Best Tent Camping near Oelwein, IA

Recent Tent Reviews in Oelwein

363 Reviews of 30 Oelwein Campgrounds

• 

  Stuart O.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 13, 2024

  Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest

  Good late season option for the self-contained camper

  Was very thankful to find a place to overnight in mid-November. Not a lot of free parking options in this part of Iowa. No water, electric, or dump station, so very much like a parking lot overnight from that perspective. However, the park is situated on the valley bottom of the Yellow River Forest with beautiful tall trees, and there are fire rings. Fee was $12. First come first served basis from November through March.

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 28, 2024

  Cedar View Park

  Beautiful park, gross bath house

  This is a lovely park. It is fairly quiet, you can hear some highway noise in the distance. The lake is lovely and clean. The spots are gravel, most sites will require some leveling but are not too bad. 

  Each site has a newer electric pedestal with 30 and 50 amp service, and each site has a water spigot, as well as a picnic table and fire ring.

  There are a few sites that back up directly to the lake. There is a swimming beach and a dock. There is a city park adjacent to the campground with a playground and picnic shelter.

  I had 3 bars on on T-mobile which got me 64 down and 18 up. On Verizon I had 3 bars which got me 65 down and 12 up.

  The shower house was pretty bad though. It was older, which doesn't bother me, but it was dirty. There are camp hosts on site but I guess their duties do not include ever cleaning the restroom. There was food trash in there all week, and if you look around you'll find feces, blood, and personal hygiene trash including used condoms.

  I would stay in this campground again because I have a self contained unit and do not need to use the on-site shower house.

• 

  Ashley F.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 24, 2024

  Nelson Dewey State Park Campground

  Great place for a short trip

  I’ll begin by saying this is by far the cleanest campground I have stayed at. The facilities were well kept including the vault toilet houses. We stayed in a walk to site and the views were incredible. Our tent pad was quite rocky so I would recommend sleeping pads or you will be very uncomfortable. Our site was also extremely dusty which wasn’t a problem at all just be prepared to be a little dirty. The campground was quiet except for the occasional train that rolled through those are quite loud due to how close they are to the campground. I would definitely come back to Nelson Dewey and stay again. There was not a ton to do in the area so a short weekend stay was perfect. A highlight is that the park provided cart to use to haul all your stuff to the walk to sites. There is 1 designated parking spot per walk to site as well. The walk to sites are small and only accommodated our one (6 person) tent which was not a problem for us as we knew this ahead of time.

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 22, 2024

  Oelwein City Park

  This is a beautiful city park campground

  I enjoyed my 5 night stay at Oelwein City Park Campground. It's located on the south end of town, there is only one business within walking distance. It's a great restaurant (Oelwein Family Restaurant) and it's about a 15 minute walk.

  There is one shower house, and several vault toilets throughout the park. The shower house is old and a little run down but was very clean. I had no problems using it.

  The city park is adjacent to the campground and has picnic shelters, a playground, and a dog park.

  There are electric and water hookups at most sites, and there is a dump station. The park was pretty full on the weekend as you would expect, but very quiet during the week.

  I had great Verizon and T-mobile service here.

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 22, 2024

  Elkader City Park

  Close to town, nice facilities, not quiet

  I had good Verizon signal here (70 down, 20 up) but zero T-mobile signal.

  The campground is close to down, there are two museums within walking distance (just steps from the campground entrance). Across the street is a walking & biking trail that will take you straight to downtown, where you'll find a coffee shop, a few restaurants, and other shopping. It's less than a 5 minute bike ride to get there, and very scenic as it follows the river.

  The facilities are newer and pretty nice. The showers are the single-button kind with no temperature adjustment. If you wait a while, the water does get barely warm enough for a comfortable shower.

  This is not a quiet campground, it has a well traveled highway on one side, and a city main street on the other side that semi trucks use during the day. Sometimes there are highschool football games at the stadium next to the campground. Late at night it does get quiet.

  The sites are grass or gravel. There are electrical hookups at most sites, with water faucets spread throughout the campground. The sites are mostly shaded.

  I enjoyed the George Maier Rural Heritage Center and Museum ($5 admission) and the Elkader Depot Museum (free) which are located right next to the campground.

  The downside to this campground is the dump station. It is just a hole in a manhole cover. It's in a dirt/weedy area and smells terrible. It's located across the street from the campground.

• L

  Lonnie C.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 20, 2024

  River of Lakes Campground

  Ok. Great checkin - however..

