Looking for an adventure where you can explore New Albin and then fall asleep in your tent? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Iowa camping adventure.
Yellow River State Forest is a perfect place to explore some of Iowa's best hiking trails. Located in northeast Iowa in Allamakee County, the forest is part of the "driftless area" that escaped the glaciers during the most recent ice age. The forest consists of 8,900 acres of hardwood and coniferous forest and is comprised of 6 units.
The Paint Creek Unit is of primary interest to the recreationist, with well-kept camping areas, equestrian accommodations, fishing, hunting, and over 45 miles of trails for hiking, equestrian riding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
$12 / night
Camp along a Mississippi tributary beside the Minnesota-Wisconsin line in this whimsical farm paradise. Run around the pasture, take a walk in the forest or dip your toes in the flowing creek at Shady Rest Acres. You are welcome to sit back, relax, and observe the farm animals. No guest are allowed inside the fenced off area of pasture without a host with them. We do have 4 well behaved dog's an 8 indoor outdoor cats, cows, goats, sheep, mini donkeys, ducks, chickens, turkeys and honey bee's. Tent Sites Pitch a tent in the field beside a fire pit and get a great view of the night sky or pitch a tent beneath the walnut trees beside the creek and relax in a hammock. Bee Relaxed Studio If you would rather stay indoors, kick back in the fully furnished studio with a wood burning stove and vinyl record player. Please no pets in the studio. No matter where you decide to stay at Shady Rest Acres you will be in close proximity to the Mississippi River, Beaver Creek Valley State Park, and Great River Bluffs State Park. This area is great for hiking, fishing, kayaking, and swimming. When making reservations please include in your total any person over the age of two.
$40 - $120 / night
You may hear a cow moo at the hike-in sites in Camp John Shultz but you’ll not likely hear people. If you do have to share the camp, there are five segregated campsites that are well spaced and feel private. Sites range from partial shade to full shade and all but two have fire rings.
Yellow River State Forest is a perfect place to explore some of Iowa's best hiking trails. Located in northeast Iowa in Allamakee County, the forest is part of the "driftless area" that escaped the glaciers during the most recent ice age. The forest consists of 8,900 acres of hardwood and coniferous forest and is comprised of 6 units.
The Paint Creek Unit is of primary interest to the recreationist, with well-kept camping areas, equestrian accommodations, fishing, hunting, and over 45 miles of trails for hiking, equestrian riding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.
Frontier equestrian campgrounds are non-modern and have non-electric sites with hitching rails and vault toilets
$16 / night
$15 - $21 / night
If your dream vacation is full of details like soft forest light, colorful leaves, and winding trails—that is, if you are thinking of disconnecting and disappearing into the countryside for a few days—then resort camping at Justin Trails Resort eight miles from town is just the ticket. Rejuvenate your spirit and refresh your body with a hike around our 200-acre property or try your hand at disc golf. We have the #1 Disc Golf Course in all of Wisconsin!
Songbirds chirp in the morning, wild turkey and deer cross the property, and an owl hoots as the sun sets over the ridge. Ready to make a booking at Justin Trails Resort? Review your options and make a booking with us online.
Scout
I arrived midweek around 8:00 PM and the office was closed. I was tent camping on motorcycle and easily found my site way back on the property. Andy came out to my site in the morning to say hi and ask if anything was needed. He definitley cares about the people staying here. With the gravel roads and very soft grass site, it was easy to manuver a large bike. Out in the tent sites there was very little light, which made star gazing amazing. If it wasn't for the store and well done shower room I would have thought I was in the wilderness especially in the tent area. Great place for quiet midweek, not sure what the weekend is like. The only reason it is not 5 stars is from my site I had to walk out to the field for wifi reception. With no Verizon cell service, not sure if others did, I needed to comunicate with family.
John Carpentier Coon Rapids, MN
Scout
Free firewood, free wifi, water and electric at each campsite. Found a nice shady site for tent camping.
Scout
Very nice, clean campground with a lot of amenities. Tent camping on the river was neat, but tents were very close together due to the small sites
Traveler
Quiet park with beautiful campground. Great for tent camping. Had no luck fishing the stream but a friend with me caught a couple.
Traveler
A weird little campground. It’s just smack in the middle of a small town. Electric hookups for those with campers, water and public restroom and shower house. $8 for tent camping. Gas station close by
Ranger
Has very clean showers and toilets. Owl center at office. Tent sites only and not many. Must make reservations but typically not many people here camping.
