Looking for the best campgrounds near Story City, IA? Story City is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Iowa camping adventure.
Millions of years before the plains of Iowa were inhabited by the Sauk, Fox and Sioux peoples, much of the American Midwest was covered by a shallow inland sea. It was at this time that the area’s sandstone deposits began forming. Fast-forward to just 13,000 years ago, with the inland sea now long gone, Ice Age glacial meltwater raced across the dry plains, carving and scouring channels and canyons into the sandstone terrain. One of these canyons can be found in Iowa’s Ledges State Park. This 1,000-acre nature preserve and recreation area is located on a wide bend on the Des Moines River, and is just 40 miles north of the city of Des Moines. The park is subject to frequent flooding when the river breaches its banks, but is otherwise a popular year-round outdoor recreation destination. Visitors to Ledges can enjoy a variety of hiking, fishing and paddling opportunities, as well as explore a prehistoric river canyon that showcases nature’s ability to sculpt the landscape.
The campground at Ledges State Park features 94 tent and RV sites situated among deciduous woods not far from the Des Moines River. Campers can choose from full-hookup, partial-hookup, or primitive tent sites. Most sites are back-in; only a few are pull-through for larger vehicles. Tent sites are located in both in the main camp area, and in a secluded walk-in area. There is also a youth group site. All sites are equipped with picnic tables, fire pits and cooking grills, and all have access to water faucets, flush restrooms, showers, and trash receptacles; a dump station is located near the campground entrance. The campground also features a kids’ playground, outdoor amphitheater, and is within walking distance of trails and picnic areas. Some roads and/or facilities may not be open or available in the winter. Reservations are accepted, however the park saves about half of the sites for first-come, first-served campers; sites are $11–$19/night.
$12 - $18 / night
$20 - $25 / night
This recreation area is part of Saylorville Lake
$12 - $18 / night
Cherry Glen Campground is located on the 26,000-acre Saylorville Lake Project, which stretches more than 50 miles up the Des Moines River Valley. The lake provides a wide variety of recreational activities, including boating, swimming, fishing, hiking and hunting.
Visitors enjoy Saylorville Lake for its excellent boating, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming opportunities. Anglers will find walleye, wiper, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and northern pike. The paved Neal Smith Trail winds 24 miles from Des Moines to Big Creek State Park and connects the campgrounds on the east side of the lake. It is designated as a National Recreation Trail and is used for biking, hiking, jogging, walking and in-line skating.
Visitors enjoy Saylorville Lake for its excellent boating, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming opportunities. Anglers will find walleye, wiper, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and northern pike. The paved Neal Smith Trail winds 24 miles from Des Moines to Big Creek State Park and connects the campgrounds on the east side of the lake. It is designated as a National Recreation Trail and is used for biking, hiking, jogging, walking and in-line skating.
Cherry Glen, the oldest and most popular campground on the lake, is nestled on a compact 13-acre wooded ridge. Wildlife is abundant throughout the project. White-tailed deer, turkeys, waterfowl and other small game animals roam the lands around the lake.
$26 / night
Self-registration campground (no reservations - first come, first serve) 135 electrical campsites $20/night 50/30/110 amp hookup 5 "group" camping areas (park in any arrangement) 27 non-electrical campsites - $11 / night Youth camping area (by reservation only) Modern shower houses with flush toilets Multiple water hydrants Two dump stations Luxury cabins (by reservation only) Boating (no wake lake) Fishing and bait shop 9-hole golf course and clubhouse with restaurant Hiking trails Updated playgrounds Swimming beach Two enclosed shelters (by reservation only) Two open air shelters Wildlife viewing
Please view the Park Rules below for further information.
Operating Hours & Seasons
The campground is open from April 15 - October 15, but may be open later depending on weather.
Park hours are 5:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Closures The campgrounds will be closed during the winter months, however, the roads through the park will be open to allow for wildlife viewing.