  Nice campground with many sites on the Mississippi backwaters and decent fishing stayed two days and opted on a third. However, after we paid for the third night we noticed a campsite on the other side. Of course the first amendment is everyone’s freedom but really ,do campers need to put out “2024 No More Bulls***” AND how about 2024 Fu** your Feelings” that was in front of their welcome sign. These phrases were on massive flags nailed to trees. Of course we all have freedoms but because these vulgar, in your face phrases were seen every time we left the campground we did not feel comfortable. Good thing I did not have my grandkids along. We all have our beliefs, but is offensive language regarding politics have a place in campgrounds have a place? I say “No!” those folks were out of line and it is wrong. We will never return to this campground again.

• J

  John B.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 20, 2024

  Wyalusing State Park Campground

  Nice Park

  Nice sites, trails and facilities. Stayed during the week in mid September. Beautiful sites overlooking the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers. Great hiking with clean bathrooms and toilets. Private with plenty of room from neighbors for our teardrop.

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 15, 2024

  Fontana County Park

  New, clean, no trees

  There is a brand new campground here with full hookups. There are no trees so I decided to pass and not camp here. Evidently there is an "old" campground somewhere in this park also that I did not find. The signs will direct you to the new campground.

  I had good T-mobile and Verizon service here.

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 15, 2024

  Klocks Island Park

  Crowded and quiet

  This seems like a quiet campground. It's just off the highway but there was almost zero traffic on this small highway. I drove through here on a Saturday in mid September. All spots were taken. I had barely usable Verizon service here and no T-mobile service. I was not able to camp here. The restroom building looked fairly new.

• 

  Jeff and Linda L.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 2, 2024

  Wildcat Bluff County Park

  Nice small park

  Small quite county park with electricity at most sites. First come sites. On Labor Day weekend only 5 campers there out of 21 sites. We found one with mostly shade. There is a first class 21 hole frisbee golf course at this park. Close to 52 mile Cedar Valley Nature bike trail. On the Cedar River. Boats were going in and out, I would guess you could Kayak there. One half mile on gravel to the park. No cell service.

• C

  Colleen L.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 26, 2024

  Wanatee Park (formerly Squaw Creek)

  Great location and amenities

  I loved this campground. There are a variety of sites to choose from, nice trees, and a beautiful wildflower field to walk through. Bathrooms are stationed without so it’s never a far walk and the shower house was really nice. You can hear the highway, but overall the campground was very quiet.

• 

  Niki S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 15, 2024

  R Campground, Inc

  Very clean, friendly owners, great co-campers

  Randy was amazing and very attentive to my questions. Check in was super easy and the directions for check in were clearly spelled out. Everything was mapped out and the website was easy to use as well. The pond itself was pretty to look at and made for great photos, however it was loaded with geese which made it not user friendly. I would recommend this campground, and I will definitely go back to camp again!

• 

  Kenneth M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 6, 2024

  Clayton Hills Campground

  Best Owners Ever

  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!!!

• 

  Robert P.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 26, 2024

  Blue Inn Campground

  Reservations

  I made a reservation back in April 20 q24 June 26th 6 days before vacation I received a refund notice from them not in the full amount I paid less than a half

• T

  Tammy F.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 13, 2024

  Lime Creek Park

  Nice campground with a Quirk

  The pros: $10 fee ($15 electric), campground seems well maintained (grass is mown, security light works, tables in good repair, gravel access road in good shape, etc); no one here but us, the sound of the running Creek is soothing, vault toilet is probably the cleanest I've seen; ATT cell service was 3bars 5G The unusual: no specific site, no specific place to pull into, no site numbers or designation except on the electric pedestals. It's all grass. Pull onto the grass near the table or electric pedestal you want. The cons: highway traffic noise is easily heard and doesn't seem to stop for more than a few seconds (though the crickets/bug sounds and the creek sound is sometimes louder so you hear that instead), dust from vehicles passing on nearby dirt road filters thru the trees (due to dry weather?), and, well, it is, after all, a vault toilet-not my fav,

• 

  Ashley F.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 12, 2024

  Baileys Ford

  Excellent campground

  What more can I say than this place was stellar. We were tent camping the site we picked was big (there were smaller sites if that’s what you need). Access to the trout stream directly from our site! The facilities were clean even for a vault toilet (regular toilets and showers available at the main building which were extremely clean) the showers had hot water and real on and off handles NOT the push to start ones. Access to the river was available and there was a boat launch site. Staff we encountered were all friendly. Firewood available to purchase on site (only available Friday and Saturday night it was $10 a bundle during our stay). Plenty of things for kids to do volleyball ball court, softball field, and several playgrounds! Many shelters available for larger gatherings. This place even had an outdoor chapel. Baileys Ford exceeded my expectations for a county campground and I will be returning 100% my only complaint was spotty service (Verizon) but then again the point of camping is to disconnect so this was not a big deal. Minimal bugs considering how close we were to the water as well!

