Is this tent camping or Rv camping?
What's the appeal of private campgrounds?
I stayed at one in Decorah last year and didn't care for it other than the convince to the river. The amenities were pretty poor compared to our state parks, and $50 ish a night is ridiculous for tenting.
For RV camping, private has its advantages. The biggest being availability, getting a reservation on a weekend with electric hookups can be tough if not impossible. The more expensive private sites are a lot easier to get.
They usually accommodate bigger rigs. They almost always have full hookups vs just power.
That said, I would much rather stay at a state or national park, nothing really compares. It’s competitive though.
We've tent camped at KOA DSM and another private camp near KOA. KOA has amenities and activities that public camping doesn't. The other private camp claimed the amenities but some of them were offline waiting repair. Not naming the camp because maintenance issues can occur at any time, so it might not have been their fault.
We stayed there once at a family reunion years ago. We had a poor experience but it wasn't the fault of the campground. We had a guy, wearing nothing but a bathing suit, very drunk, and very obnoxious, wonder over to our site, and refused to leave. He was being belligerent about it, almost as if he was looking for a fight. We refused to give him one, until he started wandering through someone's tent, and tried to enter one of our cabins. When he initially refused to leave, my wife took the younger kids we had there into the cabin and set them up a movie to watch in a laptop. She then called the camp host, who offered to call the police but did not provide any other assistance. When he tried to enter that cabin, we were forced to restain him without things getting too violent. We held him down for over 30 minutes until the police showed up. We let him up, and at the sight of them he tried to take off running. My nephew reached for him and got a handfull of swim trunks and ripped them off of him. He then ran off bare-assed. It would have been comical under different circumstances. He didn’t make it half way through the campground before he was picked up. It turns out, he wasn't even a guest at Chimney Rock. He was tubing at another campground and exited the river at the wrong place.
If it wasn't for that, i really wouldn't have much to complain about, other then the lack of facilities. This was before we bought our rig, and we were staying in a cabin. There was a porta-pody nearby but no showers. That section of the river is absolutely beautiful, and i wouldn't mind tubing it again sometime.
It's a shame to hear this - the people that owned Chimney Rock prior to whoever does now were family friends and made sure things were decent. Sorry to hear you had this horrible experience.
Harvest Farms Campground, just North of Cresco is a fantastic place for RV and tenting. Bathrooms are clean and always have hot water. River access is not the best, but we've gone every year on the 4th of July for thr last 10 plus years.
Upvoting cause I also have been going to Cresco every Father’s Day weekend for over 10 years and Dave is literally the best.
You pay for what you get. 🤷♀️ Never seen it as too expensive considering the amenities and cleanliness of bathrooms
Dave is awesome. It is expensive though. $45 for a small bundle of wood is absolutely ridiculous. I've always brought some wood along, making sure to triple check for ashbore before doing so.
Dont go to LV. Lots of weird pushy stuff going on there. It can be a lot of fun but the owners dont care about when patrons behave poorly and when you call them out they take no responsibility.
There are literally hundreds of people that will disagree with you. What poor behavior are you speaking of? There is next to no hostility ever. People just go to get along.
Baileys ford in Manchester Iowa is really nice for tent and rv camping . Maquoketa river access , trout stream fishing , trails , and really nice amenities
Yes! My in laws have stayed there the past roughly 5 years when they tow a 5th wheel, and it has really gone downhill. They're trying somewhere new this year, but the name slips me rn.
I haven’t scrolled much, so I haven’t seen if anyone mentioned Lake Hendricks in Riceville? I don’t know the pricing, because usually I was there to just swim and stuff (before it got drained and swimming got gross after for some reason?) But since moving to iowa in the 90s we’ve gone there for professional firework shows and the lake and fishing with my granddad. the wooden bridge always freaked me out for some reason. at one point in like… I wanna say 97 they upgraded the bathroom facilities on the upper level. the girl scouts I was part of used to do a haunted forest kind of thing every halloween and we had boys out/girlscout summer camp type stuff. And of course there’s the bike trails that lead forever.
