Best Tent Camping near Onawa, IA
Searching for a tent camping spot near Onawa? Find the best tent camping sites near Onawa. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Best Tent Sites Near Onawa, IA (9)
1. Preparation Canyon State Park Campground
Moorhead, Iowa6 Reviews•44 Photos•64 SavesPreparation 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.
- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Tents
- Picnic Table
- Alcohol
$9 / night
2. Loess Hills Hideaway
Moorhead, Iowa1 Review•9 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Tents
- Cabins
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Picnic Table
4. Pelican Point State Rec Area
Little Sioux, Iowa2 Reviews•1 Save- Pets
- Tents
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Toilets
$15 / night
Recent Tent Reviews in Onawa
215 Reviews of 9 Onawa Campgrounds
- CChris H.
Traveler
Bob Hardy RV Park
Campsite
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.
- R
Roberto G.Traveler
Jones Pond
Hidden Gem
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
stephen W.
Guide
Hitchcock County Nature Center
Stay for the trails
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.
Pat V.
Ranger
Scenic Park
Great spot close to everything
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.
Edger G.
Scout
Nelson Park Crawford County Park
Descent place for camping
It’s a good place for camping not perfect. Has a descent size lake good for kayaking and fishing.
- BB S.Traveler
Hitchcock County Nature Center
Meh, for tent camping
Stopped 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.
Steve R.TravelerDecatur Bend Access
Quiet and safe. Been twice now
We 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
Julia V.Guide
Stone State Park Campground
Great for a night
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
Christopher W.Guide
Hildreth Lighthouse Campground
Nice flat piece of grass
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.
Kyla B.Traveler
Dead Timber State Rec Area
Quiet retreat
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.
Melissa C.Guide
Lewis and Clark State Park Campground
Beautiful Park - Amazing Campground
Beautiful park, beautiful scenery and amazing playground!
- SSabrina E.Guide
Hitchcock County Nature Center
Amazing!!
We 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!
Madison H.Scout
Arrowhead Park Pottawattamie County Park
10 out of 10
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.
Rich J.Ranger
Cottonwood Cove Park Campground
Nice
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.
Elizabeth D.TravelerScenic Park
Close to river.
Great place very dog friendly. Spots are spacious and on pavement. Close to the river for your fishing needs.
- TTammy F.Guide
Huff - Warner Access Area
Nice campground with easy access
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.
- aalex R.Scout
Arrowhead Park Pottawattamie County Park
Perfect getaway
Perfect 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!
- JJohn R.
LegendScenic Park
Beautiful city life in a park.
Spacious site well cared for grounds. Close to everything in the city.
Joshua D.Traveler
Stieneke Area Park
Small county park
Small park, peaceful, river access for canoe/kayak. No designated camp sites but plenty of space for tent or camper.
- Joshua D.Traveler
Ranney Knob Area
Small county park
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.
Renee H.RangerCottonwood Cove Park Campground
City campground in quiet neighborhood
Concrete 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.
- CChar S.Scout
Hitchcock County Nature Center
One of the best places ever.
Only 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!
Fabian S.GuideScenic Park
Central Campground
Very centrally located, well-kept complex, friendly and helpful staff, the restrooms and shower are very simple but clean.
- WWendy M.Guide
Bob Hardy RV Park
Convenient & quiet
Decent park and great price! We stayed 2 nights for my husband to do a job down the road. Shower house could have been cleaner but you can’t beat the price at $17.50/night! They had electric hookups, grills and picnic tables at every site plus a small playground for kids. Free dump station and water fill was nice. Every spot was filled the second night and the parks and recreation guys came through a few times checking on things. We’d definitely stay again if passing through!
- PPJTraveler
Snyder Bend County Park
Small quiet county park
Not too busy. Spots have water and electric for $25/ night
- BBobbie C.Traveler
Lewis and Clark State Park Campground
Not bad for after Labor Day Weekend.
Campground was as I hoped. Empty except for 3 others. Oxbow lake is nice with a sandy shoreline. The campground is set in an Aspen glade. Very nice.
Jeremy B.GuideHitchcock County Nature Center
Clean, quiet, and tranquil
Friendly reminder to bring CASH FIRST COME FIRST SERVE
Pros
- great Starlink line of sight
- super clean bathrooms and hot showers
- very quiet
- many nature trails out your door
- friendly cows :)
Literally no cons.
Guide to Onawa
Tent camping near Onawa, Iowa offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, with several well-reviewed spots that cater to outdoor enthusiasts seeking a peaceful retreat.
Tips for tent camping near Onawa
- Preparation Canyon State Park is a great choice for those who enjoy a hike-in experience, with about eight private sites dispersed throughout the area.
- For a more secluded stay, consider Site 3 at Preparation Canyon State Park, which provides stunning views and excellent stargazing opportunities.
- Always plan ahead, as amenities in the surrounding towns are limited, making it essential to bring your own supplies.
Local activities for outdoor enthusiasts
- Explore the scenic trails at Preparation Canyon State Park, where you can hike and enjoy the unique flora and fauna of the Loess Hills.
- Take advantage of the nearby State Forest Lookout, which features a picturesque 0.91-mile loop trail perfect for a leisurely stroll.
- Enjoy fishing or kayaking at Stieneke Area Park, which offers river access for those looking to engage in water activities.
Tent campers appreciate these amenities
- At Preparation Canyon State Park, each campsite includes a picnic table and fire ring, enhancing your camping experience.
- Loess Hills Hideaway provides clean facilities and a welcoming atmosphere, making it a fantastic spot for families and groups.
- Hildreth Lighthouse Campground offers a flat grassy area for pitching tents, ensuring a comfortable setup for your camping adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Onawa, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Onawa, IA is Preparation Canyon State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 6 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Onawa, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Onawa, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.