Horse camping is the perfect way to enjoy Saylorville Lake. If you're an equestrian lover who prefers nature-based adventure, yet still wants comfort, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Equestrian camping is the best way to experience nature. With our help, you'll find the best Iowa equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
Millions of years before the plains of Iowa were inhabited by the Sauk, Fox and Sioux peoples, much of the American Midwest was covered by a shallow inland sea. It was at this time that the area’s sandstone deposits began forming. Fast-forward to just 13,000 years ago, with the inland sea now long gone, Ice Age glacial meltwater raced across the dry plains, carving and scouring channels and canyons into the sandstone terrain. One of these canyons can be found in Iowa’s Ledges State Park. This 1,000-acre nature preserve and recreation area is located on a wide bend on the Des Moines River, and is just 40 miles north of the city of Des Moines. The park is subject to frequent flooding when the river breaches its banks, but is otherwise a popular year-round outdoor recreation destination. Visitors to Ledges can enjoy a variety of hiking, fishing and paddling opportunities, as well as explore a prehistoric river canyon that showcases nature’s ability to sculpt the landscape.
The campground at Ledges State Park features 94 tent and RV sites situated among deciduous woods not far from the Des Moines River. Campers can choose from full-hookup, partial-hookup, or primitive tent sites. Most sites are back-in; only a few are pull-through for larger vehicles. Tent sites are located in both in the main camp area, and in a secluded walk-in area. There is also a youth group site. All sites are equipped with picnic tables, fire pits and cooking grills, and all have access to water faucets, flush restrooms, showers, and trash receptacles; a dump station is located near the campground entrance. The campground also features a kids’ playground, outdoor amphitheater, and is within walking distance of trails and picnic areas. Some roads and/or facilities may not be open or available in the winter. Reservations are accepted, however the park saves about half of the sites for first-come, first-served campers; sites are $11–$19/night.
$12 - $18 / night
The equestrian campground features both electric and non-electric sites also. A modern shower building, horse stalls, hitching rails and a 100 foot by 200 foot riding arena are available.
The Madison County Fairgrounds is a great place to camp during the fair or throughout the rest of the camping season. From tents to motorhomes, it is accommodating to everyone's needs. Non-Fair Camping The Madison County Fairgrounds camp site is open April 1 to November 1, except during the fair. The pricing and rules for dates outside of the county fair week can be found on the link at the bottom of the page. Reservations are not available during this period, but if you are interested in camping please call Matt Porter at (641) 728-4750. Fair Camping Camping at the fairgrounds during the Madison County Fair allows participants to stay close to the action while having a comfortable place to rest. See the following link for more specific information about fair-time camping regulations. Contact Chance Dullard at 515-468-5034 if you would like more information. NOTE: No campers, reserved or non-reserved, can be on the fairgrounds before 6:00 pm on the Saturday before the start of the fair. A charge of $50 per day will be given to those who violate this rule.
$11 - $105 / night
Located one mile North of Knoxville on a quite dead-end road. It is 2 miles from the Knoxville Iowa Racetrack, 4 miles from Elk Rock Equestrian Park, 4 miles from Red Rock public boat launch. Site has 50/30 amp. receptacles, and water hook. Traveling with your horses there is a fenced in accommodation for them next to the camp site. There is a shared firepit, and additional outside sitting.
We do have a bunk house for additional sleeping with 2 separate rooms with air and queens size beds, you can rent separately or together. There is additional seating area in front. These units have no water or plumbing.
$50 / night
At Singing Mesa Ranch, our goal is to be your favorite spot for horse boarding, camping and hitting the trails. Our focus is to create an inviting but small and quiet destination where family is welcome, folks respect each other and you can unwind. You don't have to have a horse to stay with us! Established in 2015, we have slowly built a small campground, opened our indoor stall barn, outdoor pens and uncovered paddocks to our campers and as a horse motel. We have a 60x90 insulated indoor arena, a heated stall barn with up to 8 stalls and a wash rack. We have 16 miles of maintained trails and acres of space to blaze your own path. In 2022, we added the outdoor arena which is 100x220 with cattle roping chutes and return. Looking for a travel stop while traveling through Iowa, we are 20 minutes East from I-35 at Osceola, 20 minutes South of Indianola and right on Hwy 65. Stop by with your camper or LQ and horses and stay the night with us. Our facilities are open year round.
