Primitive Campground South — Lake Macbride State Park

We stayed in the primitive side of Lake MacBride State Park. Here are our thoughts:

Pros: -Primitive campground is isolated from the electric one, so it’s much quieter -Right on the lake -Plenty of spots to choose from -On a less busy weekend, it would be much easier to keep to yourself/keep from being on top of other campers -Sites 48 & 49 were relatively private and large (backed up to woods) and 49 seemed to have some good flat areas -Modern bathrooms within walking distance -Miles of beautiful, well maintained walking trails -We didn’t fish, but it seemed like everyone who did was having no problem catching pretty large fish -Red Vespa in town at Solon is great pizza within a reasonable distance of the campground!

Cons -Quite a distance to any lake activities and firewood (you have to go into town for firewood or to the total other side of the lake) -Campground is laid out in a way that makes you butt up against other campers on almost every side—virtually no privacy -Was a bit rowdy/loud on Labor Day weekend, but what can you expect -Very few spots had flat area for tents, most were on a hill -Bathrooms were not terribly well maintained

Lake MacBride State Park is divided into two areas, and you need a car (or boat) to get between the two sections. You may also be able to take the dam trail with a bike, but I'm not totally sure about that. One side is called the "modern campground" and has spots for RV camping and tent camping, and this campground has toilets, playground, beach, and shower house. The other side is the "non-modern campground" and has RV and tent sites, playground, boat access to the lake, modern bathroom and pit latrine, but NO shower house. Our family of two parents and 2 young boys stayed a Friday night in the non-modern campground in site #49, which is off to the side, close to the woods, and is appropriate for two tents. We had no complaints at all! The campground is well-maintained, the lake is beautiful, the modern toilet house was clean, there was water on site. Our kids played with other kids in the campground at the small but nicely maintained and modern playground. There were some safe little trails in the woods next to our campsite that our kids walked around on with lanterns and looked for bugs and spiders. There was a normal amount of chatter from a Boy Scout group that was near us, but the sound died down fairly early, and it was quiet sleeping. The next morning, we got up and did some exercise and watched the lake while the fog was still low. Saw lots of neat birds, including a great blue heron. There is no swimming beach on this side, but you can launch a boat (boat ramp) or kayaks and canoes. Many of the campsites were empty when we went, and for the empty ones, you just get your campsite on the honor system. I do sort of wish there was a shower house on that side, just in case, but that is probably what is keeping this site quiet. We reserved the campsite through ReserveAmerica, and unfortunately we had to reserve for a minimum of 2 days, so my only other wish would be that we could reserve for just one day, BUT the campsite was very inexpensive, only $9/night, so for $18 plus a very minimal processing fee (I think we paid $22 total for the 2 nights), we had a great place to camp, and much cheaper and quieter than a cheap motel, along our destination from Wisconsin to Kansas! Things nearby to check out include: the beach at the park, the Devonian Fossil Gorge in Coralville, and the Coffee Press (for coffee lovers) in Iowa City.