Are you planning a trip to Plainfield with your horse? We've got you covered. Finding a place to camp in Iowa with your horse is easier than ever. Search horse campsites and discover top-rated spots, as reviewed by other campers.
Clear Lake State Park offers diverse activities on one of Iowa’s most popular lakes. The 3,000-acre lake is a draw for boating, fishing and windsurfing. The park features 50 acres of open spaces and mature oak trees along with a highly popular campground. Several acres of picnic grounds with tables and grilles are available for day-use. The nearby town of Clear Lake is a summer tourist destination with numerous stores and restaurants. Camp in one of the most popular campgrounds in Iowa’s state park system. The campground contains two modern restrooms, shower facilities and two dump stations. A quarter of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and advanced reservations can be made online through the online reservation system for Clear Lake State Park.
Camping at Shellrock River Greenbelt and Preserve
The Shellrock River Greenbelt Preserve provides both primitive and equestrian camping opportunities all year round. Two small shelters, fire rings, pit toilets, and hitching posts are provided at this site.
Located on Yucca Avenue between 290th and 280th Streets.
Open Year Round
There is no charge for using this rustic campground
The Albany Campground has equestrian and non-equestrian campsites. The equestrian campsites all have electrical hook-ups. The non-equestrian sites are non-modern with non-electric sites. There is a water hydrant for the non-equestrian campsites. There is water and vault toilets but no showers. A portion of the area is available for equestrian campers and those sites have hitching posts.
Volga River State Recreation Area is located in one of the most scenic parts of the state. Northeast Iowa is often referred to as "Little Switzerland" because of its rugged topography, rock outcroppings and forest cover - a sharp contrast to the rolling hills, farmland and scattered stands of timber found in the majority of the state. The heavily wooded, rugged area of Volga River is an exciting setting for a variety of outdoor recreation activities throughout the year.
Legend
We tend to stay at campgrounds during the off or shoulder season for a quieter experience so it was with some apprehension that we reserved this campground for a summer weekend so that we could meet friends for Paddlefest. We were happy to discover that despite being a full campground, it was quiet at almost all hours of the day and night. It was, however, an entirely different story on the lake itself, where boats gathered all day to party!
There is little separation between the sites but there are trees located throughout, some of which provide shade to the site. The camper pads were a mix of dirt and gravel and mostly level. We were lucky to snag Site 34 (reserved about three months in advance) – it was on the end, making it a much larger site than the interior sites (all end sites in our section were larger) and we had plenty of shade trees, a welcome relief on a very hot weekend.
The paved roads leading to the sites are very narrow and would appear to be one-way but are not designated as such, resulting in some confusion. The site numbers are only listed on one side, even though most of the sites appeared to be pull-through.
The restrooms and showers were clean and had soap and (dated) air dryers.
Overall, we had a very pleasant two-night stay even though we were prepared for a different experience.
GuideNice campground with grassy pull thru sites. But very close together. If full, you would have no privacy. Fortunately, it was 1/4 full, so no problem. Bathrooms clean, nice warm showers! Nice beach, lots to do. Would be a fun place if you don’t mind camping next to neighbors!
GuideThis is our second time camping at the Clear Lake State Park. The park is clean, the shower house is nice. It’s hard to control the temperature in the showers, too hot for little kids to stand directly in the water. The playground was fun for the kids, nice beach access! Limited full hook up sites. I wish there were more full hook ups that you could reserve. Paved roads are great for bike riding. Great shaded spots. DNR cruises the park daily which is nice to see.
ScoutOverall nice place to stay. We stay each year with family so there are about 4 of our campers all there together.distance between sites can be wide or narrow depending on which site you’re on.
Pros: Clean/well maintained, easy short path through the trees to get to the beach, sturdy picnic tables all around, long “driveway” for campsite
Cons: pads are gravel and not very level, pads are very narrow, beyond the trees on one side of the campground is a major road so you’ll hear cars passing by, not a lot of restroom/bathhouses
GuideWe spent 4 days here and the park is a busy place! Very clean!!!!! Dump station was easy access! We were right by the shower houses. Check in and out was simple. We made our reservations online. The park had paved roads, great for bike riding, playground was a hit! The sunset was gorgeous in the evenings at the beach! We will be back!