Scout
Stayed here in a tent while on a bicycle camping trip and it was adequate. It is located in a city park within a couple minutes walk of the downtown area. The bike trail crosses the south end of downtown so close to that too. This would not be a good place to camp if you'd like to be out in nature
Biggest gripe is the slope of the tent sites. The majority of the tent sites are on an incline around a pond. There are also a lot of ducks that aren't very afraid of humans. None got into my gear though. There are fire rings at the tent sites. No picnic tables at the individual sites but there are some nearby in the park and there's also a covered picnic shelter. Hammocks would be difficult to impossible as the tent area is a strip of grass between pond and bluff, which has mostly brush or too whimpy of trees to hang from at the base. There are a couple huge oaks but none in pairs.
Quarter showers and clean restrooms are available. $20/night/tent which seemed a bit steep to me considering how slanted the sites were and quarter showers. It is cheaper than the other places within immediate biking distance which were $25/night.
Ranger
A lot of electric sites. Tent sites further back in the campground through multiple water crossings (ok for cars). Campsites beautiful wooded sites in the bluffs. Definitely a campground to see!
Ranger
Beautiful place, tent camping is available. Great breakfast and romantic setting for our anniversary. They sell wine and food in the store. Host is amazing and friendly. Disc golf is busy here, in winter they have sledding hills. The llamas are fun to feed.
GuideI was there on a Monday and was the only tent around. Site 15 is the best for tent sites, it’s right at the delta of where two streams meet. It’s a quick bike ride to pulpit rock brewing and other parks.
Legend
Stayed in 2 primitive tent sites: table, fire ring, shaded. Great sites for hat are all within walking to stocked trout streams! CG is in valley, cooled air, shaded, cold water streams to cool off. Pit toilets, trash bins, self registration with some sites reservable.
GuideDecorah is so beautiful. The river is right beside the tent sites. Hiking trails close by. Caves and water falls only a short drive away. Tubing, canoeing, and kayaking services behind camp grounds. Super affordable site rates. Shower house. Picnic tables and fire pits at each site.
ScoutThis is a great little park if you need a place to stop for the night. It was very inexpensive for tents ($10 I think) and the tent camping area was very nice with 3 giant pine trees and some picnic tables and fire rings. As someone who bicycle tours I appreciated fire wood being on site and close to where the tent area is. The bathrooms aren’t the best but they worked. Overall its a safe, clean, welcoming campground for both tents and RV’s.
Traveler
Sites are basic with water, pit toilets, tables and fire rings. I originally planned to stay here but came across the non-resident charges (my state does not do this). I made reservations at the Village of Norwalk and the town of Hillsboro instead. Both have City parks with free tent camping. Norwalk even has showers and RV spots. I've added both to The Dyrt library.
ScoutSpacious, level, well kept, quiet. $10/night, which is great. Spotless showers and bathrooms, access to drinking water. The International Owl Center was a welcome discovery. Best tent campground on the Root River Trail.
Traveler
We stayed here in our tent. This is a rural campground, somewhat dated, but very pleasant. It is true that the bathrooms were an older style but they were clean and functional and we found no fault with them. Most of the residents are seasonal and we had nice shady and grassy areas for tent camping, This campground is not near a busy highway, lake, or either area where there is a lot of noise. It is nice and quiet. The hostess was very nice and welcoming. We would certainly stay here again.
Traveler
Very nice area, camped in a tent at the end of September. Firewood had very easy access. The campground was a pretty large layout, but still easy to navigate. Nice hiking spots with amazing views. Bugs weren't too terrible, I maybe had two mosquito bites the whole 4 days, and that was before I put bug spray on.
Rentals for canoes and kayaks are available. Unfortunately, when I went the current was too strong. We could still rent one but they warned us that if we weren't able to make it through the current, that we wouldn't be able to get our money refunded.
There were signs posted that the drinking water cannot be boiled, nor can it be given to babies or elderly due to high nitrates. But we brought our own water anyways.
Guide
This park is arranged more for RV's than tent camping and you cannot set up right along the river but can get pretty close if you are in tent spot 25. The sites are really close to each other. Bear Mound is cool to see if you appreciate the history behind it. Bridal falls is also a must see if you are there. The hiking trails can be done with a long day hike and offer some beautiful scenery as the leaves are changing. One of the few spots I have stayed along the Mississippi and one of my favorites.
