Are you planning a camping trip to Ocheyedan with your dog? We've got you covered. Finding a place to camp in Iowa with your dog is easier than ever. Whether you're looking for a quiet location in the woods or a place near local attractions, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect spot for you and your pup.
$20 - $35 / night
Olson Park and Campground was named after industrialist E.O. Olson and his wife, Bella H. Olson, who in April, 1945 donated 55.1 acres of land to the city, for use as park property. The area was officially named Olson Park in January, 1950. In October, 1956 approximately 10 acres, along County Road #59 was purchased for $3,000.00, from Genevieve E. Peters for future park site or possible well development purposes. Two additional purchases, totaling 2.498 acres, along County Road #59 were made in 1956 and 1966, from Agnes and Alvina Haack, with a small portion occupied by Welt Site #20. These additions have become known as park of Olson Park. Comments: Off street parking in designated sections. Electrical outlets in shelter house and at 63 camping spurs. Water at shelter house, dump station, and one central hydrant. Five camping sites are designated for tenting. The dredge site area, of Sunset Park, is actually part of the Olson Park property. Playground equipment installed in 2001. Wild Flower Native Prairie area located on southerly property entrance. Dog Park located at southerly property entrance. Installed security lighting 2005. Restrooms are handicap accessible. The campground has and continues to attempt to accommodate all persons with disabilities. Wireless Internet added in 2016, for more information contact the park attendant or check the park bulletin board.
$23 - $35 / night
Island Park camping entrance is on North Boone Street and has 22 campsites with electrical hookups with water and sewer available. Each campsite has picnic table and fire pit. Restrooms are located in the park and also restroom/showers on the north end of the swimming pool bathouse. Island Park has the Rock River flowing though providing fishing, swimming and tubing; Rec Trail for walking and biking; playgounds; picnic shelters and Swimming Pool with 2 water slides, zero entrance and water toys.
$5 - $45 / night
$20 / night
Guide
There are 4 camping spots here, all with electric hook-up. Although the website states $10 fee, there is nowhere to pay. In Oct, the bathrooms are closed already. Park is very close the the main road and you will likely hear trains at night. The campsites are right next to a creek with kayak access. It’s a nice place to stop for a night.
Traveler
First thing to know is that you cannot pay for anything there directly... no cash, no checks, no credit cards, no tap, nothing. You need to use the Yodel app to purchase firewood and, even if there is staff present, you'll need to pay for your site on the MN State Park reservations system. What's nice is that there is no convenience charge when you are on site. This totally threw us as we are used to pulling up and paying with cash or card to a human. And, they have no wifi. So you'll have to use your phone or, like I did, use your phone as a hotspot to use your laptop/tablet.
Once that was all finally taken care of, we got to enjoy our spacious site. It was HOT, but there is a tree in the center of Site 7 that offered shade and lots of bushes and trees around that offer shade. We just had to keep moving to get it. Each site has a firepit and picnic table. Site 6 has a trail going through it on the edge while Site 7 had a trail on the other side but it was several feet from the actual site. I'm not sure it ever gets busy there, but if it did, you may have people around your site if you choose those edge sites.
This place was SO quiet! I know that also has to do with the other campers, so thank you to our fellow campers that weekend who kept it quiet. No road noise at all. There are fields nearby, so if it's plowing season I imagine it would be quite noisy and quite dusty.
At the end of September, along with the heat, there were tons of what we later learned were Asian Lady Beetles, which actually do sting. Surprise! Then when they started slowing down, here came the midges/no-see-ums. So I came away with a lot of stings. Boo! My spouse did not. So I guess they just liked me a lot.
I would totally recommend Kilen Woods SP! It was a total surprise to use as we were looking for a last minute place to camp, so that was wonderful. If you're driving along I90 in Minnesota or I26 in South Dakota and need an easy overnight, check this place out.
Traveler
We struck out 4times before finding this place and we are so happy that we did! What a great little gem - lakeside, crickets chirping and perfect
Traveler
Though we didn’t stay long, this campground was tidy, well marked, and a perfect stop for the night. The campsites were clean, facilities were top notch, and the park and walking path provided a great spot to wear kids out before continuing on.
