Best Tent Camping near Strawberry Point, IA

Tent campsites near Strawberry Point, Iowa, range from established campgrounds to primitive backcountry sites in nearby natural areas. Echo Valley State Park Campground offers non-electric tent sites adjacent to a trout stream, while Joy Springs County Park provides basic tent camping facilities within easy driving distance of town. Camp Glen Wendel in Yellow River State Forest, located approximately 30 miles northeast, offers more remote backcountry tent camping experiences.

Surface details at tent campgrounds vary considerably across the region. Echo Valley's tent sites are situated on natural terrain with minimal development, making them best suited for tent and small trailer camping rather than larger RVs. A camper noted, "It is most suitable for tent, truck, or teardrop camping... large RVs would not do well." Many sites lack electrical hookups, and campers should check water availability before arrival as some areas have seasonal restrictions. Toilet facilities range from vault toilets at Echo Valley to completely undeveloped sites at Camp Glen Wendel where backpackers must practice Leave No Trace principles.

In early fall, many tent sites offer ideal camping conditions with fewer visitors. The backcountry tent sites at Yellow River State Forest provide a true wilderness experience with opportunities for stargazing and solitude. "Yellow River has great backpacking sites. Park near ranger station and hike in or grab a map and find a smaller parking location near the trail you want to explore," one review mentioned. Tent campers at Echo Valley appreciate the streamside locations that provide both scenic views and easy fishing access. Walk-in tent sites at Gardner Family Farm and Iowa Hemp Farm Stay offer a unique alternative to public lands, with tent camping opportunities on private property that includes access to a swimming pond. Most primitive tent areas require self-registration and payment at entrance kiosks or nearby ranger stations.

Best Tent Sites Near Strawberry Point, Iowa (22)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Strawberry Point, IA

429 Reviews of 22 Strawberry Point Campgrounds


  • James M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 16, 2022

    Buzzard Ridge Wildlife Area

    Unique County wildlife site along Maquoketa River

    Unique hike or paddle primitive site. Native forbs and wildlife surrounding the area. Two parking sites to hike in or access by river. Site is along river, has table, fire ring, latrine. Pack in, pack out and Leave No Trace.

  • C
    Jun. 6, 2018

    Matsell Bridge Natural Area

    Nice little inexpensive primitive site... spaces almost always available

    Nice quiet little primitive campground next to the Wapsipinicon River. Unfortunately, when I was there the last weekend of May, the gnats were bad, and the mosquitoes were just starting to gear up. HOWEVER, take bug spray and enjoy the rustic peacefulness of this "best kept secret" for primitive and inexpensive camping sites. Beautiful location, ranger close by, wood for sale just across the bridge, fire pits and picnic tables at every site. Good for RV, trailer or tent camping… level ground and lots of shade. Primitive bathrooms, no showers or running water.

  • James M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 26, 2022

    Camp John Schultz — Yellow River State Forest

    Nice back country state forest site

    Hiked into this Camp that includes 5 primitive sites: fire rings and benches. Lush dense forest with intermediate hiking including typical summer insects. Leave No Trace ethics include: minimizes fire impacts by gathering only dead, down, wood. Sounded by nature atop of hill hike near Fire tower ( only fire tower in Iowa), cell reception is found up here.

  • TThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 13, 2024

    Lime Creek Park

    Nice campground with a Quirk

    The pros: $10 fee ($15 electric), campground seems well maintained (grass is mown, security light works, tables in good repair, gravel access road in good shape, etc); no one here but us, the sound of the running Creek is soothing, vault toilet is probably the cleanest I've seen; ATT cell service was 3bars 5G The unusual: no specific site, no specific place to pull into, no site numbers or designation except on the electric pedestals. It's all grass. Pull onto the grass near the table or electric pedestal you want. The cons: highway traffic noise is easily heard and doesn't seem to stop for more than a few seconds (though the crickets/bug sounds and the creek sound is sometimes louder so you hear that instead), dust from vehicles passing on nearby dirt road filters thru the trees (due to dry weather?), and, well, it is, after all, a vault toilet-not my fav,

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 30, 2025

    New Wine Park Dubuque County Park

    Nice small county park campground

    General: This is a small (29-site) county park campground situated along the North Fork Maquoketa River. Nine of the sites are reservable, and the rest are first-come, first-served. Some sites are primitive, and some have water and 30-amp electricity hookups. There is one ADA-accessible site with a paved camper pad. 

    Site Quality: Most sites are level. The camper pads are gravel/grass, but not all are clearly defined. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. 

    Bath/Shower: The bath/shower house was closed when we were there in November but there are vault toilets about a quarter mile from the campground (in the day-use area) that were very clean and well-stocked when we were there. 

    Activities/Amenities: Many activities including disc golf, three hiking trails, volleyball, two playgrounds (one in the day-use area and one by the campsites). There are two reservable picnic shelters. There is also a dump station. 

    We were tent camping in November on a backpacking trip so we didn’t take advantage of any of the activities but would return in our van on a future camping trip. We were the ONLY ones in the campground at this time of year!

