We used the campground as our base of operations. Easy drive to Pella and to Des Moines. A nice…read morequiet campground and very restful. They have a very nice bathhouse and I would not hesitate to stay again. Even the 3 or so miles of gravel through the fields on either side was nice.

Great RV campsites that over looks the Des Moines River and has a pond w/fountain that is stocked…read moreyearly. New shower house and laundry facilities. If you love to listen to frogs and critter sounds in the night you'll enjoy it here. And YES, we now have Wifi. Well maintained and a very accommodating management team. Quiet with beautiful views of Iowa countryside side yet only minutes from town. Wooded trails, dog friendly and an upcoming dog park. I am a long term HAPPY CAMPER with two happy dogs.

We got in too late to truly enjoy the camping, but we did have a lovely hike in the morning before…read morewe left. The parts of the park we saw were clean and the trails were well maintained. Hopefully we can come back in the future- I feel like there is a lot left to explore!

What a hidden gem of a campground. Beautiful spot. Nice level campsites. I can't wait to come back.read more

It's a wonderful park that has lots of accessible areas and point of picnic, parking areas…read more They have river access, there's a shelter available for rent, end the camping area that accommodates some r v's. I enjoy the park for the birding opportunities that provides. It has an accessible bird viewing area with easy access for wheelchairs. I've seen red headed woodpeckers there , downey , woodpeckers , flycatchers , wobblers , finches , lots of variety. I also enjoy hiking the trail that's next to the bird area.For a wonderful walk into a burr oak forest with many of the trees looking like they're a several hundred plus years old. It's quiet and cool.Because the trail shaded. The other thing of note is that cut the trail wide enough that you can reasonably avoid ticks. I wish they would create a loop on that trail that would end up , so you would know that you've walked a mile or two. Maybe some volunteers could create it

We stayed here on an RV trip across the country. It was a great site. A load of trails and…read morefriendly people everywhere. Also, as you're in the middle of des moines you can get delivery from the town. The tree coverage is very nice and keeps the place cool during the day and the prices are super reasonable. We really enjoyed our stay here and I would suggest it for anyone looking for an RV campsite in or around Des Moines.

We were ahead of schedule to end up in Illinois, so we booked an overnight stay here. We've been…read morestaying at truck stops and on BLM land, so this was a welcome change. The amenities astounded me! This is officially my first "glamping" experience! Full hookups, fishing pond, grassy, shaded dog park, 1 mile trail and 30 miles of adjacent trails, laundry, showers, and so much more. We reserved a site specifically with a patio that had chairs and a fire ring but realized that the sewage setup was encased in tall concrete and not ideal for our RV. They let us change sites and still use the patio, which was very generous as so few sites had them. We didn't do KOA earlier because we couldn't make the check-in windows of operating hours (office closes at 5 pm). However, the owner told us we can arrive at any time and there is an honor system to pay: we can leave our credit card info or pay in the morning. Unlike most other KOAs, this one doesn't have a gate code to get in. It rained and thundered while we were here, and it was beautiful. The ground is covered with rocks and grass, so paws and feet did not get muddy. Overall, I was so pleased with our stay that I downloaded the KOA app for the trip home. Pros: - full hookups - AC in shower room - super friendly - very dog-friendly - kid-friendly too: game room, outdoor toys, jump pad, swimming pool, basketball courts, playground etc - app for reservations - inexpensive (we paid 75$ on 7/23/25) vs a hotel for 3 adults and 2 big dogs - wifi - regularly mowed trail - camp store purchases can be charged to the site - large trash cans Cons: - a bit close to the highway, some noise - sites are very close together (separated by a strip of grass)

Positive and negative thoughts: Nice enough place for a KOA…read more Genny was friendly and very helpful checking in. Escort was fine. Larger than it looks. Easy on/off Highway 80. Clean... have active ground keepers running around. Pool was open, small store for forgotten supplies. Fishing pond is a good size as well. Looks hilly upon driving in, but gravel spaces are level. The hook ups are reasonably placed towards the back end of Coach. Some spaces have larger yards. Our space (#37) was a little close to neighbors but we had no trouble with our 43 ft Class A in a pull-thru. We were on the last row and the negative would be... the Highway noise. It's constant. Day and night. Don't sleep with your windows open ! Other than that....nice place.

