South Lake Campground

We were traveling through Iowa on our way to the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville. South Lake was a bit off the beaten path but close enough we stayed for one night on Saturday May 14, 2022. We failed to make a reservation and almost regretted that decision as there were only two or three sites available. None-the-less the campground was clean, quiet (even with two boy scout troops camped nearby), and very nice. The camp hosts in our section were terrific, attentive and extremely helpful. We needed ice primarily to keep my wife's medication cool and the only commercial ice was in a nearby town, probably closed at that hour. Hearing of our plight, our host provided us with a bag of ice from their on-board ice maker! We only stayed one night but it was an enjoyable experience and we would definitely be happy to stay there again.

South Lake Campground clearly receives regular care. The registration board was easy to understand, both for reservations and walk-ins. The sites were in great condition, and the facilities were clean and functional. The campground has electric sites with water, and many options for group and individual non-electric tent camping. Some of the middle sites are a bit tight, but the outer sites have room to breathe. There are two nice bathroom facilities with free showers. The bathroom near site 37 actually had 6 locking rooms with a toilet and shower all to yourself. Super private. The fire rings have quality two-level grilling grates. The areas around the fire rings were mostly sand and dirt. The campground did get a bit noisy as it filled up. The background host was very helpful when asked for information.

A friend who lives in Iowa recommended this park as my husband is a trout fisherman from CA so it's been hard to find trout fishing in the Midwest. We did not have reservations and arrived mid-day Sunday to find a selection of first-come, first-serve sites with electric available but as they were in the sun, I wanted a site with shade (it had been hot the previous week). Went online (barely as our Verizon struggled with only 1 bar, but voice calls worked fine in our site) and found a "reservable" site was available as a walk-in for 2 nights then available to reserve for 3 nights so booked it! Camp hosts said most every weekend this summer is sold out and with few walk-in hook-up sites available, be prepared. Sites are well spaced apart with our favorite electric sites for space/shade being 52, 62, 72, and 79. Hubby used showers and said they were fine. Only con (but not fault of park) is the FLIES were INSANE!! A local resident told us they had never been that bad! It was very busy the week we were there (late June) with lots of families/kids. NOTE: Check-out is 3 pm but we saw many people leaving before noon but a few did stay until 2 or 3.

Drove up to the Six Pines CG and if you don't need hook-ups it was very nice for smaller rigs or tents and closer to the trout fishing, which was a bust since it rained 6" the first day we were there, then on and off every day thereafter except one (park was actually closed for 3 days due to flooding)! Oh, well. Great park for other adventures, including lots of great hikes and kayaking! Easily accessible with dump onsite.

We stayed here on Fathers Day weekend and it was nearly full, but did not feel crowded. There is a mix of RV campers and tent campers at this campground. The Six Pine campground on the other side of the state park is primitive camping only. The RV sites are electric only with a water source in the middle of every other row of sites. We were close enough to one that we were able to string together 80ft of water hoses and refill our fresh tank while we were there without moving. There is only one dump station which is near the exit to the park. Cell service appears to depend on your equipment. We have Verizon and we do not have a signal booster. My kids and I could barely make phone calls (Some dropped calls even), while my wifes new motorola was streaming movies without an issue. As for why we loved it, the state park itself has a lot to offer. There is a lake with a boat ramp and a swimming beach within walking distance of the campsites. There are also streams with trout fishing near the boat ramp. Further (driving is highly recommended) There is a large park with playground equipment and the park is very long and runs along a sandy stream that is ideal for wading and maybe even tubing in. The park is called "Backbone" because of a tall ridge of rock that runs through it. Rock climbing and repelling is available, but you must first register with the park ranger. At the farthest point of the state park there is a really nice cave system that the kids loved climbing through, despite the mud floor. I stayed out of the mud, but they loved it. There are also other sights in that area and another section of that stream that again is ideal for playing in. We will definitely be going back as one full day was not nearly enough to do even half of what was there to offer. Also, the bathrooms and showers seemed very clean and well maintained and there were two sets of camp hosts who were both very friendly and helpful.