Guide
Peaceful and serene, great site. Was able to walk around before the sun went down and listen to the Bison, wasn't able to see them but we could hear them. Sites were great and amenities were clean and spacious.
Legend
FHU. Large gravel sites. Good fishing. Stock up on groceries as large grocery stores are approximately 40 minutes away. Vehicle pass required along with paid campsite. Nice staff. Firewood for purchase.
Scout
There are 8 spots at this campground for RVs to tents.
Scout
Drove over tonight excited for my stay at this neat looking park. Unfortunately it appears that the June 2024 flood damaged the campground and it’s currently closed for repair.
Scout
Nice stay , friendly host clean showers and laundry .
Scout
It was serene and beautiful. The sunset over the water was absolutely amazing. Breathtaking scenery. There is a shower and toilets. And it costs $20 for a tent sight, $25 for a power hookup sight. We'll worth the stop, I almost didn't want to leave. I would stay here again!
Legend
Camped in Site #59 on Oct. 6-7, 2023. Our site had a fire ring, table, as well as electric & water. Spirit Lake is behind the site, although there was no lake access from there. Nice hearing the water lapping on shore. Registering for a site was a little confusing. There was a friendly host in the campground. Our site sloped down toward the lake; had to use our traction boards to level the van as best we can. No privacy between sites. The 6 room restroom/shower was clean. Overall, the campground was large and well maintained. It had an RV park feel to it, which is not our preferred type of camping. I believe folks in larger rigs will be comfortable here.
GuideGreat Campground. The park Ranger on Duty was very helpful. Campsites were generous in space. Well kept. Fire Ring and picnic table on site were kept up well. Trails and scenery through the back hills are well kept and maintained.
TravelerWhat an amazing time! We stayed at site 54E which was pretty secluded our first night there. We got there a little late in the afternoon to do anything but get set up after which we got our grill going and enjoyed a delicious steak dinner. The next morning we went on a couple trails and just enjoyed the beautiful fall colors and we lucked out because the buffalo were close to the ranger station. It was quiet our entire stay and the weather cooperated except for some wind and a little rain. Definitely will be coming back!
ScoutIt’s a casino RV park. Basic amenities. They offer free dry parking in their main parking lot. FHU 30/50 available. $30 during week, $40 weekend, $50 holiday weekend. Also has nice looking golf course on property as well with reasonable rates. As for the casino, decent selection of slots and tables with a live poker room. The kind of restaurants you’d expect. Buffet open on weekend. Quick stop cafe open during the hours you’d expect and a steakhouse open for dinner. I stopped on the way to and back home from Sturgis, as it’s about a full day’s drive from the house. Will definitely plan on using every year from now on
Traveler
This place is HUGE. We were shocked at the size of the state park and how many many campsites there were. We were back on Taylor Ridge so we had a noticeable drive in/out anytime we went anywhere. Bathrooms were clean and maintained. Sites had ample space. Because it is all on the ridges of the park, there is a significant decline after the campsite “flat area”
GuideChosen at the last minute for its proximity to the Twin Cities area, the drive was about 2 hrs 45 minutes. Park is quiet, clean and very easy to hike. Entire park can easily be hiked in a day, with prairie, river and oak savanna views. The park rangers were not at the station at any point while we visited, meaning payment for firewood and parking must be done online. Really nice facility with flush toilets and showers sits between the two campground loops. Camped in Walk-In Site #1 and the seclusion from the electric sites was great. The walk-in sites are nestled in the woods and fairly private. From the parking spot to the campsite was an easy ~100’.
ScoutStayed at Blue Mounds on one of the hottest weekends this summer! We booked site 12 initially based off of reviews from the Dyrt suggesting riverside sites. Site 11 and 12 were NOT good. There's a dumpster in the middle of the two sites, absolutely no privacy, and no shade. Thankfully, there is good cell service (and free wifi!), and we looked up what other sites were open. 13 was open! And boy did we luck out with this. Even though it's just adjacent, 13 had a nice little secluded area for our tent, and a *private* riverside walk out to the cliffs overlooking the river! No direct river access- it's about a 15 foot drop to the river. The moonrise from this site was gorgeous. Had a spooky visit from the Starlink satellites. We drove in the morning to the bison area and saw about 12 of them roaming near the fence. Bathrooms were decent. Close by to Luverne for any last minute needs while camping.
