Wallaces Farmer

Camping for the show? Check out these options

A range of choices greet Farm Progress Show visitors who want to park their tent or RV.

August 19, 2018

7 Min Read
SETTING UP CAMP: With a wide range of campground operations near the Farm Progress Show grounds, visitors have plenty of options.Ershov_Maks/Getty Images

Central Iowa has a variety of campground options. The list below is categorized by direction — east, west, north and south — from the Farm Progress Show.

On-site camper parking will be available at the Farm Progress Show on a first-come, first-served basis. However, your camper must be self-contained. If you want hookups, use one of the facilities below.

Go to FarmProgressShow.com for more details. For hotel information, go online to visitcentraliowa.com.

WEST

Boone County Fairgrounds, 1601 Industrial Park Road in Boone, has over 60 camping sites, all with electricity and water hookups. Showers and bathroom facilities are also available. Call 515-432-5899 or email [email protected].

Camp Hantesa, 1450 Oriole Road in Boone, has space for over 300 people with its cabins, lodges and bedrooms. Meal service is available. Prices are from $40 to $120 per night. Activities such as climbing, swimming and nature trails are available. Call 515-432-1417 or email [email protected].

Clover Woods Camp & Retreat Center, 1991 Peach Ave. in Madrid, was a former Iowa 4-H Center. This space is open to outside groups of 10 to 140 people. Call 515-230-7261.

Don Williams Campground, 672 Hawkeye Lane in Ogden, has 150 campsites with electricity and 30 non-electric sites. A picnic area, beach, trails, accessible facilities, playground, restrooms and concessions are also available. Call 515-353-4237 or email [email protected].

Swede Point Recreational Area, 1601 322nd Lane in Madrid, has 26 campsites (24 electric), all with modern restrooms and showers. Call 515-795-2809 or email [email protected].

EAST

Hickory Grove Park, 67382 250th St. in Colo, has 43 camping sites with electricity. All include a shower house with flush toilets, a beach area, picnic area and shelters, hiking, canoeing, and boating. Call 515-232-2516.

Twin Anchors Campground, 68132 U.S. Highway 30 in Colo, has both RV and tent camping with electricity, water and sewer available. Call 641-377-2243.

Pine Lake State Park, 22620 County Highway S56 in Eldora, has 97 electric sites with 25 non-electric sites, plus showers and restroom facilities, and a dump station. Call 641-858-5832 or 877-427-2757.

Union Grove State Park, 1215 220th St. in Gladbrook, offers full hook-ups and non-electric sites. Family-style shower facilities are available. Advance reservations can be made through the park reservations system. A quarter of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 641-473-2556.

Rock Creek State Park, 5627 Rock Creek E. St. in Kellogg, has 196 campsites, including both electric and nonelectric campsites, and campsites along the water. Call 641-236-3722 or 877-427-2757.

Grammer Grove Wildlife Area, 2030 127th St. in Liscomb, has tent camping on a first-come, first-served basis. Electricity is available. Call 641-752-5490.

Central Iowa Fairgrounds, 1308 E. Olive St. in Marshalltown. Call 641-753-3671 or email  [email protected].

Riverview Park, 402 Woodland St. in Marshalltown, has 30 electrical hookups, eight sewer hookups, two water hydrants, a bathhouse with hot water, flush toilets and a dump station. Call 641-754-5715 or email [email protected].

Shady Oaks Campground, 2370 Shady Oaks Road in Marshalltown, has 13 sites with full hookups, plus two more with electric only. Five sites are drive-on (back-off) sites for motor coaches (40-foot units). The other sites accommodate 30-foot-plus units. Call 641-752-2946.

Timberwolf Valley RV Park, 2552 Smith Ave. in Marshalltown, was established in the 1970s. The park is home to over 100 residents. Some lots are left to rent for an RV or to move in a mobile home. Call 641-328-1708 or email [email protected].

Timmons Grove County Park, 1777 Marsh Ave. in Marshalltown, has facilities for RV campers, including 18 sites with electrical hookups. It has a hiking trail, a shelter house, primitive restrooms and a boat ramp to the Iowa river. Call 641-752- 5490 or email  [email protected].

Pilgrim Heights Camp Retreat, 3005 E Ave. in Montour, is located on over 120 acres in the bluffs of the Iowa River. Pilgrim Heights borders an 80-acre recreational lake. Day-use visitors and overnight guests are invited to enjoy the wilderness resort gathering place. Call 641-492-6165 or email [email protected].