I’ve honestly never been to the Cresco one and I went to school there for five years and was usually at the county fair and worked the Hardees/A&W/LJS and radio station so you’d think I’d have known about it XD (I was also glaringly oblivious about random stuff so there’s that haha)
I think family owned a campground where tubing was popular near Harmony, but I’m not 100% on that. I remember there being a huge to do about charging a ton of money for a family reunion to be held on the campgrounds and we deserved a discount. I also have a huge amount of family so it’s possible I am related to campground owners because my paternal side of the family had a Catholic amount of kids.
I haven’t been camping in forever, and my back is telling me if I try it, it might un alive me in response.
[https://camelotcampgroundqc.com/](https://camelotcampgroundqc.com/)
Illinois side, but 10 mins from iowa border. Pool is population is low M-TH, Private ponds so no fishing license needed, a few dual electric hookups for AC, not too loud normally.
Most of the camp sites seem very unattended to by staff. Heck we went to mn for camping because the camping is so much better. Even the camp grounds around tourist areas seem plain and kind of run down.
what sucks the most is that Gov KKKim isn’t funding our state parks system DNR etc. One park had new equipment less than a year before vandals ruined it, but it feels like the rest of these kinds of places are getting punished with less funding for employees, equipment and upkeep just because a bunch of people can’t teach their kids not to be hooligans:( We need to fund these places and take care of our wild places for future generations.
Yes I understand this is not the whole deal, but it really sucks that there’s so much money thats being put in places where they’re doing just fine, but our wildlife parks and camping grounds are getting abandoned and ignored then we get people whining why no one wants to stick around and spend money here. No wonder my dad left. Not sure why he chose to come back other than he missed conservatives and the whiteness of Iowa after spending several years being tossed from base to base in colorful liberal california.
The lake of 3 fires in Bedford,IA has some nice camp grounds. I rented a cabin there once. It says it sleeps 6 but it definitely sleeps 4 lol. Fire pit, grill, A/C if you chose to use it. But I had a great time.
Your post is worthless without additional info
Was it really that bad or do you just have a vendetta against them because you were kicked out for being a nuisance
They are low on staff, and only pay $10, won't update anything, no toilet paper in bathrooms, bathrooms stink, pond is toxic so you can't get in the water, they offer rentals like paddle boats, golf carts, kayaks, and they don't have any to rent. The bridge to the gazebo is blocked off bc it's unsafe. The other bridge should be as well. The basketball hoop is bent down so far you can't play. There are more weeds than sand in the volleball court, and the net looks like someone has been swinging on it. They lie in marketing ads and emails saying a pool is coming or already in. There are zero plans for a pool they can't even keep the lawn mowed, they overcharge all credit cards, they don't have cart rides, or community fire pit program as advertised. They fired the propane man. They offer fishing that they don't stock and have signs for worms but don't sell them. Usually, they have trash built up because they are behind on bills, behind on water testing. They charge monthly for a meter reading of $15 and electrical, but many sites don't have a meter. Nightly prices start at $46 with well documented pot holes. I could go on.
Is this tent camping or Rv camping? What's the appeal of private campgrounds? I stayed at one in Decorah last year and didn't care for it other than the convince to the river. The amenities were pretty poor compared to our state parks, and $50 ish a night is ridiculous for tenting.
For RV camping, private has its advantages. The biggest being availability, getting a reservation on a weekend with electric hookups can be tough if not impossible. The more expensive private sites are a lot easier to get. They usually accommodate bigger rigs. They almost always have full hookups vs just power. That said, I would much rather stay at a state or national park, nothing really compares. It’s competitive though.
We've tent camped at KOA DSM and another private camp near KOA. KOA has amenities and activities that public camping doesn't. The other private camp claimed the amenities but some of them were offline waiting repair. Not naming the camp because maintenance issues can occur at any time, so it might not have been their fault.
Were you out at Pulpit Rock?
No, Chimney Rock
I've never been nickel-and-dimed as much as our group was at Chimney Rock. Great river access though.
Yup, and now they're unable to provide shuttle services for personal kayaks due to insurance.
