We had a fun time walking through the creek and enjoying the scenery. We had adults and kids…read more Really enjoyed seeing how much fun all the kids were having. They loved when the cars drove by and splashed them. Beautiful area. We considered hiking, but just too hot today. The creek walk was perfect. Definitely wear water shoes if you plan to walk the creek, and bring sunscreen and bug spray.

This place is awesome and always a destination when we need to touch Ledges State Park is one of…read moreour favorite places to take visitors when we want to show off just how beautiful this part of Iowa really is. It never disappoints. We've spent so much time here exploring, hiking, and driving through the water crossings -- which is always a blast, especially when you accidentally (on purpose) splash water all over the kids waiting nearby. So much fun. I have way too many pictures from this place, and somehow it still feels different every time we go. On our most recent visit, we brought Kim's parents to see the fall colors. We missed peak color by a bit, but honestly, it was still beautiful. Even when it's not at its "perfect" moment, Ledges is still worth the trip. If you want nature, scenery, and a spot that never gets old, this is it

How lucky were we to find this! The county should be really proud of what they've done here. They…read morehave many very affordable sites, our has full hookups and it it cozy and spacious at the same time. The entire park is beautiful and even has a great looking public golf course. Easily reservable online, we were able to line it up same day and pop right into our pull thru spot as soon as we arrived. The is one street light in the campground and I wish it wasn't right next to site 26, but not enough to spoil a perfect evening. As our campfire dwindles in the late evening, we know the memories and appreciation we have will never fade. Thanks to Hamilton county for a truly wonderful park!

Lovely waterfalls Peaceful trails…read moreNot nearly as crowded as Ledges

What a fun place! One of the last open air skating rinks in the country .. in the world? Really…read morenice campsites and grounds. But, the skating rink! It is so cool!

A beautiful campground, just the right distance away from home…read more Lots of electric sites with easy access. There is a Lake, there is two sides to said Lake. No matter which side you pick to camp on you are going to be close enough to walk to the middle. Or somewhere where there is water to fish in. In the middle is beach area. You can swim at the beach. You can get snacks at the snack house or you can get a paddle boat, kayak, or canoe and rent from the snack house. (They have ice cream too) There is a is even a wood floor skating rink! This was my favorite thing. I am a grown woman and I still love to skate. They pull up the window shutters and play music you can hear all the way out to your camper if you are on the waters edge. We took advantage of their Frisbee course. Its a smaller one, but it was set up nice and a perfect size to teach my parents how to play Frisbee golf. There is a golf cart that comes around in the evenings selling firewood and ice. What a fantastic idea. We only wished there was a little better signage or maybe another dump station. We only located one to fill up and dump for this big campground. I will be back. FYI- this was new. The local golf course was offering free golfing to campers. So it was purchase 9 holes get 9 free for the campers here. They don't have rental clubs yet, so you'll want to bring your own.

We celebrated our family Christmas here. There were about 20 of us and we had a blast. The first…read morefloor was equipped with a full kitchen and eating area large enough for all of us to sit and eat comfortably. The kids played upstairs while the adults hung out downstairs so was great for the noise level. Fully equipped with free wifi, direct tv and hotel-like amenities (how can you beat a free homemade continental breakfast?) When the kids got restless we went outside and played in the treehouse, walked to the pond and enjoyed the teeter totter. The owners have thought of everything and provided it! We will definitely be back!

My family and I stayed in the treehouse campground in late May 2016. Kids were 10, 8, 6, and 4…read more The experience was unforgettable for all of us. The kids enjoyed the tent and camping. They enjoyed the vineyard grounds, tire swing, and play area. We also went fishing and caught twelve fish from sunfish to walleye. The campground is supplied with a tank of water for cleaning or other nonpotable uses. There is a ton of firewood with the fire pit. There's a port a potty. Dean and Nancy have thought of everything. Plus, there is NO ONE around. It's your own private Iowa. There is golfing but our kids brought baseball and football stuff. The big area was huge and they filled their days with sport. Glidden is nearby for swimming. Groceries are 15 mins away. We loved our stay was outstanding and we will definitely be back. By the way, Dean and Nancy are phenomenal hosts.

The area is well kept, mowing done and trash areas cleaned. The restrooms and showers are humid so…read moreI avoid them at all costs. Generally pretty quiet and everyone respects the space. We were on an end, next to a large camper and the people really didn't sit outside much so it was extra quiet for us.

Honestly a great little place to enjoy some winter sports in Central Iowa!…read more Obviously there is no mountains here so the slopes are as to be expected. The lodge area isn't anything fancy but it was actually larger than I expected. They also offer rentals for an additional fee to your lift ticket - skis, boards, boots, helmets, poles, etc. I am extremely impressed with the staff. I had only been snowboarding once about ten years ago and my husband never had. We were extremely nervous if we were going to pick it up and debated on paying for a private lesson. I would not advise paying for a lesson...Seven Oaks has many instructors perched on the learning/bunny hill. They offer group lessons on the hour but if you can find a free instructor and ask, they will give you their own sort of private lesson. That is what we did. An awesome board instructor spent about 15-20 minutes with us one-on-one, explained the basics and did some hands on instructing. After that, we both picked it up very quickly and could make it over to the more legit, but beginner hill. As I mentioned the lodge was more than I was anticipating. They have a concession stand, bar with pizza by the slice, and coffee shop. Lots of ample seating and even a large TV in the coffee shop area, we caught some of the Iowa State game while we were eating lunch. We would go back. It is a great option for the flat plains of Iowa.k

