back at some point -The sites can be inconsistently sized. We found some tent sites that were less than half the size of our site, and they were packed like sardines. -A lot of the sites are sloped, so even ground can be hard to find. -The park is pretty rural, so if you need to make an emergency grocery or supplies run you might be out of luck. -No firewood on site, so you’ll have to come prepared or hope you can find some in town.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 1, 2018

  Hickory Hills Park

  Indian Mounds and hiking trails at Hickory Hills

  This is a great little park just east of New Virginia, Iowa. I went to the park with my son and Boy Scout Troop for a night hike, that is why there are no pictures. This is a great little park. The hiking trails are pretty easy going through the forest and then opening up next to old Native American burial mounds. This is really a great place to pitch a tent. It is clean and well maintained.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 1, 2016

  Winterset City Park

  If you love John Wayne you will love Winterset City Park

  Don't let the name fool you, for a city park and campground, Winterset City Park rocks. You probably didn't know that Winterset, Iowa is the birthplace of John Wayne. You may have seen the Clint Eastwood movie the "Bridges of Madison County," but you probably didn't know that the bridges are real and the movie was filmed in Winterset.

  The campground is clean and there is a large space for campers/RV's and a separate spot for tents towards the back of the campground toward the park. The park itself is gorgeous and your just a few blocks away from the John Wayne Museum. If you are in Winterset the second week of October, stay for the Bridge Festival, it's a blast!

  The campground is a solid 3.5, clean and well maintained. When you include all of the sites it pushes it up to a 4 star campground.

• 

  Tom Z.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 21, 2020

  Criss Cove County Park

  Serene Small Lake Campground

  Criss Cove’s campground sits on a hill overlooking a small lake. It is a generally quiet and serene campground. It is just off of US Highway 169. The lake is good for fishing and kayaking. The gravel campsites are adequately spaced for most RVs.

  The campground is located in Madison County Iowa (of “The Bridges of Madison County” book and movie fame). It is located about 15 minutes south of Winterset Iowa. Winterset is the birthplace of John Wayne and the town has a museum dedicated to him. There is also a county historical museum complex and the Iowa quilt museum.

• 

  Brian G.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 22, 2019

  Pammel County Park

  Beautiful

  Nice small park settle nicely in the iowa country side!

• 

  Deb W.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 15, 2020

  Lake Icaria Co Park

  Beautiful

  One of the best campgrounds in the SW Iowa, the lake is great, nice beach and boating!

• 

  Deb W.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 15, 2020

  Green Valley State Park Campground

  Unbeatable

  This is the best State Park campground in SW Iowa, it has everything anyone needs...love it here and the views are beautiful!

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 14, 2016

  Nine Eagles State Park Campground

  Nine Eagles - Youth Campground

  Nine Eagles is near Lamoni, Iowa near the Iowa-Missouri border right off of Interstate 35. I camped here with my son and his Boy Scout troop in the youth group part of the campground. I can't speak for the rest of the park's camping facilities, but the youth group site is a large open space surrounded by tall trees. The grass is well maintained and the campsite is clean and beautiful. There are not any bathroom facilities at the campsite which is why I give it four instead of five stars, but the park is beautiful and a peaceful place to camp. I wish I would have had my camera with me to take some pictures to share.

• 

  Laura B.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 3, 2018

  Lake Icaria Co Park

  Nice big campground

  This lake has multiple campgrounds spread throughout. It one of the only lakes in Iowa where you can drive your boats fast. Great fireworks show on the 4th of July.

• A

  Adam

  Guide

  

  Nov. 7, 2020

  Winterset City Park

  Loved this cute park!

  We will definitely return, we loved this park. The bridges of Madisin County, Clarke Tower, cute local ice cream shop, John Wayne Museum! So much fun in a cute Iowa community!

• 

  Daniel V.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 19, 2021

  Mormon Trail County Park

  Great little campground in a rural setting

  This campground in Iowa is quite nice although not very private.  It costs $15 for camping with no electrical hook-up.  The views are great, and you can go dive in the little lake for a swim.

• R

  Ryan P.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 3, 2023

  Viking Lake State Park Campground

  Very nice park

  Mostly level sites with options for tenting or rv. Sites are primitive, electric only or full hookup. Several back to to the lake. The lake is great for fishing, kayaking or swimming.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 15, 2017

  South - Three Mile Co Rec Area

  You can't go wrong in the South Campground

  Three Mile Lake is awesome. You can read my other review on main campground at Three Mile Lake.

  Both campgrounds are equal in cleanliness and in great views of the lake. You can't go wrong if you get into the South campground "Mallard Point" campground.

  Put this on your list if you are visiting Southwest Iowa.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 1, 2018

  East Lake Co Park

  Great Park, not a great campground

  I drive by East Lake on my way to church every Sunday. It is a great park with pavillion's, a lake, basketball, volleyball, horseshoe pits, playground equipment, etc.

  There just isn't much for camping. It is very limited. There is not a shower house either. This paek really is to serve the residents of Osceola, Iowa to enjoy daytime activities.

• R

  Robert L.

  Traveler

  

  May. 13, 2023

  Lake Binder Co Park

  Nice city park; reasonable price

  This is a 76 acre lake 1 mile northeast of Corning, Iowa. Electric sites are $20 a night or $800 for the season. There's a dump station and several water spigot. A bathroom with cold running water. There are also several portapotties around the lake. A fire ring and a picnic table at every site. We have seen people catching bass. Boats allowed with Electric motors only.

• 

  Tony B.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 12, 2020

  Lake Icaria Co Park

  One of the best sw Iowa Lakes

  I will first off stay I have not been to a lot of Iowa parks. But I will say the ones I have been to, that this is the nicest or one of them. They have concessions, boat rentals, boating of all types, fishing, and trails. There are very nice picnic areas, and the bathrooms or restroom facilities are clean. This place is fantastic and offers a lot to anyone. So give it a try.