Best Dog-Friendly Camping near West Burlington, IA

My Husband were traveling to Montana and this campground was right off the freeway. The grounds are well maintained and the hosts were amazing. They helped you get to your site and get lined up. All sites are pull thru with full hookups. The grounds have lots of mature trees so shade is plenty. There is a very large area to walk your dogs and they have centrally located pet disposal can. They have a pond which was nice to walk the dogs around. I liked that the campground was quiet as we went to bed early in order to get an early start the next day. Keep in mind there are no showers which for us wasn’t an issue but some people might not have that option. We will use them again for sure!!

We stayed at Argyle Lake State Park in the Twisted Oak Campground, site 20. It was terrible. They had just mowed the grass after letting it grow 6 inches high, so it was everywhere. As a result grass stuck to everything and was on everyone. Imagine a hairy dog or cat shedding all of its hair and getting all over you.

The campground had very little tree cover and the campsites were right on top of one another. In the summer heat you get cooked.

Adding insult to injury the bathrooms were disgusting. This makes family camping with small children very difficult. I did not take any pictures and cannot comment on the lake or the rest of the park because we only stayed one night and left first thing in the morning because we had such a bad experience.

Personally, a lot of these problems could be remedied by decreasing the number of sites (to create more space), planting more trees, and hiring a staff who takes pride in the cleanliness of the campgrounds.

Wildcat Den State Park is somewhat of an unknown gem. Surrounded by cornfields, rolling hills and the Mississippi River, this park is tucked neatly away in Southeast Iowa. We've been here in all four seasons and each one provides a different landscape.

The park offers non-electrical campsites with pit toilets located in the campground area. A portion of the sites are available on a first come first serve basis. The remaining sites have to be reserved. Each campsite has a fire pit and picnic table. There is well water available. There is also a large shelter across the road from the campground area. The bottom portion of the park, where the Pine Creek Grist Mill is located has modern restroom facilities as well as another shelter.

Hiking the Wildcat Den Trail Loop is a must. Looming sandstone cliffs, tall pines, and rock formations are all part of the park's landscape. This is also a great place to view spring wildflowers. There's several spots of interest you'll want to be sure to take in while there, including the Devil's Punch Bowl, Steamboat Rock, The Pine Creek Grist Mill built in the 1800's, the Melpine School, and most recently, a renovated log cabin. The Mill offers tours during the warmer months and it's worth the time to take the tour.

While the trails at the Den are very scenic, they're not well-marked. This is perhaps the only downside of the park. The park is dog-friendly, but they must be on leash at all times.

This is one of my favorite "hidden" parks in Iowa.