Best Tent Camping near Prairie City, IA

We’re big fans of Acorn Valley. It’s quiet and there is plenty of shade in the tent camping area. The tent sites lead to some small trails which end at the riverbed. Our boys love exploring here.

I have tent camped at Lake Ahquabi Campground several times. There are some great spots down by the lake that are perfect for tent camping. There is quite a bit to do in this State Park. There are a few trails, there is plenty of fishing, a swimming beach, and they have water sport rentals! The area is very pretty and peaceful. I would recommend for campers with kids and without. There are showers and plenty of bathrooms.

Got here a bit late and almost didn’t get a site. Very clean and nice with grassy tent sites. Best free site I have ever been to.

Though it’s closed this summer :( - the Ledges State Park campground is a long time favorite of ours. Lots of electrical and non electrical spots and also an entire section of hike-in tent camping that is just a short hike down to a secluded section of the Des Moines River. Secure your food at night or the racoons will dine lavishly on your supplies. :)

I would suggest getting reservations. We stopped on a Friday with out one, they were booked. We only wanted one night in a tent. They don’t have designated tent sites but they have one overflow sight and they let us use it for the night. Price is great, $20 per night. Easy to get rvs into the spots and a lot to do for the kids.

Union Grove is known for having good lake fishing. The lake is also a great place for kayaking or canoeing.

The campground has mostly RV sites, but there are a handful of smaller tent sites at the back, which are my favorite. The campground is quiet.

Amenities:

Showers and toilets

Dump station

Water

2 cabins

Things to do nearby:

Enjoy the lake

Matchstick Marvels in nearby Gladbrook

Used to go here as a kid, was always good fishing. We visited one week before the water and modern bathrooms were ready, so that was challenging. The park seemed a little rough to be on the cusp of true spring camping. Derecho looks to have hit here, lots of clean up to do. I never saw a ranger or any staff. Gorgeous tent camping area and waterfront sites. Great bike trail that goes right into Grinnell. We were in site 39 and it’s a great one!

I tent camped at “Mine Pond Campground” in Stephen’s State Forest in July 2022. I arrived about 8:15pm and had about 45 minutes of daylight to pitch camp. The campground feels deep in a vibrant Iowa forest surrounded by lush greenery. That said, mosquitoes swarmed me instantly. And “Mine Pond” is a small muddy pond without the most remote possibility of swimming. The pond kind of seems too small to fish but maybe. A storm blew in around dark and it rained much of the night. The frogs sang loudly deep into the night (see my video for the audio), which I enjoyed. A pair of barred owls hooted and laughed in the dark trees. I departed early while it was still dark. I don’t think I’ll return to this place.

This campground has many sites to choose from - RV with hookups as well as some non-electric tent sites. There are quite a few activities in Marshalltown, and it is within the Marshalltown city limits.

The downside is proximity. It is right next to the highway. When I was there in a tent, the hog trucks would drive by all night (loud and smelly). The RV sites are closest to the road, so maybe it is not so bad in an RV, but it is not particularly enjoyable in a tent.

Pros:

+ Marshalltown has quite a few places to eat

+ Nice bike trails (and a great bicycle store downtown)

+ It is near the Iowa River

+ Nice park in general with activities like a dog park

+ Camp host on-site

+ Decent sized campsites

+ Playground for the kids

Cons:

+ It can get busy on a summer weekend

+ Noisy - right by the highway

+ Mosquitos are really bad here

All campsites at Timmons Grove are$18/night and are electric. I have visited this place many times but only camped once. This place has never been busy when I have visited.

I generally do not camp electric, so$18/night was steep for non-electric tent camping. There is no shower and the restroom is a port-a-potty.

The area itself is really beautiful. There are good hiking trails, including a walk through some wildflowers. Bird watchers will love this place. Also expect to see deer and turkeys.

There is boat access to the Iowa river as well as a public hunting area(I have not gone boating or fishing here, or hunting).

Other than the nearby highway, which is not too bad for noise, the campground is really quiet.

The price and the nearby highway are my only real complaints here. I am giving it 4 stars.

We just did a day trip here with families who have a bunch of kids. Great park for kids and they loved floating down the river. We did a fun short hike as well. We checked out the camping situation for our next visit to Des Moines and decided a park a bit further away was worth a more secluded camping experience. Sites were not secluded and not very exciting plus they seemed very set up for an RV experience not so much tent camping. The bathrooms look pretty nice though. Definitely a nice place to spend a few hours, but the campground leaves something to be desired for me.

Went in without a reservation. No problem. Pleasantly surprised to find out it's an Army Corps of Engineers park; meaning if you have a annual National Parks pass, you get a discount. Didn't know that. We paid $11 for a tent site. Lots of RV sites around. The whole area around Saylorville Lake has camping. Lush green plots of land everywhere. I forget how pretty it is in the Midwest when I'm gone for so long. Quiet, relaxing place. Friendly staff. We took a long walk through the campground and others nearby. Boating and swimming in the lake.

The campground at this state park is very well maintained. Multiple electric site are available to reserve, along with a handful that are first come-first serve. They also have a bunch of tent sites as well. Pit toilets and a modern showrhouse. Drinking water is available throughout the campground. Most sites are level with at least partial shade. Picnic tables and fire rings at each site. The campground is clean and quiet. Gets busy on the summer weekends, but very quiet during the week. There is a beach to swim, and great fishing in the lake.

Wolf Creek is a nice little campground near Beaman, IA (Beaman is very small, near Conrad as well which has a grocery store).

There are 10 RV sites, which are $15/night and several tent/small camper sites which are $10/night.

The campground has potable water but no showers. There are vault toilets.

The campground has a nice playground, which was a feature we enjoyed when my daughter was little.

My favorite part about this campground is the privacy. The tent sites are spread out and it is fairly easy to find one without neighbors too close.

Activities:

+ Playground

+ Creek fishing

+ Nice benches and swings

+ Comet trail for hiking and biking

+ Hunting nearby