$15 - $75 / night
Guide
I like beach camp, but I LOVE north equestrian camp. Wish the boxes accomodated my rig. It's easy in spring or fall, we can get by with 30 amps. If you need 50 amps, you're going to want to head to the Beach Camp.
Guide
Great vibes. Camp's pretty far from the bones of the park, but the hike's relatively plesant. Cell coverage is terrible out here, and there is no WIFI to help keep people connected.
GuideCanyon road and limestone cliffs are awesome. Secluded spots in the trees. If you have Verizon and rely on data this may not be the campground for you.
GuideI stayed at Ledges in June and hiked the trails again in February. The campground is well kept but busy in the summer months with it being a popular hiking destination for Des Moines locals. With most of the surrounding areas having little to no elevation changes there are a few nice hikes along some rocky hills beside the river both in summer and winter.
GuideGreat place to camp if you like fishing, horseback riding or a nice place to get away.
LegendLarge campground, accommodates RVs & tents. Wooded & open sites. Appear level. Clean restrooms & shower stalls. Water. Playground. Friendly & helpful campground host. 3 bars T-Mobile. Great hiking trails in park.
ScoutWe have hiked here and it was really busy when we did. We decided to come back and camp a few months later. The campground was large but the DNR was helpful when finding our spot along with nice signs everywhere. We didn’t have any problems, people seemed friendly. Didn’t use the bathrooms but the outsides looked nice. We traveled to Des Moines when we stayed but there is lots to do near by. I would suggest the “high tressel trail” for bike riders, lots of cute bars to stop in along the way. Madrid has a bakery and some other cute places. Boone has a scenic train ride if that’s your thing. And the town of Luther, about 4 miles from the campground has a BBQ place that a lot of people travel to.
TravelerExcellent amenities well run Very clean. Surroundings very pretty
TravelerThe park is quite with some nice camping spots. Very quite with nobody around. The park could use some improvements but parks like these are my favorite!
GuideGreat selection of campsites for a wide variety of needs. Wonderful views from most sites. Access to multiple walking trails. Beautiful, wooded setting. Clean bathrooms/showers.
LegendBottom line. My bad but the site said electric. In all the other parks I’ve been to “electric” includes water. Which this park does not. Many trees, very pretty. Cell reception is weak.
ScoutOur camping experience was very nice. Pulling up to this park was surreal, considering the surrounding farmland that suddenly shows a lone forest. Some of the sites are pretty close, luckily we were next to a friendly couple with a cute dog. We were able to buy a good $5 bundle of firewood from the camp host. It was extremely quiet, until a camper pulled up with its generator. Still, a calming environment. A devious pack of raccoons stole our marshmallows (from a CLOSED bag) when we went in the tent for five minutes. So beware of that I guess 😂
TravelerPicturesque location south of Boone Ia. Close to town with stores with plenty of camping supplies. Arrive early sites fill-up fast. Online site for reservations and to check site availability.
TravelerThe only open site was in the North Equine Campground so we took a chance. We really did like the Campground, it was well maintained, clean and quiet. There were a few campers with horse but not many. Hitching posts behind each site which we enjoyed seeing. The roads inside the campground were all asphalt so lots of bikers enjoying rides around the grounds. There was also a nice playground for the kids surrounded by a well maintained, large, grassy area.
There were many empty sites because so many had no electric. It made for lots of nice open space. Unfortunately, we had no shade in the afternoon so weren't able to eat dinner outside or enjoy a fire in the evening. We are fortunate we camped in a 5th wheel so we could escape the heat, we would have left after the first night otherwise.
We did drive through the Beach Campground and the South Equine Campground. Beach had very little shade and was primarily families with younger children. The beach looked real nice, not too crowded for a hot,
July day.
North Equine was where most of the horse folks were staying it was quite crowded. A very bustling area.
GuideComing here on a Hot Day in the summer is the best. Lush trees and water to wade in. Recommend the hikes and walking the water river beds.
TravelerCampsites have the right amount of privacy while being close to the clean bathroom & playground. Outside the campground is Canyon Road, with multiple trails great for hiking up and along the scenic ledges. The road crosses the river several times, and on the weekend these crossings are lined with children & adults demanding you “go faster” so they get splashed!