TravelerWe stayed at Blue Mounds at the very end of July and it was a great first tent camping experience! We stayed in site 73E which was a little secluded from the rest of the campground but was across from the parking lot. We stayed on a Sunday night so being at the entrance of the park/across from the parking lot wasn't really an issue at all but I could see if it was a Friday/Saturday it might be. We only stayed one night so didn't use the showers but the bathrooms were very nice and clean. We weren't able to hike as much as I would have liked but my kids 5/9 still made it about 3 miles on one of the loops and we found our hiking club password. We didn't have any issues with bugs. Luverne is super close and we hit up Tasty's Drive In for supper and it was great!
Scout
We decided to camp here after a long day on I-90. We got here at 3am and the first thing we saw was a “historic cemetery”. After setting up camp an old mini van kept driving by us, with no one there. He had stopped for a second to look at us and drove away. 10 minutes later he was back and we PACKED up and left. This place is suspicious, take caution.
TravelerWe had a great view of the lake from our tent site. Sites were very large for a state park. We had many lovely walks on the trails around the campground. Loon Island was a cool walk on a hot day. Lake Shetek had a fish kill over the winter, so our boat only got one trip out on the lake. I would definitely recommend.
ScoutWonderful little park with full hookups. Loved it only 6 spots!
Legend
This is a nice campground in a small farm town. The sites are lined up next to each other. One is not and is nestled in some trees. The rest have the sun into the evening. There’s a restroom with showers by the picnic pavilion. The playground was nice for the kids. I think it’s connected to the school. We walked the length of town and it was about a mile round trip. For $15 this is a great place to stop while driving I90.
Guide
Very polite staff. Roads are nice. Facilities are clean. Sites are pull through but are set up with utilities for back in sites. $40 a night. It looked like some campers were extended stays. Good Verizon signal and right off Interstate 90.
TravelerNice Grassy site, dogs had a wonderful time. Loads of things for kids to do. In fact other site’s kids were up and playing far past 10 pm. Loudly enough we had to turn our ac on in order to sleep.
RangerVery well maintained park! Good easy hiking trails. Bison tour was super, was brought up close to the bison and educated about them and the prairie. Quarry was neat to view from on top and from inside the quarry. Many great views looking over the prairie.
Campsites are spaced apart fairly well, all open between sites. Many nice trees in the campground for shade.
Bathrooms are SUPER CLEAN and there are two different bathroom and shower buildings. The older building Mens showers we prefer because the water temperature isn’t scalding hot. The newer bathroom showers are well designed like at the other newer MN State parks and have nice handicap bathrooms and showers.
Guide
We stopped here for 2 nights on our way to South Dakota. The park is small, but very well maintained, and man, literally every person there was INCREDIBLY nice! I met the previous owner of the park and his wife, and told about some cool things to do in the area including the Jeffers Petroglyphs, a fort in the town of Jackson, and the town from Little House on the Prairie.
Our site was level, easy to get into, and had a nice tree providing some shade. Water pressure was good, no issues with electric. One thing I noticed that I thought was really cool was they had a good sewer hose at the dump station for guests to use so they didn’t have to dig theirs out. That is the kind of thought the owners put into the experience at their park. Simple, nice perks that make the experience just that little bit extra good, and there were things like that throughout the park.
There is a small grocery store about 5 mins south of the park, a Burger King right across the street, and a few gas stations. New Ulm is about an hour away and well worth the visit! Cool little downtown area with lots of history, great restaurants, and cool shops.
Legend
New seasonal County park and CG has standard sites, fire rings, tables, firewood, swimming beach, fishing, boating, hiking including access to Sioux Center's trail system, shelters, lodge, archery range. Playground, canoe/kayak rentals.Entry fee is $5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Ocheyedan, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Ocheyedan, IA is Blue Mounds State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 45 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Ocheyedan, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 52 dog-friendly camping locations near Ocheyedan, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