10/7/23 We were…read moreassigned a site in the "G" pinwheel. Very spacious between sites, with tons of grass and trees. Concrete pads. Good hook ups. Very very nice, especially since it rained a couple days. Didn't have to deal with mud. Most of the park is beautifully landscaped. It must take a small army to keep it looking so good. There are three friendly, absolutely gorgeous horses near the park entrance. We asked the owner if they like apples and carrots. He kind of smiled and said he didn't know if they would, but that they like peppermint! We tried to go the apple & carrot route, but had no takers. Didn't try anything peppermint. There's a huge pond with fountains on the property. It's quite nice. One of our neighbors trotted off with his rod and reel one day. Don't know if he had any luck. The larger community building has three toilet stalls and three private showers. Two of the showers are small. The larger (for the mobility challenged??) has no hand rails but the larger toilet stall does. The sink area has an outlet on each side, but there's no place to hang your jacket while you wash your hands. Very inconvenient. There is a shuffleboard table, pool table and two video games, as well as a tv. The laundry room has 4 washers and 4 dryers. There's a nice big room with a sweet kitchen for private parties, as well as a lounge area. Someone used it for a Sweet 16 party during our stay. There are no fire rings or picnic tables at any of the sites, and there was no easy route to the community building from our area. We either had to haul all of our laundry gear using the streets, or take the truck. Cutting across someone's site would have been rude but much faster and easier. There is an overflow parking area for guests with more than one vehicle next to the "G" pinwheel. I wish some of the people who were in our pinwheel would have used it, as they parked their extra vehicles so they were partially in the driving lane. One pickup was parked nose-in to the site, but the back of the truck was so far into the driving lane it was hard to get past it. Bad form. The park is close to all the stores and restaurants in Altoona. It's a good location, and it really is a nice place at a decent price. I would definitely recommend it to anyone coming to this area.

We stay at Griff's regularly when visiting our daughter's family. An A+ in my book. Clean, nice…read moreamenities, best RV bathrooms and showers I've seen anywhere. Open year round. Fair prices. Propane for sale. A couple of reviewers have called the owner rude. Gruff may be closer to the truth, but extremely helpful.

This place is run down. Not maintained. Many sites are rutted and not level. Lots of weeds…read more The picnic tables are all warped and unusable---they are redoing some but even the redone tables are only 'half' redone, which makes no sense. I will not stay here again.

We stayed for one night in the summer! The front desk worker was kind and helpful, it's a big area…read morewith lots of spots, and has electrical, and water hook ups. The campground was pretty clean and quiet, and was very close to local amenities. It was also easy to get to off the interstate if you're passing through!

Very well kept, easy in and out park. Gravel spaces but flat and no potholes. It is close to I80 so…read moresome road noise. Nice enough that we are spending another night.

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

This is one of the greatest areas right at the tip of Saylorville Lake, offering a visitor's…read morecenter, playgrounds, walking and hiking trails, and easy access to the Neal Smith trail. Usually, we park the car over at the visitor center, and walk to wherever we're planning to visit throughout the lake and park area. Our dogs are small and get tired fast, so it's nice to have a centralized area with a lot to do, when they need a break. The visitor center provides access to beverage machines, maps, guides, and rules for the park areas. Off the back of the visitor center is a balcony that overlooks the lake, providing a pretty awesome view through the trees out into the water. Just a short walk northeast from the center is a butterfly garden, which actually lives up to its purpose, and just behind the garden is a heavily wooded area that leads to the beach. There are a ton of benches to sit on along the Neal Smith trail, which leads to more campgrounds, boating, and recreational sites. To the opposite direction is the actual dam, which despite its sometimes foul smell, is a sight to see. You're likely to see a few people fishing off of the dam, or just walking around the many secluded trails to view all parts of the park. Definitely recommend starting your next trip to Saylorville off on this side of the lake.

This is a beautiful camping, fishing, and hiking spot off of Saylorville lake…read more There are plenty of benches and picnic areas to enjoy the scenery and take in the great outdoors!!! There is also great fishing right off of the Dam spillway! With lookout areas if you don't feel like fishing. Beautiful grown trees and winding paths all right outside of Des Moines!!

My husband & I enjoyed camping at Rock Creek. The only thing you NEED to know is the campsites are…read morenot gravel/concrete and most are not level so be sure to bring lumber or a LOT of those plastic pads. We camped in a grove of trees but still had room for our awning. It's quiet and worth the effort to camp at Rock Creek. Plenty of shade

Great campground just north of I-80. We visited in late October for an overnight stay with our 20…read morefoot travel trailer. We had a electric hook-up, potable (frost free) water was available to fill our water tank and there was a dump station and trash dumpster. A great deal for $11/night (off season rate?). Only slight negative was the amount of pesky flies.