The good: Kayaking/canoeing was about $40 per person, which is a great price for entertainment…read morethese days. The river itself was stunning, we had gorgeous weather, and they had a small concession stand with necessities like bug spray available for purchase. Unfortunately, I still wouldn't recommend this experience when there are other options around Iowa for a similar price. We were told when reserving that if the river was too low, we would have the option to reschedule, which I think is a great policy. However, our reservation was on the last day of the season, so realistically rescheduling wasn't an option for us. My biggest issue wasn't even the low river level as the kayaks were doing great in the water- it was that the representative checking us in allowed us to take out a single canoe for our group knowing we would be dealing with less than a foot of water in some areas. This was our first time canoeing and kayaking, so we were relying on the staff's expertise. I really would have appreciated someone recommending that we switch from the canoe to a more maneuverable kayak given the conditions that day. Instead, we ended up having to get out and push the canoe for a large portion of the trip. It was exhausting, and for some customers, it may not even be physically possible. As a first-time floater who brought out-of-state friends specifically for this activity, I wasn't expecting the river conditions to be perfect. We were prepared to make the best of it. What I did expect was some guidance from the company about how to have the best experience possible given the conditions that day. I'd recommend choosing Seven Oaks to be more proactive about advising inexperienced customers, matching the right equipment to the river conditions, and allowing some flexibility to switch boats once you arrive.

This is a lovely campground with beautiful mature trees and roomy spaces. There is a short walk to…read morerestrooms and showers which are very nice. Some spots are right on the river (look at site map) so are difficult to get especially on weekends. Used our sr. cards and got a great rate. Negatives: sites don't have septic and you have to book thru recreation.gov which is not the easiest site to navigate. All in all, well worth it! Camp host Frank is wonderful!

This is a great big recreation area that is broken up into three parts. When you first pull in you…read morecome to a stop sign and if you turn left you go into the camping area. If you go right you go into the picnic and playground area. If you go straight it takes you down to the boat ramps. I have never been to the campground portion of the rec area so I will leave that part to be reviewed by other people. The boat ramp area is very nice. They have two different sets of boat ramps. They have an upper set of boat ramps which are very long and very steep. They have a lower set of boat ramps which are your standard length and grade. The parking is down by the lower ramps and there is a pretty large parking area. The picnic area is very nice here. They have six shelters and two play areas for kids. Shelter 6 is arguably the best shelter area as it has the nicest playground close to it, a horseshoe area, and it also has an amazing view of the lake. By shelter 1 there is an entrance to the bike trail heading north with plenty of parking. There is also an entrance to the bike trail heading south near the entrance to the campground area. Overall this recreation area is a great place for the family offering lots of different options.

I booked a spot for my camper for a class reunion. The campgrounds had been closed for a while for…read moreupgrades and remodeling..new bathrooms and showers..so I was pretty stoked to have the new upgrades..well the bathrooms and showers were both clean and new.. not sure what they were thinking when they sat down and designed it though..solid concrete looked good in paper, double as a storm shelter..instead during camping season this turns it into a sauna..literally sweating while shaving..no fans? Did the budget run over? And the showers..has that great push button get X amount of time then push it again. I get it..but the shower head right on the wall..so you get to kiss that button if you want your head directly under the shower head. And the cool part is you don't have to waste time deciding the temperature of your water. They decide for you..100 degrees out. Cool off in a hot shower inside a sauna.. wth..then last jab on showers.. they had a blank slate to work with and it is a wet room..everything is wet because it is a shower..but you have to get to it..aka you have clothes on and with you to change into clean ones..1 darn hook..saved some money there..at least your towel has somewhere to stay dry..because the 2x2 foot bench isn't keeping anything dry..where do you sit to get dressed? Dry off? Keep clean clothes clean and dry? Just a stupid overall design..use the handicap shower and hope nobody in a wheelchair needs it..it at least has a small separate space that stays dry..same dumb 1 hook 2x2 foot bench concept..other than that wonderful stay..clean well kept grounds..campers were respectful nice..park staff were helpful and nice..scenery was beautiful..

Very nice picturesque park... Very very busy in the summer decent kayaking, and fishing to be had…read moreonly electric motors are allowed

Variety of camping options at Acorn Valley. There's RV spots and a lot for tent camping, you can be…read morein the shade, tucked in the trees, or out in the open. $14 for one night but if you have some pass you can use that and not have to pay. With the variety there are some spots much closer to bathrooms than others. Some spots you'll have a little trek to your site and if you do drive in closer the rangers will ask you to move your car. Nice playground, big shower (singular.. one shower per bathhouse). Bathrooms were pretty nice for a campsite. Drinking fountains were closed. Bugs were pretty pesky in the woods, to be expected with camping. There was a little path to a fishing area - we swam and it was no beach but it was good enough with some shoes that work in water. Decent option for Saylorville lake.

Watch out if u have your kids or pets camping with you if you have to run anywhere because they…read morewill call the cops and dhs and they will come take your kids and pets and take you to jail my daughters almost 12 and they had a cell phone and everything