$12 - $20 / night
$7 / night
$20 / night
Camp in one of several campsites near the park’s lake, featuring both electric and non-electric sites, a modern restroom and shower building. Several campsites sit on the water’s edge and provide beautiful views of Rock Creek Lake. One-fourth of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and advanced campsite reservations through the online reservation system for Rock Creek State Park
$6 - $12 / night
Very quite and nice campground, we camped on top of the hill in tents it was awesome view and potable drinking water next to camp, bathrooms and shower facilities was clean and nice
I only drove through here I did not camp. It was quiet and the sites were shaded. I saw water, electricity and a picnic table at every site. The pads are gravel and very level.
You can easily bike into town.
There is a dump station.
I had 3 bars of Verizon 4G which provided 70 down and 12 up.
On T-mobile I had 5 bars of 5G and 100 down and 7 up.
Very clean, easy to reserve. Bathroom was a pit toilet but clean. Camp spot was clean and well-maintained.
went out here with family and had a amtime azing
we love it here people are great price is Right Showers are hot every time it a WOnderfull place •to be .
Great little hideaway of a campground, very reasonably priced and clean , fresh drinking water with dump stations and hot water showers and modern toilet facilities,
I like this place, I really do. It certainly packs a punch with all of the amenities that Kellogg RV Park offers up, not least of which is partnering up with apparently the best burger joint in the whole of Iowa. Burgers and camping? Can it get any better? Well, while this location gets extra points for achieving EZ on- and off-again I80 highway access, that likely is also its downside, as you are so close to arguably the busiest of all thoroughfares here in the state of Iowa that it makes you wonder if you are really getting away from it all or just taking a quick pitstop.
As for the grounds themselves, they are very well organized and nearly everything on this property is either brand-spanking new or has a nice degree of ‘kitsch’ that just feels right where you are at in the middle of the Midwest. There’s a well-appointed separate laundry location on the NE corner of RV Park, with a community shower/ bathroom facility smack-dab in the middle of the place, making it central and convenient to get refreshed. There’s a simple little loop that will jog you around the place, where in all there’s some 38 spots perfectly carved out for RVs or 5th Wheelers. While the map for Kellogg RV Park indicates a playground behind the laundry, if it was there to begin with, it has been replaced by a chicken coop, which I have to admit is pretty dang awesome to be woken up by these fine-feathered friends each dawn. Plus, um, there’s fresh eggs for your brunch munching pleasure!
With amenities in mind, each pull-thru, gravel-strewn site (all 18’ wide with lengths ranging from 65’ to 85’) comes equipped with all of the typical hook-ups (20 / 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage) along with plenty of in-ground fire rings, stand-up BBQ grills and plenty of brand new picnic tables along with complimentary WiFi. There’s solar panels on the for southwest corner of the campground, which sadly eliminates the vibe that you are out in nature. If there was just one bit of advice I would give this place it’s this(and it’s quite simple): plant some trees! That’s the one thing I noticed that felt incredibly weird… there’s just a few trees in this whole place. Granted, it is somewhat surrounded by corn fields, but here’s a hint: After mid-September when all that corn is harvested, the place feels like a barren desert, so how you compensate for that is by planting trees, shrubs, bush or anything that would make this place feel like it was planted in nature versus carved out of a watershed.
