We have been going to Viking lake for years. We hadn't been back until just recently. Our absence was due to an invasive species in the lake a few years back. They had drained the lake to kill off the species and then restock. We figured that things would be back to normal by now, but we had no luck. My family fished all weekend and didn't catch anything to keep. It didn't look like campers around us had any better luck.

Despite the poor fishing, I love this campground. Our campsite had great shade from the trees and was right next to an inlet from the lake. We had a great spot to place our kayak in right by our campsite. The lake is large with plenty of areas with downed trees for prime fishing. It is a no wake lake, so it is perfect for small boats and kayaks.

The trails are varied and long. It had changed since the last time we had camped and they had closed off some bisecting trails to shorten your hike. There are "posted" maps along the trail, but nothing detailed or portable to take with you.

They have a great horseshoe pit and happened to have a tournament one of the days we camped that my family was able to join. They also have a great sandy beach area for swimming. We were a little disappointed that the convenient store/ restaurant was closed. We remember how they used to rent out boats which was extremely nice when we were younger and couldn't afford one of our own. Instead, they have a little shop in the camping area that the camp hosts open various hours of the day. It is super cute, but very small, so it does not have everything you might need. It is close to a town, so not too far off if you forgot something.

This is one of our favorite campgrounds in Iowa. It has a good sized lake for fishing and kayaking, but not to big for large speed boats. It has miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. It has a great frisbee golf course that my boys loved playing. The beach sandy and clean for a refreshing dip on a hot afternoon.

We love this campground for the large trees and shade they provide in the summer. Our only complaint is the lack of weather warning system in the area. The park rangers came around to warn campers of possible severe storms coming through the area, but if a tornado warning happened, we would have no notification.