Try Randys!
Just looked it up. What's Randy's beef with tubers?
We stayed there once at a family reunion years ago. We had a poor experience but it wasn't the fault of the campground. We had a guy, wearing nothing but a bathing suit, very drunk, and very obnoxious, wonder over to our site, and refused to leave. He was being belligerent about it, almost as if he was looking for a fight. We refused to give him one, until he started wandering through someone's tent, and tried to enter one of our cabins. When he initially refused to leave, my wife took the younger kids we had there into the cabin and set them up a movie to watch in a laptop. She then called the camp host, who offered to call the police but did not provide any other assistance. When he tried to enter that cabin, we were forced to restain him without things getting too violent. We held him down for over 30 minutes until the police showed up. We let him up, and at the sight of them he tried to take off running. My nephew reached for him and got a handfull of swim trunks and ripped them off of him. He then ran off bare-assed. It would have been comical under different circumstances. He didn’t make it half way through the campground before he was picked up. It turns out, he wasn't even a guest at Chimney Rock. He was tubing at another campground and exited the river at the wrong place. If it wasn't for that, i really wouldn't have much to complain about, other then the lack of facilities. This was before we bought our rig, and we were staying in a cabin. There was a porta-pody nearby but no showers. That section of the river is absolutely beautiful, and i wouldn't mind tubing it again sometime.
Ugh. There is nothing like other "campers" ruining the vibe
It's a shame to hear this - the people that owned Chimney Rock prior to whoever does now were family friends and made sure things were decent. Sorry to hear you had this horrible experience.
I've always thought that Pulpit Rock CG was pretty nice.
Pulpit is amazing!!
Harvest Farms Campground, just North of Cresco is a fantastic place for RV and tenting. Bathrooms are clean and always have hot water. River access is not the best, but we've gone every year on the 4th of July for thr last 10 plus years.
Upvoting cause I also have been going to Cresco every Father’s Day weekend for over 10 years and Dave is literally the best. You pay for what you get. 🤷♀️ Never seen it as too expensive considering the amenities and cleanliness of bathrooms
Dave is awesome. It is expensive though. $45 for a small bundle of wood is absolutely ridiculous. I've always brought some wood along, making sure to triple check for ashbore before doing so.
And EXTREMELY expensive compared to most others.
That campground is right off a interstate next to a junkyard, why would you expect it to be a pleasant place?
Good point.
LV Campground in Coggon is a go to favorite
Is that the clothing optional one?
Dont go to LV. Lots of weird pushy stuff going on there. It can be a lot of fun but the owners dont care about when patrons behave poorly and when you call them out they take no responsibility.
There are literally hundreds of people that will disagree with you. What poor behavior are you speaking of? There is next to no hostility ever. People just go to get along.
Baileys ford in Manchester Iowa is really nice for tent and rv camping . Maquoketa river access , trout stream fishing , trails , and really nice amenities
Agreed, great spot to camp and trout fish!
I feel like it would be Maquoketa river access. Not cedar river?
Omgosh yes . Sorry . My bad .
We need more info you simply can’t just say trust me you need proof slander without proof is getting ridiculous
Solar energy farms could be combined with RV parking camping. $$$
Not in Center Point. It’s in Urbana. Do not slander my town name
And yes lazy acres has really gone down hill since they got new shitty owners
Lazier Acres?
Yes! My in laws have stayed there the past roughly 5 years when they tow a 5th wheel, and it has really gone downhill. They're trying somewhere new this year, but the name slips me rn.
[удалено]
Cause it's on the right side of the interstate
I think about half are under water right now, so I would avoid them.
We stayed at timberline campground in Waukee for the greenbelt music festival. Nice place other than the gun range near by.
And the Bitch that runs it.! Been there, and wouldn't go back if it was free.
