Best Tent Camping near Sioux City, IA

This is a beautiful park, well maintained, quiet and borders Browns Lake 10 Miles from Sioux City. CG has horse shoe pits, Basketball, volleyball courts, playground for the kids and a swimming beach. Newly constructed Handicapped ramp to fishing jetty and nice big fishing/boat dock that is at the rear of the CG. Restrooms/showers were newer, modern and spotless and also served as a tornado safe shelter. 4 individual shower rooms+ 4 individual/private toilet, sink, shower rooms handicapped accessible. All sites are 1st come 1st serve. Water at each site. We came in mid Friday and there were several sites available with one site still available lake side which we took. Numerous trees and sites are spacious. CG did not fill over the weekend which was a surprise considering that this CG was very nice. Have camped for 12 years and been to a number of CGs and never have had a State Park CG to have its own Wifi but his one did. Ice, bait and soft drinks available by host site. Shelter available for rental. Sioux City is only 10 miles away.This park is a gem. We camped at Bigelow Park/Brown's Lake in a Travel Trailer.

They have a lot of different sleeping options, from tent to hotel-like cabins. We went a long time ago when it was just tent sites. Some were along the river but most are back in the forest. Aside from the river, there are trails and a pool. Friends have said there are many very recent additions including rock climbing walls, archery, horseback riding, etc. The charm of the area is still there: riverfront views, rolling hills, simple trails through nature. Many other small parks along the whole river nearby, plus a full golf course and Sioux City. Perfect for a road trip stopover or a long weekend for locals.

This is a large state park in the northwest corner of Iowa, surprisingly wooded considering how close to Sioux City it is located. Touted as a year-round park, there is a large network of trails, some of which can be used as equestrian. HOWEVER, the trails are not labeled and there is no (or very fleeting) cell service so that even after looking at the map (located on a board in the park, not a paper one), I wandered aimlessly around the park getting lost. One of the trailheads requires that you tramp directly through Site 12 to access! I explored this trail for approximately a quarter of a mile, but it became very overgrown and because I was not sure where I was going, I ended up turning around.

The campground is divided into three sections

• Sites 1-11 are located on either side of the access road are a bit too close together for our preference and despite the park being so wooded, have no foliage or other visible separation between the sites. These sites all have electric hookups

• Sites 12-14 are at the top of the hill and have the easiest access to the restrooms; they also have electric hookups. In my opinion, Site 14 would be the most desirable. Given that there are only three sites here, there was a surprising number of cars driving past these sites.

• Sites 15-30 are primitive tent sites and located near Cabin#3 (a CCC cabin). 

The bathrooms were clean and (don’t laugh at me), the toilets had lids! Given the current virus situation, this was a nice and welcome surprise! 

There was no camp host and we only saw one ranger during our stay. There is a nice playground, but it is not located anywhere near the campground (it is located closer to two of the cabins). If you are camping with children, please note this. There are three cabins, one that was built by the CCC and a lodge which also looked to be a CCC product, although it did not appear to be open when we were there.

Camped in tents. Was impressed with the options of tent sites. Offers all the amenities we needed while tenting. Wooded sites. Beautiful scenery and plenty outdoor activities to take in. Would recommend to those seeking a lake, woods, hiking, swimming, and family friendly camping adventure.

Be prepared to higher your campground expectations after this one! Definitely one of the cleanest most well kept campgrounds I’ve seen in a while. Shower rooms/bathrooms are immaculate, and smell so nice. Site was perfect for both an RV or a tent. They offer tent, back in, or pull through. We tent camped at an back on site across from both the play area and the shower rooms. Loved it! Hope to come back and hike the trails x kids said they looked beautiful.

This campground has seen huge improvements over the last decade. They now sport an impressive set of cabins and other facilities for the 21st century camper. Tent camping continues to be available and has better privacy than many sites throughout Nebraska. The park isn't far from a small town where you can easily get anything you might need for your trip. Explore some of the activites that staff hold weekly or go take a hike! There's also playgrounds and a pool for the kids.

The address is WRONG. The location for is NOT. had to call to make reservations and the lady was unhelpful and rude. $15 for tent site. Then was told it was $25 and change to make a reservation online to save my spot and if anyone was there they would make us call back to reserve the site. This was abnormal for a state park and wish I had just camped somewhere from a local.

This park is definitely a must see for all types of campers. They have everything for all types of campers. There is a visitors center that has a little bit of the history of the area as well as education of the Missouri river. There is different types of cabins, (or look more like houses). There is a little fishing pond by the visitors center, as well as a swimming pool. There are paved roads through out the park with a few designated rv campsites. As well as tent camping scattered throughout the park, and camping off the Missouri river. There are several hiking trails, horseback riding, archery, 2 lookout points, and even a golf course. This is a place that anybody can find a outdoor activity to do.

