Established Camping
Pilot Knob State Park — Pilot Knob State Preserve
About
State Park
Location
Pilot Knob State Park — Pilot Knob State Preserve is located in Iowa
Directions
Go 3 miles east of Forest City on Hwy 9. Turn right/south on 205th Ave and go 1 mile to the park entrance.
Address
2148 340th Street
Forest City, IA 50436
Coordinates
43.25312481921176 N
93.56134332258705 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonGood
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Cabins
- Tent Cabin
- Equestrian
Features
For Campers
- ADA Access
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- WiFi
- Showers
- Drinking Water
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Water Hookups
- Pull-Through Sites
Layout of campground would be challenging if full
General: A mixture of tent (non-electric) and electric sites, mostly arranged in several rows.
Site Quality: Mixed. Not all sites are level, and most do not have delineated parking pads (there is a small pavement indent to show where to access the site). A fire pit and picnic table complete the site. Most of the sites are too close together for our liking, however, when we were there (a Monday at the end of August, the day before school started), we were only one of three sites occupied so for our stay it didn’t matter.
Bathhouse: Basic but clean. My biggest complaint is there were no hooks or shelves for toiletries by the sinks. The showers looked nice but we did not use them.
Activities: Horseback riding (there are trails for this), hiking, fishing. Although we did see several trailheads, I did not have a map so didn’t explore them. There is an observation tower, but it is a two-mile walk/drive from the campground (on paved roads; I didn’t try to find hiking trails to get there).
Misc: A shout-out to the great host, Pam, who greeted us as we arrived. The observation tower, entrance gates, and picnic shelter were all constructed by the CCC and were beautiful. It almost seemed like the campground was an afterthought as it is outside the entrance gates and nowhere near the tower. The layout of the campground would be challenging if all sites were occupied.
- (19) View All
This place is a GEM
Beautiful campground. Well maintained. Nice facilities. You can’t beat this place for the price. Nice hiking trails too.
Enjoyable
For $12/night on a 30AMP hookup, I really can't complain. This is my first of many stops in the new RV, needed a place to camp out before getting it serviced the next day. Enjoyable scenery, especially at sunset
Our favorite
This is our favorite place to camp. Never overcrowded, they have activities put in by Friends of Pilot Knob such as movie nights. Lots to do like hiking, biking, and fishing. Very clean bathhouse and bathrooms, park. Family friendly and quiet place to camp.
Lots of room
Pull through sites, bathhouse was clean and showers were individual room with timed lights, motion sensors kept the shower interesting! Got to see turtles laying eggs and deer were all around. Family loved the fishing.
- (7) View All
Pilot knob is AMAZING!
Pilot knob state park is a great place for a week long stay or just a few hours!
The camp ground is on the smaller side but it’s clean and there is a play ground! There is the town of Forest City just a few miles away and it has pretty much everything you need for a stock up for your next adventure!!
Wonderful place to go
I3rd got a few awesome things to see. Hiking trails. Picnic area. We have gone a grew times a year and love it!
Camping in the woods near town
Located by New Ulm, MN this campground has plenty of activities in the park or very near the park. Plenty of hiking trails, playground for the kids, and an amazing sand bottom swimming pond surrounded by sand beach. Golf is also nearby at The New Ulm Country Club which is open to the public. Nice level sites with electric, picnic tables and fire rings.
Great place to First night camp
If you are picking up a camper from Lichtsinn RV in Forest City they offer to let you stay on their lot with electric hookups during your pick up. But, we found it a little more private and less intimidating to set up camp down the road just a few miles at Plot Knob State Park. Nice level sites with electric hook ups, clean restrooms and showers. Gave us the opportunity to unload our car and figure out our new motorhome without feeling like we were being watched. We didn't explore to much but we noticed they have several hiking trails. Very nice and quiet.
Needs a little tender loving care
Great hiking trails.