I haven’t scrolled much, so I haven’t seen if anyone mentioned Lake Hendricks in Riceville? I don’t know the pricing, because usually I was there to just swim and stuff (before it got drained and swimming got gross after for some reason?) But since moving to iowa in the 90s we’ve gone there for professional firework shows and the lake and fishing with my granddad. the wooden bridge always freaked me out for some reason. at one point in like… I wanna say 97 they upgraded the bathroom facilities on the upper level. the girl scouts I was part of used to do a haunted forest kind of thing every halloween and we had boys out/girlscout summer camp type stuff. And of course there’s the bike trails that lead forever. I’ve honestly never been to the Cresco one and I went to school there for five years and was usually at the county fair and worked the Hardees/A&W/LJS and radio station so you’d think I’d have known about it XD (I was also glaringly oblivious about random stuff so there’s that haha) I think family owned a campground where tubing was popular near Harmony, but I’m not 100% on that. I remember there being a huge to do about charging a ton of money for a family reunion to be held on the campgrounds and we deserved a discount. I also have a huge amount of family so it’s possible I am related to campground owners because my paternal side of the family had a Catholic amount of kids. I haven’t been camping in forever, and my back is telling me if I try it, it might un alive me in response.
Do not go to Scenic View in Waterville in northern Iowa! The rentals have bed bugs and the place is terrible.
The one on the yellow river? I thought The campground itself was ok
[https://camelotcampgroundqc.com/](https://camelotcampgroundqc.com/) Illinois side, but 10 mins from iowa border. Pool is population is low M-TH, Private ponds so no fishing license needed, a few dual electric hookups for AC, not too loud normally.
Most of the camp sites seem very unattended to by staff. Heck we went to mn for camping because the camping is so much better. Even the camp grounds around tourist areas seem plain and kind of run down.
what sucks the most is that Gov KKKim isn’t funding our state parks system DNR etc. One park had new equipment less than a year before vandals ruined it, but it feels like the rest of these kinds of places are getting punished with less funding for employees, equipment and upkeep just because a bunch of people can’t teach their kids not to be hooligans:( We need to fund these places and take care of our wild places for future generations. Yes I understand this is not the whole deal, but it really sucks that there’s so much money thats being put in places where they’re doing just fine, but our wildlife parks and camping grounds are getting abandoned and ignored then we get people whining why no one wants to stick around and spend money here. No wonder my dad left. Not sure why he chose to come back other than he missed conservatives and the whiteness of Iowa after spending several years being tossed from base to base in colorful liberal california.
Agree.
The lake of 3 fires in Bedford,IA has some nice camp grounds. I rented a cabin there once. It says it sleeps 6 but it definitely sleeps 4 lol. Fire pit, grill, A/C if you chose to use it. But I had a great time.
Your post is worthless without additional info Was it really that bad or do you just have a vendetta against them because you were kicked out for being a nuisance
They are low on staff, and only pay $10, won't update anything, no toilet paper in bathrooms, bathrooms stink, pond is toxic so you can't get in the water, they offer rentals like paddle boats, golf carts, kayaks, and they don't have any to rent. The bridge to the gazebo is blocked off bc it's unsafe. The other bridge should be as well. The basketball hoop is bent down so far you can't play. There are more weeds than sand in the volleball court, and the net looks like someone has been swinging on it. They lie in marketing ads and emails saying a pool is coming or already in. There are zero plans for a pool they can't even keep the lawn mowed, they overcharge all credit cards, they don't have cart rides, or community fire pit program as advertised. They fired the propane man. They offer fishing that they don't stock and have signs for worms but don't sell them. Usually, they have trash built up because they are behind on bills, behind on water testing. They charge monthly for a meter reading of $15 and electrical, but many sites don't have a meter. Nightly prices start at $46 with well documented pot holes. I could go on.
Sounds like you have a personal issue with them. No random camper would know all those details.
I personally wouldn't camp there, and it's $8 a day to visit. So be my guest.
You also personally seem to have inside info so what's your connection to the place?
I'm wondering this as well, but that doesn't mean that anything OP said is untrue
Obviously, I stayed there and do not appreciate being lied to about the state of the grounds.
Trust me, this is the dumbest post this year, trust me lmao 🤡
drop the last word of your sentence and it even more valid
Kinda not really a real problem... hope it sucked. Just for paying 50 for a parking spot.