Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Smithland, IA has a lot to offer. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Iowa camping has to offer. Discover great camping spots near Smithland, reviewed by campers like you.
The Lewis and Clark campground is a great place to spend a leisurely vacation in the outdoors. The campground features both electric and full hook-up sites (water and sewer) which lie along the lakeshore. Modern restrooms and showers are available, as is a trailer dump station.
$20 - $26 / night
$18 - $30 / night
This 35-acre area is located 3 miles west of Salix, Iowa. Snyder Bend Lake is an oxbow of the Missouri River, formed in the early 1960’s when the river was channelized.
The lake has been stocked with walleye fingerlings in the past, a cooperative project with the River City Anglers of Siouxland. Other popular game fish include largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, catfish and perch.
A wildlife refuge has been established at Snyder Bend and no disturbance or human traffic is allowed on the refuge for several months in the fall. Please observe refuge dates as posted.
This 34-acre area is located one mile south of Bigelow Park near Salix. Snyder Bend Lake is an oxbow of the Missouri River, formed in the early 1960s when the river was channelized.
Park facilities are open and pressurized water systems are available May 1 through October 31.
4 two-bedroom family cabins (fee charged)
28 electrical campsites (fee charged)
12 tent or non-electrical campsites (fee charged)
$17 - $25 / night
Preparation Canyon State Park, in the heart of the Loess Hills in western Iowa, encompasses 344 acres, including what used to be the town of Preparation. Today, Preparation Canyon is a quiet enclave offering backcountry hiking, picnicking and beautiful views of the unique Loess Hills.
Camp in one of ten hike-in camping sites, which are some of the only hike-in sites in the Iowa state park system. The trailhead to the hike-in sites is located in the southeast corner of the park. The sites each have a table and fire ring, but no bathroom facilities. Registration is on a first-come first-served basis with self-registration in the east parking lot.
$9 / night
Campground operates on a first-come, first-served basis only. No reservations accepted.
The Woodbury County Conservation Board is pleased to announce that Brown’s Lake-Bigelow Park near Salix, Iowa, will be reopening a portion of the campground on Wednesday, June 29th. The campground has been redesigned with new concrete roads, larger campsites, and full hook-ups (electric, water and sewer) at each site. Nineteen of the 29 sites will be opened initially, with the remaining sites to be opened as soon as conditions allow. The new camping rates will be $30 per night. Camping coupon books good for seven nights may be purchased for $180. Previously purchased camping coupons will be honored. All campsites are first-come, first-served and cannot be reserved in advance.
$30 / night
ScoutI have stayed several times. Quiet. Nice. Close to town, stores, food. $15. Night in 2025. Fair. Good place for quiet, inexpensive nights. Quite a good deal.👍
Traveler
Cute little campground, electrical only. Picnic table and grill at each site. No fires. Shower house available until it's gets down to freezing weather. Dump station and water fill.
Traveler
Very quiet and peaceful place I have been there few times and I never see anyone else around. There is no bathroom or drinking water so make sure you are ready for that. October is a very colorful time of the year very peaceful the pond for what I heard isn’t a good place for fishing but just a mile away there is a hunting park highly recommend it
Ranger
We found the Scenic Park RV Campground when we were looking for a spot to stay close to Sioux City, IA for a sports event for our sons. We were extremely happy with this city run campground.
The pads are in great shape. They offer full hookups. We did not have a full hookup site, but still had water, electric, and free cable tv. The view from our camper of the Missouri River and the Sioux City skyline was pretty great.
The staff is friendly and welcoming. The location is quiet and everyone staying there seemed very nice as well. Will definitely be back when we’re up that way again next year.
Scout
It’s a good place for camping not perfect. Has a descent size lake good for kayaking and fishing.
Guide
In another 4-5 years when the trees have grown and this is better maintained, it could be a nice campground. Sadly, our trip there started with the Google directions leading us to the wrong side of the highway and a muddy, bumpy road. I called and they gave me correct directions. Once there, no office, no staff. I called because the site I had reserved was occupied. They said just pick any other. We paid for lake side, but it was too muddy in the other available sites. We were not offered a refund ($5). We saw several dogs off leash and, while they were well-behaved, one never knows if they will stay where they belong.
It was quiet at night. We stayed on a Saturday night.
TravelerWe live(my dog and I) on a motorcycle - think Van Life on two wheels. A quiet place to put up a tent is so welcome. There are no amenities. It's strictly dry and pack out but a great place for a few tents or a couple vans. Highly motorcycle travel recommended
Guide
Had a grassy & shady tent site. There were vault/pit toilets close and regular restrooms with showers a little walk away (showers needed to be cleaned). Water spigot was close by too. Wish we had more time to explore the park itself because there was lots of hiking/waking trails. Overall no complaints
Guide
Stayed July 2024,
Good: Flat piece of grass to place two tents for only $ 20 bucks. Just what I needed at 10pm
Bad: One quote from son sums it nicely, "saw the mens room and so used the women's". Also, two miles of dirt road was less than fun. Would have been nice if the pay station had more directions.
Future: I would remember to make a reservation at the KOA 10 minutes away.
Guide
Beautiful park, beautiful scenery and amazing playground!
Ranger
Nice little city campground just a few miles off the interstate and right next to the Missouri River. Quiet large sites at a reasonable price. Picnic tables and fire rings. Water and electric only....there is a sewer dump near the bathrooms but not at the sites.
