Best Tent Camping near Smithland, IA

If you're looking for a place to pitch your tent near Smithland, look no further. You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.

Best Tent Sites Near Smithland, IA (7)


Recent Tent Reviews in Smithland

178 Reviews of 7 Smithland Campgrounds


  • C
    Camper-submitted photo from Bob Hardy RV Park
    Nov. 14, 2024

    Bob Hardy RV Park

    Campsite

    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.

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Jones Pond
    Nov. 4, 2024

    Jones Pond

    Hidden Gem

    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

  • Pat V.
    Camper-submitted photo from Scenic Park
    Oct. 4, 2024

    Scenic Park

    Great spot close to everything

    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.

  • Steve R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Decatur Bend Access
    Sep. 10, 2024

    Decatur Bend Access

    Quiet and safe. Been twice now

    We 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

  • Julia V.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Stone State Park Campground
    Aug. 14, 2024

    Stone State Park Campground

    Great for a night

    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

  • Christopher W.
    Camper-submitted photo from Hildreth Lighthouse Campground
    Jul. 30, 2024

    Hildreth Lighthouse Campground

    Nice flat piece of grass

    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.

  • Rich J.
    Camper-submitted photo from Cottonwood Cove Park Campground
    Jun. 30, 2024

    Cottonwood Cove Park Campground

    Nice

    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.

  • Elizabeth D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Scenic Park
    Jun. 16, 2024

    Scenic Park

    Close to river.

    Great place very dog friendly. Spots are spacious and on pavement. Close to the river for your fishing needs.

  • TThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Huff - Warner Access Area
    Jun. 15, 2024

    Huff - Warner Access Area

    Nice campground with easy access

    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.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Scenic Park
    Jun. 13, 2024

    Scenic Park

    Beautiful city life in a park.

    Spacious site well cared for grounds. Close to everything in the city.

  • Joshua D.
    Camper-submitted photo from Silver Sioux Recreation Area
    Jun. 2, 2024

    Silver Sioux Recreation Area

    Hidden gem

    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.

  • Joshua D.
    Camper-submitted photo from Stieneke Area Park
    Jun. 2, 2024

    Stieneke Area Park

    Small county park

    Small park, peaceful, river access for canoe/kayak. No designated camp sites but plenty of space for tent or camper.

  • Joshua D.
    Camper-submitted photo from Ranney Knob Area
    Jun. 2, 2024

    Ranney Knob Area

    Small county park

    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.

  • Renee H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Cottonwood Cove Park Campground
    May. 1, 2024

    Cottonwood Cove Park Campground

    City campground in quiet neighborhood

    Concrete 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.

  • Fabian S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Scenic Park
    Dec. 30, 2023

    Scenic Park

    Central Campground

    Very centrally located, well-kept complex, friendly and helpful staff, the restrooms and shower are very simple but clean.

  • WThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Bob Hardy RV Park
    Sep. 20, 2023

    Bob Hardy RV Park

    Convenient & quiet

    Decent 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!

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Willow Creek Campground
    Sep. 14, 2023

    Willow Creek Campground

    Enjoyed our stay

    Had a fishing derby going on but was still overall quiet. Shelter house was rented for our family reunion, was a great space.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Riverfront Campground — Ponca State Park
    Jul. 21, 2023

    Riverfront Campground — Ponca State Park

    Riverfront Campground

    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.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Elk Point City Park Campground
    Jul. 7, 2023

    Elk Point City Park Campground

    Better than a bullfrog

    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

  • Mary M.
    Camper-submitted photo from Elk Point City Park Campground
    Jun. 28, 2023

    Elk Point City Park Campground

    Nice level park

    This 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

  • Luckybreak R.
    Camper-submitted photo from Huff - Warner Access Area
    Jun. 26, 2023

    Huff - Warner Access Area

    Not at all what I expected

    Clean and well kept campground. The Monona County has raised the bar. 5 concrete pads with gravel on the rest. Level and well spaced sites. Located far enough from the interstate to avoid any traffic noise River barges were unloading next to the campground when we were here.

  • Charlie B.
    Camper-submitted photo from Riverfront Campground — Ponca State Park
    May. 20, 2023

    Riverfront Campground — Ponca State Park

    Tentrr site saves the day

    We booked a last minute stay in a Tentrr canvas tent. It came with a portable toilet, chairs, mattress and bed frame. We were thankful to have booked it due to the torrential downpour all night. We stayed in Riverview sites and were right on the river. Gorgeous view and glamorous site. You do have to carry your gear about 25ish yards down a bit of an incline.

  • S U.
    Camper-submitted photo from Riverfront Campground — Ponca State Park
    May. 12, 2023

    Riverfront Campground — Ponca State Park

    Beautiful place!

    So much to do on site. Miles of trails! My family did 7 miles. Wonderful views of 3 states. Along the Missouri River. Lovely welcome center with puzzles and games. Beautiful cabins that are responsibly priced and have fun names.



Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular tent campsite near Smithland, IA?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Smithland, IA is Preparation Canyon State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 6 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find tent camping near Smithland, IA?

    TheDyrt.com has all 7 tent camping locations near Smithland, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.