Best Tent Camping near Shell Rock, IA

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 little park if you need a place to stop for the night. It was very inexpensive for tents ($10 I think) and the tent camping area was very nice with 3 giant pine trees and some picnic tables and fire rings. As someone who bicycle tours I appreciated fire wood being on site and close to where the tent area is. The bathrooms aren’t the best but they worked. Overall its a safe, clean, welcoming campground for both tents and RV’s.

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.

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

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.

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

This campground offered much privacy when I went - I was the only person camping (tent camping). It was very quiet.

That being said, there are not many amenities. It has a vault toilet. I did not check the water hydrant, or even try to locate it, since I brought my own water for one night of camping. There is a small playground for the kids, but it is definitely not a modern playground (think back to the 1970's style playground when I was a kid!).

There are opportunities to hike and view wildlife - my favorite outdoor activities.

This campground is a real bargain. It was $10/night for any site, including the electric (I stayed in one of the non-electric sites near the back).

For me, it offers solitude. I will be coming back regularly.

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.

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.

Just stayed one night passing through Iowa. Very pretty Campground with colorful Kabin’s and a lake for swimming or paddle boats. Level sites but not much shade.

Surprised we did not get an escort to our site as is usual at KOA’s. Did not use bathroom facilities. Laundry needed attention as it was a bit unkempt and one machine was broken and half full of dirty water.

Would stay again to try some of the other amenities.