GuideCamped here in order to be close to Fort Dodge first thing in the morning. I stayed in the Beach Campground. It's not on the beach, but close to it. There are 3 total campgrounds in the park. My choice was a very well manicured campground. The shower house was not open yet due to the time of year, but the drop latrine was open, very clean and well lit.
This little nugget is laid out on a vast prairie. Most sites have younger trees that provide some shade. This is not the big wooded type park. There are trails to get you out and away from the "park" and closer to the rustic woody nature.
Fire rings are all adjustable, sites are well kept and they offer "buddy sites" that are 2 sites really close together for those times when you bring friends, but have too many tents/vehicles to fall into the rules.
Verizon 4G fluctuated between 0-2 bars. Was able to send pictures and only dropped a call once.
Very little light pollution
TravelerGreat for tent camping, very spacious and grassy sites, clean, grill/fire pit was really very nice. Very clean and modern bathrooms, easy access to water. Hiking trails were well maintained. Can't wait to come again.
Guide
This was a super cool state park, great amenities, level and spacious RV spots. We loved it and will go back if we're in that area again.
Guide
I stayed at this campground from August until November 13 in my pull behind camper.
Water,gas and Sewer was $15 daily,$105 weekly, and$420 monthly. Prices go up to $120 weekly when it gets cold. Shower house was shut down for COVID and shuts down in winter.
Tenting is cheaper$11
No ground fires allowed.
Friendly,helpful hosts on site.
Close to the Bridges,John Wayne sites,lauandromat,and grocery stores.
You might get a view of bridesmaids and grooms at the fairgrounds on the weekend heading to a wedding in the fairground building, nice to see during my work COVID isolation.
When the trees get big and fill in and COVID is over and the shower house is open it will be 4 stars.
GuideComfortable and scenic park in Iowa with forested trails, gorge, and natural water features amidst the farm fields and rolling hills. Campground sites are well spaced and mostly level, many with shade and decent privacy. Mix of hookups for different needs; access to water and trash was easy. The bathrooms were a bit dated and unclean when we visited, but not terrible. Good cell coverage in the area and we could do work and school with our Verizon Hotspot. Beware of the raccoons! They were not aggressive from the standpoint of approaching us, but they were brash in approaching camper and supplies after dark, and they were a constant presence at the dumpster. Do not leave food out! Deer and other small game/wildlife seem abundant. Trails were poorly signed, but the park is relatively small and getting lost or wandering does not have bad consequences; you'll find where you wanted to go without too much trouble.
Scout
We stayed in the Elk Rock Equestrian campground and it was so peaceful and beautiful. The facilities were clean.
ScoutGreat for an overnight on my road trip back the Denver. Clean bathrooms and showers.
ScoutMy favorite part about this camp is the variety of sites offered. We went with a hike in site to throw some adventure into our lives. For only $11 a tent sit this place is amazing. Trees everywhere with privacy if wanted or also a great social scene. Honestly this camp is for anyone. The trails around the park are also amazing. Just don’t leave a Cheeto bag out on accident when you fall asleep because raccoons can smell everything, and when they do, they own the place.
RangerLedges State Park
Ledges is an amazing place. It has so much to do. There are long trails to hike, creeks to play in.
You can bring your tent or RV and camp. The RV camps have water/sewer hookups. The primitive tent sites are usually pretty clean and can get pretty busy on the weekends.
There are lots of bridges that get flooded out and are fun to drive over. Most of the kids like to hang out near them and get splashed.
Its a fantastic place to enjoy the outdoors and especially in the fall. Also if you go to Ames stop at Great Plains pizza company.
RangerThis is a really busy boat ramp but the campground is pretty big and open. The boat ramp is the closest one to mile long bridge. It also has a cleaning station and restroom available.
The campgrounds are very clean. There are lots of trails around the area.
It’s also a great place if you like to go horse back riding with lots of trails that go near the water.
There are camp hosts to help answer questions. There are also firewood bundles available to purchase for $4. The bathrooms and showers are very clean.
GuideFirst time camping at south campground. Loving it so far! Restrooms/showers and playgrounds are all still closed due to covid but there is still plenty to do! Walking, hiking and exploring. People are here camping with their horses but the campground is still nice and quiet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Saylorville Lake?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Saylorville Lake is Ledges State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 39 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Saylorville Lake?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 equestrian camping locations near Saylorville Lake, with real photos and reviews from campers.