• 

  Nick B.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 6, 2024

  Wildcat Bluff County Park

  Quiet with good trails

  Very nice little park if you like hiking or Frisbee golf. There is not much to the park besides campsites and the Frisbee golf course. It has a small playground with just a few swings and a slide. Bathrooms were horrible. I would not suggest staying unless you have your own restroom. Also there is no dump station so be prepared to take your shit home with you.

• 

  Tori L.

  Scout

  

  May. 26, 2024

  Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest

  Dream stay.

  Came to learn more about Tenkara fly fishing. Had a ball. Visited the 3 lookouts including Iowa only Fire tower. Bird life is colorful. Lots of places to hike. Scenery is lush. I had no phone service. Campsites are well mown, have a picnic table and fire ring. Pit toilets. Easy access to water. Drink water and firewood are at the host A frame. There is no dump site. Everyone was very friendly. Helpful. Nights were quiet. Very relaxing.

• I

  Ira V.

  Scout

  

  May. 25, 2024

  BEYONDER Getaway at Lazy Acres

  Don’t recommend

  We stayed here towards the end of May. They hadn’t cut the grass but was in the process of cutting it. This caused swarms of bugs. We are from Ky backwoods and are use to bugs but this was awful. The bathhouse was clean. The campground is right off the main highway so easy getting off and right back on.

• 

  Tiffany K.

  Guide

  

  May. 20, 2024

  Pikes Peak State Park Campground

  Quaint Campground with River Views

  Loved this campground but it does have some drawbacks. Set up a lot for rv camping with site layout and connections. Some sites have the fire ring very close to the parking area and some spots have limited shade (compared to the majority of the campground that is in the trees). The bathrooms and showers are in good condition. The Mississippi River overlooks are a short walk away. There were lots of birds and spiders around the campground. There are a good number of hiking trails in the park.

• 

  Marci S.

  Guide

  

  May. 14, 2024

  Pikes Peak State Park Campground

  Dramatic scenery, quiet campground

  This campground is a short hike away from beautiful trails that overlook the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. The boardwalk trails also lead to a small falls and more. Site 51, where we stayed, is near trailhead but on a slight slope. Showers, water, dump station available here, no playground

• c

  corey

  Traveler

  

  May. 3, 2024

  Twins Campground

  Serene

  Serenity, nature at its best, birdsong all day long wildlife at every turn our campsite was level the owners and manager were great hosts. We stayed several weeks the price was very reasonable, honey wagon service was included ; riding/ hiking trails from campsite.

• 

  Kristy E.

  Scout

  

  May. 2, 2024

  Wanatee Park (formerly Squaw Creek)

  Very well kept and quiet campground.

  This is a newer campground so is a mixture of mature and young trees. It is very clean and well cared for. Lots of opportunity to ride the numerous bike trails nearby and hike in wanatee park and nearby pinicon. The Cedar river and the wapsicon for fishing. This area has something for everyone.

• 

  Greg K.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 13, 2024

  Twins Campground

  Twins campground- cresco,Iowa.

  Very friendly and helpful owner. He even drove to town so we could follow him in. Has playground community area fire pit and a structure built to cover picnic tables. atv trails. Turkey river right there was 20 feet from my site. Porta potty and shower water is hot. 30/50 amp power with water on each site. Water fill station and dump station. Garbage .

• A

  Amy B.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 12, 2024

  Linn County Park Morgan Creek Campground

  Hidden hideaway

  Stopped here for the night as a layover and had a great site. Everything you need in a campground. Bathrooms and showers are clean. Water and electricity at site, along with picnic table and fire ring. Trails close by and only about 5 min from expressway.

• 

  Pat F.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 8, 2024

  Bloody Run County Park

  An amazing weekend

  I went fishing and hiking and it’s very scenic and beautiful area , train blairing its horn in the middle of the night sucks since it’s right by train tracks, pit toilets and clear water stream in front of the campground fishing wasn’t the best 

• 

  Pat F.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 20, 2024

  Big Springs Trout Hatchery Campground

  A slice of heaven

  This is a beautiful scenic view right next to the river and there are picnic tables fire rings and a trash can and porta potty with a water spigot for fresh water