Searching for the best camping near Steamboat Rock, IA? Steamboat Rock is an adventure-filled destination for those who love the outdoorsy camper lifestyle. But it's also great for those who prefer to spend time near the city, exploring and sightseeing. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Iowa camping adventure.
"It worked out well as I was tired of driving. There isn’t much to this place, which might be why I had the whole place to myself."
"Sometimes you have to share a fire pit with other tents if it's busy. They have a small petting zoo and a small beach. This place feels more like a neighborhood verses camping in nature."
RangerWolf 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
RangerAll 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.
RangerThis is a lovely park. It is fairly quiet, you can hear some highway noise in the distance. The lake is lovely and clean. The spots are gravel, most sites will require some leveling but are not too bad.
Each site has a newer electric pedestal with 30 and 50 amp service, and each site has a water spigot, as well as a picnic table and fire ring.
There are a few sites that back up directly to the lake. There is a swimming beach and a dock. There is a city park adjacent to the campground with a playground and picnic shelter.
I had 3 bars on on T-mobile which got me 64 down and 18 up. On Verizon I had 3 bars which got me 65 down and 12 up.
The shower house was pretty bad though. It was older, which doesn't bother me, but it was dirty. There are camp hosts on site but I guess their duties do not include ever cleaning the restroom. There was food trash in there all week, and if you look around you'll find feces, blood, and personal hygiene trash including used condoms.
I would stay in this campground again because I have a self contained unit and do not need to use the on-site shower house.
RangerRock Creek is known for its crappie and large mouth bass fishing. The lake has lots of features like brush piles, vertical structures, mossy areas and you can go over by the bridge and fish the rocks. It’s a great place if you have a boat or kayak/canoe.
The camping is very nice. There are RV electrical sites available along with water/sewage. Most of them have tables also. The spots aren’t huge but there are lots of places to camp. On the weekends it’s pretty busy but during the weekday it empties out.
The tent camping side is really big also and it’s hardly ever filled up. You can reserve some spots right on the water and fish from your tent. Most all the sites have their own fire ring and some have tables.
There are lots of restroom facilities located around the lake that are pretty clean.
For activities you can go hiking, fishing, there is disc golf and there is a beach to go swimming in. Morel mushroom hunting is pretty popular here in the wood areas. They have grill pits to grill on and picnic tables through out the area. There are also some playgrounds for the little ones to play in.
I highly recommend this place.
GuideDecent fishing. Quiet campers. 2 campgrounds, newer one with modern facilities, no trees. Other side of park is older one, with mature trees, portable toilets, power, water, 15 or so sites. Close to i35, but not to close. Make reservations, facilities this good are full by Friday.
LegendWhy Should You Camp Here?
Iowa state parks are a bargain! This one is $11 for a non-electric site, $16 for an electric site. (Rates go down to $6 and $11 from 10/1-4/30.) There is no separate park entry fee (unlike some states).
You can rent kayaks, canoes or pedal boats near the campground at Wyth Lake. And there are 3 other nearby lakes.
There's a small beach at Wyth Lake.
The Cedar River is on the edge of the campground.
You're so close to Cedar Falls and Waterloo which means there are craft breweries!
We were only there for a night but I saw this on reserveamerica.com: "The Lake-to-State Park Bike Route is a 50 mile route connecting Pine Lake and George Wyth State Park. The route primarily utilizes county highways and established bike routes and paths once inside Cedar Falls/Waterloo."
We didn't do everything we could do there, because we were just passing through. Check this out: https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/george-wyth-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=IA&parkId=610125
Amenities
The usual fire ring and picnic table
Dump station and potable water
Flush toilets and running water in bathrooms along with push button showers. Ok, push button showers are not ideal. Just keep pushing that button and hopefully you'll be okay with the temperature that you can't control!
TravelerGot to the campground around 6pm on a Friday and no one was at the primitive campground which was nice. The picnic table and fire ring were clean and in good condition. By 10:30 the park was quiet and peaceful. Lake hasn't completely filled up yet so no fishing or boating. Would definitely come back.
RangerThis 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.
GuideNice campground. lower camp ground has circle type pads that hold 4 campers good for groups (friends, Family) upper camp ground has more single sites. as of 2020 more sites under construction both upper and lower area. they have some cabins and a couple walk in tent sites (short walk) WIFI in lower part of camp ground.
Tent camping near Steamboat Rock, Iowa, offers a variety of options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to enjoy nature and fishing in serene settings.
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