Guide
Secluded free camping with port a potty, fire rings and a shelter. My AT&T service worked enough for a podcast but not streaming.
ScoutWe love coming to Clear Lake! The campgrounds are always very well kept, bathrooms very clean! Easy access to the lake, and the town has so much to do during the summer months!
ScoutIt’s quiet, clean, and has some pretty views of the Iowa nite sky
ScoutNice place good amenities. Has plenty of fishing access archery gun range. Boat access. Decent shower/ bathroom facilities.
ScoutClear lake state park is a nice campground. It does get very busy during peak season and traffic is continuous. It is clean and close to the beach. Down town and other shopping is a short drive away. Lots of families camp here. Spots are nice.
Guide
Good time! It rained and was a little muddy, but it was nice. Site 11 is kind of small for a large tent like we have. The group sites are close by and they were quite loud, but the rest of the park was nice and quiet. There is horse camping here, and the lake is nice for swimming.
ScoutThis is a great family park where the kids and grown-ups can have fun!
You can go fishing at the pond without having to purchase a Minnesota Fishing License!
GuideOur sight overlooking a small grove of trees. Several species of birds I don't recognize kept us entertained the whole time. Bathrooms were exceptionally clean best I've encountered. We got bikes from nearby LeRoy city hall ($5.00 donation) really great program. The bike path traverses through the campground (shooting star trail). One drawback is the faint highway noise. I would visit this campground again.
Traveler
You will love this park. There are about 20 self-serve sites with electric and water. Self serve firewood. Dump station and dumpsters near the exit. Clean bathrooms and showers. Lots of space at each campsite. Good hiking and horse trails. Sitting right on the Cedar River, it’s a great location to kayak and tube. Cheap at $20 a night. We showed up at 8:00 on a Fryevening and spots were available!
GuideLoved this state park. Sites not too level, but spacious. Camped in mid April and park was not very busy which was nice. Full hook up sites and W/E only sites. Close to town and lots to do.
GuideThis is a very small campground. The sites are not very private. Have some nice hiking trails and a small lake a short walk from the campground. We were in spot 15 and there was no shade in the morning to early afternoon. There was little to no cell phone coverage for AT&T
TravelerI love this campground! Clean, well maintained, and the hosts are very friendly. Trail to the beach is clear, the playground has nice, safe equipment for the little kids. Sad that there were so many back up sites over the holiday weekend, would have liked to have been able to camp here. It being full more than a week before the holiday, shows how great it is.
GuideGreat campground. Family and friends get together a must here. Close to the beach, town and the lake has great fish. Reserve early!
GuideThis is a state campground. So as most will know the sites could be better maintained. The bathrooms are updated and nice. When there is heavy rain you will however have your own pond at most sites. I guess you pay for what you get. I love this campground because they are large spots. Close to the beach and fishing is awesome. A big campground but reserve early!
Guidealways plenty to do!!!
TravelerThis campground is quiet - only a handful of sites in a loop. You aren't completely isolated from your neighbors, but it's also not completely wide open. There is a beach, picnic area, and hiking trails. During the week, the office isn't open so it might be helpful to bring your own firewood purchased from nearby. There is no cell service (TMobile) here.
GuideThere are only 6 full hook up sites and the care taker made sure we got one. The rest of the sites are beautiful with electric hook up. Nice clean bathroom and hot shower!
LegendOur group of 12 stayed at one of the two group sites at Lake Louise State Park. Our site holds up to 30 and the neighboring site holds up to 50. Our site was a beautiful spot with large shade trees, three picnic tables and two fire pits. We also had a large grassy area to play and an area to put up our tents that was away from the activities. A vault toilet was beside us but it was also for the other group site so they had to constantly walk thru our site to get to it. The trails were nice but small and the beach is not recommended. Even though it's part of a river it was very stagnant yucky water and dirty sand.
Horse camping in Iowa offers a unique opportunity to explore the great outdoors while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With several well-reviewed spots available, equestrian enthusiasts can find the perfect place to set up camp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Plainfield, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Plainfield, IA is Black Hawk County Park with a 4.5-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Plainfield, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 equestrian camping locations near Plainfield, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
