33 state parks with swimming in Iowa

33 of Iowa’s 56 state parks list swimming. See these parks on a map

ParkCampingLodgingBook
Backbone State ParkIowa's first state park, dedicated in 1920 and named for the narrow bedrock ridge the Maquoketa River carved…Campsites · full hookupsCabins
Beeds Lake State ParkA 99-acre reservoir behind one of the most photographed dams in the Midwest, at the centre of Franklin…Campsites · full hookupsBook a campsite
Big Creek State ParkThe largest beach in the Iowa park system, twenty miles from Des Moines beside Saylorville Lake. Boat rentals…Screened shelters
Black Hawk State ParkBuilt around the southernmost glacial lake in the United States, with much of its stonework laid by the…Campsites · full hookupsCabinsBook a campsite
Brushy Creek State Recreation AreaOne of Iowa's largest parks at 6,500 acres, holding native prairie, grassland, timber, river and lake. More…Campsites · full hookups
Clear Lake State ParkFifty acres of open ground and mature oak on one of Iowa's most popular lakes — 3,000 acres of water drawing…Campsites · full hookups
Geode State ParkNamed for Iowa's state rock, with more than 150 acres of Lake Geode for fishing, boating and paddling. Geodes…Campsites · electric & water
George Wyth State ParkAn urban sanctuary of woodland and water between Waterloo and Cedar Falls, threaded with lakes and river…Campsites · electric & water
Green Valley State ParkA family hub for camping, fishing and boating in southwest Iowa, with three more lakes — Three Mile, Twelve…Campsites · full hookupsCabins
Gull Point State ParkEstablished in 1933 on West Okoboji Lake, with the largest CCC-era lodge in the system and deep shade over…Campsites · electric & waterBook a campsite
Honey Creek State Park828 acres of rolling timbered hills against Rathbun Lake, Iowa's second largest. Deer and turkey are regular…Campsites · electric & waterCabins
Lacey-Keosauqua State ParkIowa's second state park, dedicated in 1920 and spanning 1,662 acres of oak-hickory bluff above the Des…Campsites · full hookupsCabins
Lake Ahquabi State ParkNamed from the Sauk and Fox word for resting place, dedicated in 1936 and built out by the CCC — the stone…Campsites · full hookups
Lake Anita State ParkA 171-acre artificial lake at the centre of 1,062 acres, built in the 1960s and still one of southwest Iowa's…Campsites · full hookupsBook a campsite
Lake Darling State ParkNamed for the conservationist and cartoonist J.N. “Ding” Darling, with woodland hikes and lake recreation in…Campsites · full hookupsCabinsBook a campsite
Lake Keomah State Park366 acres of deep woods and picnic ground along an 84-acre lake near Oskaloosa. Marshy edges hold bullfrogs…Campsites · electric & water
Lake Macbride State ParkNamed for Thomas Macbride, the father of Iowa conservation, with multi-use trails winding right around the…Campsites · full hookups
Lake Manawa State ParkMore than 1,500 acres around a lake the Missouri River created in an 1881 flood, and western Iowa's premier…Day use only
Lake Wapello State ParkMore than 1,000 acres of wooded hillside named for the Meskwaki chief, with scenic picnic ground and a lake…Campsites · full hookupsCabins
Lake of Three Fires State ParkA hotspot for equestrian trail riding and camping in southwest Iowa, with an 85-acre lake for boaters and…Campsites · electric & waterCabins
Lewis and Clark State ParkA picturesque park on the Lewis and Clark expedition route of 1804, in western Iowa, with full-size keelboat…Campsites · full hookups
McIntosh Woods State ParkSixty acres on the northwest shore of Clear Lake, founded in 1944 and shaded throughout. Fishing, boating and…Campsites · electric & waterScreened shelters
Nine Eagles State ParkWooded hills and scenic valleys in southern Iowa, with native plant communities that give unusually good…Campsites · electric & waterCabins
Pine Lake State ParkWooded trails, deep ravines and lake views in the middle of rolling farmland, with CCC and WPA structures…Campsites · full hookupsCabins
Pleasant Creek State Recreation AreaBuilt in the 1960s to give eastern Iowa an accessible lake, and now a premier spot for fishing and boating in…Campsites · full hookupsCabins
Prairie Rose State Park422 acres in the scenic hills of southwest Iowa, named for a village that once stood nearby. The lake is the…Campsites · full hookupsCabins
Red Haw State Park649 acres in south-central Iowa, best known for the redbuds that bloom around the lake each spring and the…Campsites · full hookupsBook a campsite
Rock Creek State ParkA premier camping destination in central Iowa with nearly 200 sites, several of them on the water. Boating…Campsites · electric & water
Springbrook State Park930 acres of rolling hills and mature timber in Guthrie County, much of it built by the CCC in the 1930s. A…Campsites · electric & waterCabins
Twin Lakes State ParkA 453-acre lake near Rockwell City in northwest Iowa, popular with boaters and anglers. A sandy beach, a…Day use only
Union Grove State ParkEstablished in 1938 around a 110-acre lake in Tama County, with an often-photographed waterfall and dam…Campsites · full hookupsCabins
Viking Lake State ParkA thousand acres of which most is left in its natural state, thick with wildflowers and native plants…Campsites · full hookups
Waubonsie State ParkA site on the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail with exceptional views over the Loess Hills and out across the…Campsites · electric & waterCabins

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