Outback Campground & Resort, 3220 H Ave. in Tama, has RV, trailer and tent camping with a modern bathhouse. Call 641-484-3611 or email [email protected].

Otter Creek Lake & Park, 2283 Park Road in Toledo, offers 65 electric and 17 tents sites. All sites are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 641-484-2231.

NORTH

Little Wall Lake Campground, 3540 Little Wall Lake Road in Jewel, has 53 full hookup sites, 55 water and electric sites, and six primitive tent sites, with a 14-night maximum stay. Three modern cabins are available. The two-story cabin sleeps 15, and the one-story cabins sleep eight. 

Whispering Oaks Campground and RV — Good Sam Park, 1011 Timberland Drive in Story City, has 100 campsites, all with water and electricity. Amenities include restrooms, showers, a laundry room and picnic area. Call 515-733-4663.

NORTHWEST

Hidden Acres Christian Center, 3837 Union Ave. in Dayton, has 27 inn-style rooms, each with bath,; cabin and lodge facilities (with bunk-style rooms); and 90 campsites (50 with electricity and water). Overnight rentals include use of indoor pool, hot tub, game room, gym, sitting area with TV, and lake. Call 515-547-2751 or email [email protected].

Bell’s Mill Park, 3100 Bell’s Mill Road in Stratford, has 45 electrical campsites. There is an open-air shelter with electricity, water hydrant, a playground and shower-restroom facilities. Call 515-832-9570.

Kennedy Park, 1415 Nelson Ave. in Fort Dodge, has 53 acres and a variety of activities including camping, fishing, picnicking, hiking, canoeing and boating (no gas motors), as well as an 18-hole Lakeside Municipal Golf Course. Call 515-576-4258.

Dolliver State Park, 2757 Dolliver Park Ave. in Lehigh, has 20 electric and two non-electric sites available for reservations. Amenities include modern restrooms and showers, a trailer dump station, a playground, and fishing and hiking areas. Call 877-427-2757.

Brushy Creek Recreation Area (Fort Dodge), 3175 290 St. in Lehigh, has both equestrian and non-equestrian camping areas, with electric, non-electric or full hookup available. Amenities include hiking, fishing and boating in the no-wake lake. Call 515-543-8298 or 877-427-2757.

Webster County Fairgrounds, 22770 Old Highway 169 in Fort Dodge, has over 90 camping spots, with bathrooms and showers available. There is a sewage dump on the grounds. Call 515-955-3764 or email  [email protected].

Briggs Woods, 2490 Briggs Woods Trail in Webster City, has 81 campsites, RV and tent units available. The campground also has 30 full-hookup sites, with water, sewer and electricity, along with a beach area and shelters. Call 515-832-9570.

SOUTH

Adventureland Inn, 305 34th Ave. NW in Altoona, is a full-service campground, with hookups, modern showers and restrooms, RV and tent camping, a swimming pool, and recreational areas. Call 515-266-212, ext. 7.

Cherry Glen Campground (Saylorville), 4338 NW 94th Place in Ankeny, has 125 available campsites with electrical hookups. Amenities include flush and pit toilets, showers, drinking water, and a dump station. Call 515-964-8792.

Jester Park Campgrounds, 11407 NW Jester Park Drive in Granger, offers more than 197 campsites — 80 electric sites, 111 primitive sites and equestrian campsites. It also provides picnic areas, hiking and a playground. Call 515-323-5300.

Acorn Valley (Saylorville Lake), 9615 NW Beaver Drive in Johnston, offers 29 family sites with electrical hookups and 65 primitive tent sites. Amenities include a picnic area, shelters, restrooms, showers and a dump station. Call 515-276-4656 or 877-427-2757.

Prairie Flower Recreation Area (Saylorville), 5600 NW 78th Ave. in Johnston, has 153 sites with electrical hookups. Amenities include showers, restrooms and a dump station. Call 515-984-6925.

Yellow Banks Park, 6801 SE 32nd Ave. in Pleasant Hill, has 60 units. It includes a picnic area, shelters and electric hookups. Call 515-266-1563.

Walnut Woods State Park, 3155 Walnut Woods Drive in West Des Moines, has 23 campsites, eight with electrical hookups. Amenities include restrooms and a dump station, but no showers. Call 515-285- 4502 or 877-427-2757 or email [email protected].

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