  • Mary S.
    Aug. 19, 2018

    Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest

    Small campground has nearby hiking and fishing

    This review is for Yellow River State Forest's Big Paint Campground which consists of sites 35 through 61. Big Paint is a couple miles from Little Paint, a larger campground with 70+ sites. There are two equestrian campgrounds (Creekside and Little Frontier with sites numbered 1 through 34) as well as hike in campgrounds for backpackers. A photo of an area map is included.

    Why did we choose Big Paint instead of Little Paint?

    It's smaller and that's just our personal preference. There were only 4 sites occupied early Friday afternoon and a few more were reserved. We liked site 35, the first site on the left as you enter. This site is like being in a garden with trees and flowers surrounding the site. It had rained and more rain was coming, so the gravel parking pad on #35 was appealing. Most of the sites are completely on the grass.

    Activities

    Stocked trout streams are an attraction for fishermen; see photo of stocking calendar. We enjoyed hiking despite the mosquitoes and humidity in August and were able to make a 5+ mile loop leaving from the campground. You can also hike from Little Paint, and there are equestrian trails. This would also be a good area for X-country skiing and snowmobiling. A photo of the trail map is included. Caution: hunting is allowed in the non-campground area of the state forest.

    Amenities

    Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Other than that, you can dispose of your trash and use a vault toilet. There's water at the information center (and a camp host site) outside the campground about 100 yards to the left.

    Cost

    You're not getting much (and that's not a bad thing) so the $9 fee seems fair. Pay up front at the entrance station, or make a reservation online at last 2 days ahead of time (and pay a reservation fee). There are 7 non-reservable sites at Big Paint. I doubt that Big Paint fills up; just check the reservation site to see if they get crowded.

    https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/yellow-river-state-forest/r/campsiteSearch.do?search=site&page=siteresult&contractCode=IA&parkId=610130

  • Annie C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 31, 2019

    Fountain Springs County Park

    Solitude and not much else

    This campground also goes by the name of Holbert. Small campground but free with a handful of picnic tables and campfires. The vault toilets were cleanish, thou older. This campground is next to a pretty little creek that you can play and fish in. The campground is really just a series of campsites strung out along the creek and road. It was pretty quiet while I was there, not many campers at all. There are no hookups for RV’s/campers so it is primarily tent camping or dry camping. There is an interesting story about how this camping area has come to be: the land was donated by Ella Ellis in memory of her husband William Ellis. They apparently loved the land and wanted to make sure it was never developed and could be enjoyed by all. A lovely story.

  • James M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 5, 2021

    Swiss Valley County Park

    Great County park, preserve, campground

    Campground is well maintained, restrooms, showers, recycling station, fire wood available, campground host onsite, resident park ranger, standard RV sites, some electric tent sites otherwise primitive with fire rings and tables. Trout stream (Catfish Creek) runs through campground and park and is stocked by Iowa DNR, has Swiss Valley Nature center with trails.

  • Jessica H.
    May. 9, 2018

    Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

    Backbone State Park

    This has been one of my favorite state parks in Iowa to camp thus far. I've tent camped in April and cabin camped in October. The cabin camping was the better of the two experiences, mainly due to the unusually chilly overnight temperatures in April. During the warmer months you can rent canoes from the concession stand. Climbing/rappelling is also allowed in the park via registration at the park office.

    We stayed in a family cabin that sleeps up to 4 people. You have to reserve cabins and there is a 2 night minimum stay, but the price is extremely reasonable. These cabins also offer heat and A/C. Our cabin had a common area with a kitchenette.The bathroom included a toilet and shower. The small, but cozy bedroom included a mattress - you're responsible for bringing your own linens - along with a sink. Additional amenities included stove, frig, microwave, pots and pans, and even a small coffee maker. And, the couch in the common area pulled out into a futon, providing extra sleeping space. Outdoor amenities included a fire pit and picnic bench. Bonus: The back of our cabin area looked out onto Backbone Lake.

    We purchased firewood in Strawberry Point, a small town just a short drive from the park. Iowa requires that firewood be obtained within the county you're staying in due to the Emerald Ash Borer epidemic.

    We fished for trout and hiked along several trails in the park. The Devil's Backbone was our favorite mainly because of the scenery along the bluff. It was the perfect way to view the changing leaves and watch the Maquoketa River flow by.

    While we did have neighbors on either side of us, the noise level was minimal, and everyone was respectful of parking spaces as there is a common parking area in front of the cabins.

    This is a beautiful spot to visit especially in autumn.


Guide to Strawberry Point

Strawberry Point, Iowa, offers a charming escape for tent campers looking to immerse themselves in nature. With a variety of campgrounds nearby, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy scenic views and a range of activities.

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Unique features of the campgrounds

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Strawberry Point, IA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Strawberry Point, IA is Joy Springs County Park with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Strawberry Point, IA?

TheDyrt.com has all 22 tent camping locations near Strawberry Point, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.