While the main office is up front where you would have seen that Iowa’s Best Burger Café sign, where there’s also an Amoco gas station along with a convenience market that has limited groceries and supplies. Bonus points to Kellogg RV Park for having an F5-rated tornado shelter located on-site, so while your RV might blow away, no worries, you and those you hold most precious will be protected in the event of a tornado, which is important because this state gets hit by them all the time. They’ll also sell you a bundle of firewood for$6 / bundle, which is fair, especially considering that they’ll deliver the bundles directly to your site.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) IMHO the best sites are those located as far east and north as possible (yes, right near the laundry facilities and chicken coop). Why? Well, because they will be furthest away from I80, so less noise, plus they are on the periphery, so this offers up better views of corn country, and additionally, more tranquility. Plus the shower / restroom facilities are centrally located, so not too far away; (2) If you are looking to get buzzed while out here at Kellogg RV Park, you are in luck as just nearby there’s Grinnell Craft Brewhouse, Buzzed Bee Meadery as well as Van Wijk Winery – all of which are absolutely worth the visit!; (3) Should your foodie vibes need to be tamed while here, head on over to nearby Maytag Blue Cheese for a slice or slab or head on over to Dayton Meat Products, which not only processes meat in case you are out and about with a bow & arrow, but will serve up some pretty outrageously awesome sausages, loins and particular cuts of meats that you just can’t find anywhere nearby. Oh, and if farmer’s markets are your thing, then check out nearby Grinnell Farmers Market or Jasper County Farmer’s Market – both just 10 minutes from here; and (4) Once you grow tired of pillaging your on-board mini-fridge or Cordova roto-molded cooler and are looking for some local fare, I will have to admit that Iowa’s Best Burger Café does live up to its boast – and while I didn’t have another burger while I was in the ‘Hawkeye State’ I do make it my business to check stuff out when I see ‘Best’ noted anywhere and there’s reasonable proof behind this claim here, so give the good folks here the better side of your discerning tastes and try them out. Oh, and there’s that little thing that there’s not too much competition in these parts, so unless you are up for a good drive, the only other joint is RJ’s Bar& Grill, which trust me, is much more Bar than Grill.
Happy Camping!
I live just 7 miles away, but I love to take my grand daughter here for overnight camping. Most of the sites are tucked into the woods and very spacious. It's only $7/night! There is some play equipment for children. There is only a pit toilet in the campground and it's nice enough for midnight runs. (Bring your flashlight!) Drive up the road to the observatory and there is a bathroom with flush toilets and a hot shower, also a water spigot on the back side. There is also a big group site for family get togethers. There is a nice little circle hike that's not too difficult and was great for rehab after my knee replacement. I'd highly recommend it, but I don't want it to get too crowded!
Came in late, even though there were several empty spaces turns out they were reserved. Very nice camp host told us we could have a non-electric site, none of them were reserved. Bathroom/showers were clean.
Great place to stay. Just a few minutes drive to High Trestle Bridge and right off the river. People were accommodating and friendly. Right between Madrid and Woodward with small town conveniences…
Definitely follow the directions on Dyrt, google took us on a winding gravel road that led to the same place.
The sites are very spacious, could easily accommodate multiple tents.
We arrived just after 9p after a long long day of driving and found the park easy to navigate.
Please be courteous when finding a spot after dark. The park was mostly empty but even still some people were shining flashlights at our tent.
Hoping to do an early morning hike, the trails, observatory and orienteering course all look awesome.
The entire property was well maintained, previous campers enjoyed copious amounts of beer and threw the cans into the brush, but I can't fault the park for that.
Spent 2 nights tent camping here. We stayed at site 4, glad I read reviews on here. I personally would not want to be in a site beyond number 7 as it gets too close to the dump station and subsequent “sewage lagoon”
Shower house was clean, pretty quiet, and only 5 miles off the highway
It’s very quite here and the few guests that are here are friendly, has a water full hydrant to refill water jugs and bathroom is full and functioning with hot showers and electricity very clean and very nice
Very quiet and nice neighbors camping next store , fresh water well on pump next to our campsite number #1 electric and non electric site’s ,electric sites run $18 a night non electric $11 a night , has very clean bath house with toilets and hot water for showering
Timberline is among my favorite campgrounds, always has great people, nice shade trees, fun pool, and quality facilities.
Marta and crew were so friendly and helpful! Clean bathrooms, beautiful property. Close to hwy but far enough away. We called ahead to arrive after hours and had to get back on the road in the morning. Wish we could’ve stayed longer!
