Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
- Campsite reservations can be made up to three months in advance and up to two days before arrival.
- You can reserve your site through the Iowa State Parks website or by calling the reservation call center. Online reservations incur a slightly lower fee than phone reservations.
- Pikes Peak offers a mix of first-come, first-served and reservable sites. If you’re hoping to get to a same-day reservation, it’s wise to arrive early.
- If you can’t secure a spot at Pikes Peak, look into booking a private campground or Hipcamp in the area, or in the nearby Yellow River State Forest.
When to Go
The park is open throughout the year, and while winters get cold, some people still opt to camp here. Summertime is busy with the school vacation crowd, while the month of October draws throngs of visitors who come to the park and its surrounding areas to check out the fall colors. There’s also an arts-and-crafts festival in the nearby town of McGregor that takes place over the first two full weekends in October.
Know Before You Go
- The closest towns for picking up groceries and other supplies are McGregor and Marquette, each just a few minutes' drive from the park.
- Visitors can buy snacks, souvenirs, and ice at the Park Store, open Wednesday through Sunday from Memorial Day Weekend until the third Sunday of October.
- Accessible park features include a wheelchair-accessible stone picnic shelter, as well as viewpoints and showers.
- While winter camping is available, the dump station, showers, and water spigots shut down before the first freeze. The vault toilet at the southern end of the campground remains open year-round.
Pikes Peak State Park
Check out the fall colors at this woodland park on the banks of the Mississippi.
Looking out over the Mississippi River, Pikes Peak is a great place for hiking and camping, particularly in autumn, when the leaves turn from green to brilliant hues of orange and gold. The most popular activity in the park is taking a stroll up the boardwalk to Bridal Veil Falls via Bear Mound, a bear-shaped effigy built by Indigenous people in ancient times. Pikes Peak is also a great spot for overnight camping, with a 70-site campground offering a mix of electric and non-electric sites, plus showers, restrooms, and a dump station.
Looking out over the Mississippi River, Pikes Peak is a great place for hiking and camping, particularly in autumn, when the leaves turn from green to brilliant hues of orange and gold. The most popular activity in the park is taking a stroll up the boardwalk to Bridal Veil Falls via Bear Mound, a bear-shaped effigy built by Indigenous people in ancient times. Pikes Peak is also a great spot for overnight camping, with a 70-site campground offering a mix of electric and non-electric sites, plus showers, restrooms, and a dump station.
Activities in the park
1 campground in Pikes Peak State Park
Come to Pikes Peak State park for camping in style near some awesome hiking trails with a view! The campground is modern and developed with many electric hookup sites and a concessionaire nearby for some extra treats you may have forgotten. The scenic trails will wow you with some of the best views of northeast Iowa. Bring your bike along too sinc Read more...
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Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
When to Go
The park is open throughout the year, and while winters get cold, some people still opt to camp here. Summertime is busy with the school vacation crowd, while the month of October draws throngs of visitors who come to the park and its surrounding areas to check out the fall colors. There’s also an arts-and-crafts festival in the nearby town of McGregor that takes place over the first two full weekends in October.
Know Before You Go
Public campgrounds (book externally) —