Best Tent Camping near Rockford, IA

This is a rustic state park with limited amenities. There are no water or electric hook ups. However clean water is available in the park. The park does have flush toilets and showers. We found these to be in good condition and clean. The showers had warm water. The water stream is on a timer and so are the lights. The shower stalls are Individual stalls. The interior roads are dirt roads with a few potholes they are very narrow. The camping sites are nice sized and relatively private. There is a gravel pad on each site and some have a tent pad. Each site had a picnic table and a fire ring. There are plenty of walking and biking trails and there are walk-in tent camp sites. However, you cannot see the lake from the campground and there is no access to the lake from the campground. We were able to drive through the campground with our 40 foot fifth wheel. But just barely, be careful! 

Good variety of activites to do, with lots of camping sites- including some right next to the lake. We went tent camping and had a great time. Would recommend as a great fishing destination. Also very cool to see the Dam, with a great walking path.

Very well maintained campground in a small but lovely park. Host was very nice and there were lots of open spots on a Saturday in late September. Loved our tent site with a short walk to the lake and clean bathrooms

First time at Beeds Lake. Easy access to most sites as many are parallel parking style. Lots of shade on the outer sites, plenty of tent sites as well. Camp hosts were available and helpful. This will be in our list of places to return to.

This is a great campground with lots of shade and spacious tent pads! The large oak trees throughout the campground made for beautiful scenery and nice spots to string a hammock up. My site was right next to the bathroom building which did have a light on all night, but I had an eye mask so that didn’t bother me. $25/night for a tent site

Great state park for a quiet weekend trip. Tons of great tent sites, but it seemed like the RV spots were pretty close together. We stayed at #142 and it was the perfect tent location. Right on the water, distanced from our site neighbors, and a sandbar nearby for some fishing. The swimming beach was gross, but the hiking trail was great for an easy walk with kids.

It was kind of loud, but it was busy. The lake for swimming was a little gross but we did it anyway. The bike trails are excellent and same for hiking. Bathrooms were a little old but clean when we were there, but there were massive hornets all over the bathroom area. It's also pretty bright here at night because it's right in the city. But overall, a decent, cheap place to tent camp if you want to explore Cedar Falls.

We spent four nights tent camping at the White Fox Campground of Myre-Big Island State Park in June 2022. This park is a combination woodland/prairie/wetland setting. The White Fox Campground is on the fringes of a woodland. Our campsite was grassy and open with trees and shrubs curving along the back of the site. The site had the usual fire ring with grill and a large picnic table.

There are some nice trails for hiking through woodlands and prairie and alongside wetlands. We saw a lot of wildlife: several deer, red squirrels, chipmunks, a raccoon, a woodchuck, lots of different birds, and several different types of butterflies. In the mornings the birdsong was pretty amazing, loud and long lasting.

There are two freeways and a rail line near the park, but the noise from them was only bothersome on one morning of our stay.

There is a second campground on the Big Island portion of the park. Big Island is wooded and has some beautiful trails that we enjoyed.

We tent camped at Myre-Big Island State Park in Minnesota from September 30 to October 3, 2022. The weather was warmer than usual at this time of year, and the fall color development was a couple weeks behind normal. It was cool but beautiful during the daytime (light jacket/sweater weather). The temperature dropped at night but didn’t require anything more than our sleeping bags to keep us warm. The earlier sunset meant meal cooking and cleanup needed to be a bit earlier, but it also meant longer time for beautiful campfires in the evenings.

The trails were in great shape and beautiful with past-peak grasses and developing colors in the trees. Most of the wildflowers were done for the year, but some were still in bloom. Deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and lots of birds were active near the trails and campgrounds.

We have camped here previously, in early summer. Then the bugs were abundant and aggressive on the Big Island trails. During this fall trip, there were very few.

It’s quiet, clean, and has some pretty views of the Iowa nite sky

We stayed in Spot #1, which is by the water. We were in a tent, so it was warm, but overall it was a great stay. Very well maintained and a couple nice trails. Dog friendly.

Facilities are top notch and private. The nicest showed and restroom you can imagine. Large tent pads and a quiet area. Not busy when we went. There is a small hiking trail as well. The lake isn’t anything spectacular, it’s quite dirty but we were only there for a night.

Easy in and out late fall camping.  I got a great tent spot next to the river.  This is a fine campground that I much prefer during the off season (it gets too busy during the warm season for my liking).  The connection to hiking trails throughout the park is fantastic.

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.

Beeds Lake campground offers an opportunity to camp by a picturesque lake with a beautiful waterfall.

There are many campsites to choose from. My only negative point for Beeds Lake is that the campground is very "campgroundy". Many of the RV sites are very close together, which is the norm in Iowa. However, there are a few on the outskirts that have a little more privacy.

Things to do:

• Nice trails to hike or bike
• Beautiful small lake, great for kayaking and fishing
• Paddle boat rental available
• Man-made waterfall
• Fishing (lake and beneath the waterfall)
• Enjoy the nearby town of Hampton

I like this campground. It is right on the Iowa river near a takeout, so you can put in upstream and paddle down, or do as I do and paddle upstream and then back down (works when the water flow is not too swift).

This campground is quiet at night, but I will point out that it is near a popular members-only rifle and pistol range. It is very safe as the range points away from the campground into some large dirt mounds, but you may hear the continuous sound of gun fire during the day.