Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Onawa, IA is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Iowa camping has to offer. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Onawa camping trip.
The Lewis and Clark campground is a great place to spend a leisurely vacation in the outdoors. The campground features both electric and full hook-up sites (water and sewer) which lie along the lakeshore. Modern restrooms and showers are available, as is a trailer dump station.
$20 - $26 / night
Preparation Canyon State Park, in the heart of the Loess Hills in western Iowa, encompasses 344 acres, including what used to be the town of Preparation. Today, Preparation Canyon is a quiet enclave offering backcountry hiking, picnicking and beautiful views of the unique Loess Hills.
Camp in one of ten hike-in camping sites, which are some of the only hike-in sites in the Iowa state park system. The trailhead to the hike-in sites is located in the southeast corner of the park. The sites each have a table and fire ring, but no bathroom facilities. Registration is on a first-come first-served basis with self-registration in the east parking lot.
$9 / night
$10 - $50 / night
This 35-acre area is located 3 miles west of Salix, Iowa. Snyder Bend Lake is an oxbow of the Missouri River, formed in the early 1960’s when the river was channelized.
The lake has been stocked with walleye fingerlings in the past, a cooperative project with the River City Anglers of Siouxland. Other popular game fish include largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, catfish and perch.
A wildlife refuge has been established at Snyder Bend and no disturbance or human traffic is allowed on the refuge for several months in the fall. Please observe refuge dates as posted.
This 34-acre area is located one mile south of Bigelow Park near Salix. Snyder Bend Lake is an oxbow of the Missouri River, formed in the early 1960s when the river was channelized.
Park facilities are open and pressurized water systems are available May 1 through October 31.
4 two-bedroom family cabins (fee charged)
28 electrical campsites (fee charged)
12 tent or non-electrical campsites (fee charged)
$17 - $25 / night
$18 - $30 / night
Scout
I have stayed several times. Quiet. Nice. Close to town, stores, food. $15. Night in 2025. Fair. Good place for quiet, inexpensive nights. Quite a good deal.👍
Legend
The campground is part of the town park in Pilger. There are five sites, all with electricity and two of them have water. The two sites with water had occupants but we did not see anyone when we were there. The camper pads and road are gravel. Sites have a picnic table and bbq grill.
The sites back up to Highway 15 and you will definitely hear (loud) road noise from cars and trucks. This park seems to cater more to the activities of the town– there is a ballfield, two covered picnic pavilions, and a pool. The pool looked very nice, but on a Monday before school let out, no one was there.
The restrooms/showers are near the pool and are open even when the pool is not. There is some ancient playground equipment and not sure why they left it (other than for nostalgia reasons) as there is new equipment in the same area.
We were there on a Monday afternoon in June and although there were three employees in the pool area, there was no one in the park at all!
Traveler
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.
Traveler
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
Guide
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.
Ranger
We found the Scenic Park RV Campground when we were looking for a spot to stay close to Sioux City, IA for a sports event for our sons. We were extremely happy with this city run campground.
The pads are in great shape. They offer full hookups. We did not have a full hookup site, but still had water, electric, and free cable tv. The view from our camper of the Missouri River and the Sioux City skyline was pretty great.
The staff is friendly and welcoming. The location is quiet and everyone staying there seemed very nice as well. Will definitely be back when we’re up that way again next year.
Scout
It’s a good place for camping not perfect. Has a descent size lake good for kayaking and fishing.
TravelerStopped 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.
Guide
In another 4-5 years when the trees have grown and this is better maintained, it could be a nice campground. Sadly, our trip there started with the Google directions leading us to the wrong side of the highway and a muddy, bumpy road. I called and they gave me correct directions. Once there, no office, no staff. I called because the site I had reserved was occupied. They said just pick any other. We paid for lake side, but it was too muddy in the other available sites. We were not offered a refund ($5). We saw several dogs off leash and, while they were well-behaved, one never knows if they will stay where they belong.
It was quiet at night. We stayed on a Saturday night.
TravelerWe 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
Guide
Had a grassy & shady tent site. There were vault/pit toilets close and regular restrooms with showers a little walk away (showers needed to be cleaned). Water spigot was close by too. Wish we had more time to explore the park itself because there was lots of hiking/waking trails. Overall no complaints
Guide
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.
Traveler
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.
Guide
Beautiful park, beautiful scenery and amazing playground!
GuideWe 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!
Scout
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.
Ranger
Nice little city campground just a few miles off the interstate and right next to the Missouri River. Quiet large sites at a reasonable price. Picnic tables and fire rings. Water and electric only....there is a sewer dump near the bathrooms but not at the sites.
TravelerGreat place very dog friendly. Spots are spacious and on pavement. Close to the river for your fishing needs.
Guide
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.
ScoutPerfect 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!
Scout
Has a new pool, very nice staff, well maintained.
LegendSpacious site well cared for grounds. Close to everything in the city.
Traveler
Small park, peaceful, river access for canoe/kayak. No designated camp sites but plenty of space for tent or camper.
Traveler
Small park, has some picnic tables, a toilet, and a trash can. Says you can pay to camp but no designated camp sites and limited parking. Does offer access for canoe/kayaking on the river. Camping is $10 a night, pay on site.
Guide
Nice site for a tent camper passing through, beginner adventurers, glampers, or a family staycation. The entire park is well maintained, has a large lake stocked with fish, tent sites are close together, but tolerable. Occupancy depends on the time of year. I was there in September and it was not crowded at all. Tent sites are primitive. New roads leading into the park.
RangerConcrete pads, very little leveling needed. Plenty of space in between sites. Dappled shade. Easily accessible for any size rig. We didn’t use bath/shower facility; it required a code from the city. Portapotties were available in campground. Garbage dumpster, but no recycling. Dump station available, but area may be a bit tight for larger rigs to access. Camp host on site. No laundry. Some train noise. Excellent Verizon signal. Nice park with boat ramp and scenic overlook on the Missouri River. Campground is located about 5 minutes off the interstate.
ScoutOnly 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!
Camping near Onawa, Iowa, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, there are plenty of campgrounds to explore.
Camping near Onawa, Iowa, has something for everyone, from families to seasoned RVers. Just remember to pack your essentials and enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular campground near Onawa, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Onawa, IA is Lewis and Clark State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 20 reviews.
What parks are near Onawa, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 2 parks near Onawa, IA that allow camping, notably Conestoga Lake and Saylorville Lake.
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