Traveler
Small rustic campground with no hookups or electrical sites which is perfect if you are tent camping! Sites are smaller but nice, the outer sites have better privacy with most inner sites backing up to the restrooms. The hiking here is amazing with numerous lookout points to see the river from the bluffs. There are short and long hikes to get to the views, so it’s good for all levels of hiking. Overall this campground has a lot to offer and we will definitely go back!
TravelerThis is a convenient small campground next to a city park. The touristy shops and biking trails are within a few blocks of the campground. The RV campsites have water and electricity. We found the sites to be rather close together. The sites are first come first served (no reservations). There are also numerous tent sites, as this seems to be popular with the bicycling crowd. This really is a beautiful area of southeast MN.
TravelerThis campsite is at the trailhead for the Root River Bike Trail. This bike trail is so awesome and by far the best in the tri-state area!
The nature center is tent camping only but they do have nice spots with picnic tables and grills. Even though I'm not a kid, I thought the park was AWESOME. They litterally have a tree house to play in!!!! The Nature Center also has a bike servicing station, showers, and bathrooms. Everything is extremely clean and the town of Houston is so sweet. I will visit again!
GuideI was disappointed with camping here. We stayed in a tent site, W##. We felt lucky with this because the W sites were more secluded and you didn't feel like you were on top of your camping neighbors. The bathrooms and showers here were very gross though. The hiking here had great views but trails were not labeled well. The Big Spring was also a great natural water feature to relax in after a hot hike!
Scout
I was looking around for a place and being the weekend after the 4th of July, I knew there wouldn't be many options. This place is literally a hidden gem and should get more focus!!! The owner had a spot for my family and me!!! When he found out that I was only tent camping, he even lowered the price!!! He didn't have to do that at all and it wasn't expected. Grassy locations everywhere. Wonderful water and electric hookups!!! A little piece of heaven here. JJ is an AMAZING host!!!
Scout
Tent sites are just okay. They are located directly across from houseboats, so little privacy. The area was also damp, which meant lots of bugs. I was envious of the RV side, which looked much nicer. It was not quiet due to being practically under the bridge into La Crosse. On the upside, The man working there was very friendly and helpful. It did not appear that anyone was masked or social distancing. The bar was open and patrons were next to each other on stools at the bar. Employees were also not wearing masks.
Guide
We stopped here to sleep on our way home from a long road trip. The electric sites are like a typical RV park, not much space or privace. We had site 40west and it was larger, but too close to the smelly pit toilets. Showers nice, hot and clean. The tent sites looked spacious, but not very private. The campground is in a beautiful setting and not far off The Great River Road. We enjoyed watching a muskrat family playing in the stream by our site. We would definitely use this campground as a layover again.
TravelerFrom someone who typically prefers backpacking and sleeping in remote areas, this campground facility, pretty much in the city, is okay.
The facilities are nice, bathrooms were clean. What I didn't enjoy was how close each RV site is. The sparks from our fire were making their way to our neighbors site.
The campground is situated next to the Trout Run Trail, providing quick and easy access to the 11-mile loop or in to the city center of Decorah.
Overall, decent for a city campground, but very crowded. The tent sites near the river look more spaced out.
Legend
We tent camped here and loved it. We were able to do a lot of trail exploring and had a great time on the “scenic” cave tour. The trails were well maintained but difficult to understand in some places as signage was lacking.
There is a primitive loop with pit toilets, a tent loop with no electricity but access to showers and flush toilets, and a trailer loop with all accommodations.
There are great cold water trout streams that are shallow enough to wade in and play in if the weather is warmer. Hiking trails of varying skill levels but all in mostly wooded areas. Forestville townsite is closed during the week but you can wander around the outside of the buildings and site. No gates or posted restrictions.
Tent camping near New Albin, Iowa, offers a chance to immerse yourself in nature with a variety of well-reviewed sites that cater to outdoor enthusiasts. From primitive backcountry spots to more accessible campgrounds, there's something for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near New Albin, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near New Albin, IA is Camp Glen Wendel Primitive Backcountry — Yellow River State Forest with a 4.8-star rating from 12 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near New Albin, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 tent camping locations near New Albin, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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