TravelerGreat place very dog friendly. Spots are spacious and on pavement. Close to the river for your fishing needs.
Guide
Clean and mostly well-kept campground. Much nicer than I had expected. Has on-site host, but we didn't see much of her/him/them. Had good cell service (ATT).
The only serious complaint I can make is that the water, while potable (so we were told), has a very, very strong iron/metallic taste. To the point that, for us, it was undrinkable.
The campsite we chose was level, concrete, and cost $20 (the site we wanted by the water had electric). Very little shade though, which made it really hot (other sites had more shade).
Other observations:
The river current is quite fast here. I wouldn't plan on letting my kids or dogs get into the water, except to, maybe, wade at the boat ramp where it is protected from the current by small islands where the creek comes in.
They have a table near the boat ramp that, I assume, is for cleaning your caught fish. If it matters, it did not have running water.
The small dock from the boat access area felt unstable and one had to step across a couple of rocks to get to it from land, maybe because the river level was up(?).
Of the 4 bathroom/shower combination rooms in the bathhouse, only two were unlocked. That said, we were the only tent campers and the RV campers didn't seem to be using them. And they were clean and in good repair.
Our campsite was right next to the facility loading/unloading barges next to the campground. (They were unloading dried soybeans while we were there.) There are also security lights, but the light is mostly blocked by the trees at night. They start work at 7am and seem to stop at 4pm during the week.
I would call this location reasonably quiet. But not absolutely quiet. There is noise from various sources at various times: the loading/unloading from the barges, the farming going on across the road from the campground, boats going up or down the river, and, minimally, the sound from the traffic on the highway. So not absolutely quiet, but it wasn't loud enough or continual enough to detract from the stay.
Lastly, it probably doesn't need to be said, but I didn't think of it before our stay (duh), so just a reminder. You're camping by a river (i.e., water), so there are many, many flying insects. Be sure to have insect repellent, as they are merciless.
Scout
Has a new pool, very nice staff, well maintained.
LegendSpacious site well cared for grounds. Close to everything in the city.
Traveler
Was it expecting how nice this campground was compared to more primitive ones in the area. Beautiful site! Has tent camping, full rv hook ups, and a nice playground for the kids.
Traveler
Small park, peaceful, river access for canoe/kayak. No designated camp sites but plenty of space for tent or camper.
Traveler
Small park, has some picnic tables, a toilet, and a trash can. Says you can pay to camp but no designated camp sites and limited parking. Does offer access for canoe/kayaking on the river. Camping is $10 a night, pay on site.
RangerConcrete pads, very little leveling needed. Plenty of space in between sites. Dappled shade. Easily accessible for any size rig. We didn’t use bath/shower facility; it required a code from the city. Portapotties were available in campground. Garbage dumpster, but no recycling. Dump station available, but area may be a bit tight for larger rigs to access. Camp host on site. No laundry. Some train noise. Excellent Verizon signal. Nice park with boat ramp and scenic overlook on the Missouri River. Campground is located about 5 minutes off the interstate.
GuideVery centrally located, well-kept complex, friendly and helpful staff, the restrooms and shower are very simple but clean.
GuideDecent park and great price! We stayed 2 nights for my husband to do a job down the road. Shower house could have been cleaner but you can’t beat the price at $17.50/night! They had electric hookups, grills and picnic tables at every site plus a small playground for kids. Free dump station and water fill was nice. Every spot was filled the second night and the parks and recreation guys came through a few times checking on things. We’d definitely stay again if passing through!
Traveler
Not too busy. Spots have water and electric for $25/ night
Scout
Had a fishing derby going on but was still overall quiet. Shelter house was rented for our family reunion, was a great space.
TravelerCampground was as I hoped. Empty except for 3 others. Oxbow lake is nice with a sandy shoreline. The campground is set in an Aspen glade. Very nice.
Guide
We camped in the Riverfront campground. No one else there on a Thursday night so we had the whole river to ourselves. Very peaceful. Good-sized grassy sites. Table, fire ring, water, pit toilet. Large park with plenty of amenities. We were only stopping for the night so we didn’t explore the other areas. Nice overlook of the river and 3 states.
Ranger
This is a delightful campground in the city of Elk Point, SD. It is a city park with 50 amp hookups. There are water spickets around and I'm not about dump stations. You are surrounded by a football field, two baseball fields and a nice children's playground. There is a lake with a fountain in the middle and a very large grassy area. We watched the girl's softball game. Also, the field is full of found squirrels which are fun to watch but my dog wanted to chase them. This is a great stop over or a good place to stay a week. ATT - 4G LTE, 56.03Mb/s D T-MOBILE- 5G, 40.24Mb/s D, 6.6 U
ScoutThis is a really nice campgrounds. It only has electricity but for $15.00 it was very nice and quiet. We also were able to watch the kids play baseball in the park
Camping near Smithland, Iowa, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking to pitch a tent or park your RV, there are several campgrounds that cater to different needs and preferences.
Camping near Smithland, Iowa, has something for everyone, whether you're looking for adventure or relaxation. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular campground near Smithland, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Smithland, IA is Lewis and Clark State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 20 reviews.
What parks are near Smithland, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 2 parks near Smithland, IA that allow camping, notably Bankhead National Forest and Chugach National Forest.
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