Was only on site for 7 hours, but was very impressed with our spot, the clean, modern shower and bathrooms, and nature (there were turkey feathers from a night visitor when we woke!) We had the best tent site on the grounds, corner spot with decent trees and distance, most other spots are right on top of each other. Case in point, the only place for our car was on the road, no pull off.

Reservations can be made ahead of time online. However day passes have to be purchased in person, cash, on site day of.

Would definitely come back for a longer stay if we could get #4 or #5 for sure.

Clay County Park underwent some staffing and management changes at the beginning of last year. The whole area was thoroughly cleaned, trees trimmed, trails groomed, restrooms spiffed, etc.  Guest feedback on these changes was overwhelmingly positive and we expect further growth this season. 

We've begun working closely with SD Game, Fish and Parks and they are a great partner. This season, we will be adopting their reservation platform for guests to register. We expect to continue making incremental improvements and are looking forward to the 2023 camping season.

For additional information, please visit our Facebook Page (Clay County Park). We will be open for campers beginning Saturday April 15, 2023. Reservations can be made online at campsd.com or through the call center at 1-800-710-2267 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Follow the link and select "Make a reservation" tab. Reservations are accepted up to 90 days in advance of your arrival at the park.   **Camping reservations must be made before setting up on a campsite. 

Clay County Park features 40 electric campsites, 8 tent sites, 1 cabin, a multi-use trail, picnic shelters, and a boat ramp. We look forward to seeing you at the park soon! Thank you.

Park staff and volunteers did a great end of season cleanup and are now fine-tuning details for Summer 2023.

Well kept & family friendly camping in Iowa! We were able to reserve an electric unit (#30) right off the lake and across the road from the large playground (~5 setups for different age groups). We could watch the kids play while getting food ready or preparing a line to throw in the water. Short walk to the very clean restrooms with flush toilets & showers. Will come back!

I had the please of staying at this beautiful Nebraska state park with my youngest son on a return trip home from North Dakota over the July 4th weekend 2019. We pulled in after office ours and easily found several primitive walk up sites to choose from. We selected T45 for it’s proximity to a scenic Missouri River overlook and it’s flat, shaded ground. Ponca SP is a large clean and hilly state park offering just about everything you could want from Glamping in cabins to roughing it on one of several pack in trails. There is plentiful wildlife to observe. We witnessed deer and many species of birds in our one evening and morning stay. Guests to the park can partake in horse trail rides($), golf($), fishing, hunting, shooting/ archery range, biking/hiking, water activities such as kayaking or canoeing on the Missouri River, and a large pool near the entrance. Food service is also available on site if you get tired of cooking at your camp. If you want a power site for an RV I’d highly recommend reserving well in advance because this is a popular SP. For those of us who tent camp without power you’ll likely find the perfect spot for your small to large tent on a walk up site with plentiful shade trees at all of the sites that I observed. I highly recommend trying to get the site one spot to the North of T45, it literally looks right over the Missouri River and sits just steps away from the scenic overlook. The bathroom facility right by T45 was clean and well maintained and there was a water faucet next to this site as well as the trash bins. Scenic hikes, drives, or bike rides around the park are largely shaded with a rich tree canopy over rolling hills throughout the park. There are at least two scenic river overlooks with historical referenced to the area’s rich history including the Lewis and Clark expedition. Check the park’s web site at outdoornebraska.gov/Ponca/ to find out what educational and fun events might be happening at the park. They hold a Harvest/Halloween event over a few days in October each year, but you’ll have to book a site a year in advance if you want to for sure get a spot during that time. Don’t forget to stop in to the education center and learn all about the river’s history. The education center is top notch and one of our favorite things about the park. This is a five star state park by any measure and I can’t wait for a return trip to this park.

Nice campground. Very few tent only - mostly RVs/trailers. Washrooms basic but clean. Large site under trees with mix of sun & shade. Grassy area for tent. Access to water close by. Large playground for kids. Campground host had firewood. Picnic table & firepit with grill rack in good condition. Nearby boat ramp to load kayak onto Blue Lake. Many water lilies but sheltered at one end so good for kayak. Everyone seemed friendly though some folk stayed up pretty late on Friday!

So much fishing! River and lake. Very peaceful during the spring and fall. Great mushroom hunting in the hills. Lots of spots for rvs, tents, and they have cabins. Love the shooting range.