Stayed 2 nights in 6/7. No shade, giant electrical boxes, whole campground is downhill from dump station and the smell on Sunday morning is really unpleasant. Feels like whole campground is crammed together and smoke from campfires is thick enough to chew.
When we were there, teens were running littler kids off the playground; someone dumped all the TP in the men's room in to the toilets on Sunday morning, and the showers were too hot to use, with no way to adjust water temp.
On the bright side, the lake is pretty, it's right there at the campground. Boat, kayak and canoe rentals seemed reasonable and little store was convenient.
No wake lake. Boat and kayak rental and a small store with basic necessities. Campground has some 30 amp and some 50 amp sites. New playground for the kids. Clean facilities.
We love to return here every year!
Recently updated two-way fresh-fill/santiary dump station. There is Ice Cube Consessions and the skating rink from Memorial Day through Labor Day every year. Great long-term hosts really make this park feel like going home.
Decent smaller county park with newly installed blacktop trail around lake and golfcourse next door. No cell service provider functions in this park. The WIFI is shared between dozens of sites, speed averages right around 5mps. The rest of everything out here is WONDERFUL! Great neighbors, wildlife, the trail, fishing, boating, the playground… everything else is wonderful.
Great vibes. Camp's pretty far from the bones of the park, but the hike's relatively plesant. Cell coverage is terrible out here, and there is no WIFI to help keep people connected.
Great sites, phenomenol hosts. LOVE the playground, and the culture; this is home during the summer months. Terrible WIFI, absolutely no cell coverage out here. Not sure how they justify raising camping rates here if the ameneties do not reflect modern needs for family enjoyment. Yes we like smores, and watching the birds, and fishing, and hiking; but so help me, we like our Netflix too, and I sure would like to be able to watch the weather report. Even Dish coverage is spotty out here. It's weird, we're not down in a valley or anything. Not sure why this is such a dead zone out here.
The campground area is clean. Showers and toilets are clean. The RV section of campground was nearly full but the tent/non-hook up section had lots of space. One can camp on lakeside but be aware that these spots have a slope, not comfortable for my van. Park management was fine with changing campsite. Contact info for ranger was available at entrance. Overall good experience.
Very nice, clean and comfortable campground for an overnight stop. Price is right! The “office” is a little gas station, hamburger cafe with a very efficient and friendly check in person. The sites are mostly pull through with full service electric, water, and sewer. The only real issue is the constant noise from I-80 which is just to the south of the campground. But nothing that a good set of earplugs can’t fix. Our little dog especially liked the two chicken coops at east side of the the campground! (Not noisy or any problem - just a reminder that you are in Iowa!). Overall, very nice and has clean restrooms. The sign on the “office” says they have Iowas “BEST” Hamburger. We didn’t try it, but will take their word for it!
Canyon road and limestone cliffs are awesome. Secluded spots in the trees. If you have Verizon and rely on data this may not be the campground for you.
This campground is big and clean. It’s pretty peaceful & quiet. I have been here before. I did forget site 13 has a tree that seems to drop things on my roof and internet isn’t very strong. 1-2 bars on Verizon
We called ahead to see if they had sites available that night. Arrived just before the office closed at 7pm. They were ready for us and escorted us to our pull-through full-hookups site near the front of the campground. This is a huge property but laid out in different sections that each have their own flavor. The pull-throughs near the front are level, gravel pads with grass all around. Other areas are forested and some are hilly. Full-hookups worked fine. We stayed in site 121, which faces an open grassy area backed by a little forest that echoed with beautiful wildlife sounds in the evening. There are no campground lights except at the restrooms, so it’s great for stargazing! The restrooms were good.
Camping near Story City, Iowa, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking to pitch a tent or park your RV, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Story City, Iowa, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Story City, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Story City, IA is Ledges State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 39 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Story City, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 glamping camping locations near Story City, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
