Blue Lake WMA
Iowa DNR Wildlife Management Area — about 1,313 acres across 6 separate parcels, Monona County. Primitive camping is allowed statewide on Iowa DNR wildlife areas by rule — no permit, no camping fee — for up to 14 consecutive days, UNLESS that area posts restrictions on site (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-51.11). The DNR can close any individual area to camping just by putting up a sign, and there is no statewide list of which ones have, so read the signs at the entrance and treat a posted restriction as final. Iowa DNR's own camping article also says to stay 100+ yards from parking lots, boat ramps and jetties; that sentence was dropped from the rule in the June 2025 rewrite, but it is still good practice and may be posted locally. These are working wildlife areas, not campgrounds: expect a gravel parking area and nothing else — no water, no toilet, no table, no fire ring. Pack water in and everything out. Fall is a hard time to use these: Iowa's shotgun deer seasons and waterfowl season put a lot of hunters on WMAs, and blaze orange plus a different destination is the smarter call. The pin is a representative point inside the official DNR boundary, NOT a campsite or a parking lot — scout the actual access off the DNR atlas before you commit to it after dark.
Everything you need — measured from Blue Lake WMA · Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources · IA
- FFuel1 mi
- GGrocery1 mi
- WWater2 mi
- DDump2 mi
- ShShower2 mi
- +Urgent care2 mi
- @Mail3 mi
- HHardware5 mi
- LLaundry8 mi
- MMechanic24 mi
- EVEV fast charger31 mi
- RxPharmacy31 mi
- OOutfitter37 mi
- AAir-up52 mi
- PPropane57 mi
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 1 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 31-mi run (and back).
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Blue Lake WMA
Nearby & resupply — around Blue Lake WMA · Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources · IA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBlue Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townOnawa · ~2.6 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~1.9 mi
- FuelFuel · ~1.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~2.1 mi
- GroceriesDollar General Market · ~1.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicBurgess Health Center · ~2.2 mi
- HardwareRichards Parts & Hardware · ~5.3 mi
EV charging — from Blue Lake WMA · Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources · IA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger30.9 mi straight-line N — HYUNDAI STORE HYUNDAI S, Sioux City, IA · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 15 within 50 · 74 within 100 · 159 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)31.0 mi — Sioux City, IA - Southern Hills Drive - Tesla Supercharger, Sioux City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)29.0 mi — AIRPORT STATION AIRPORT, Sioux City, IA · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 346221 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Blue Lake WMA · Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources · IA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 5 · ~2.5 mi SE
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 2 · ~2.5 mi SE
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 3 · ~26.8 mi NW
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 6 · ~26.9 mi NW
Open Blue Lake WMA elsewhere
Other camps near Blue Lake WMA
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Loess Hills WMA~10.4 mi
- Pelican Point SRA~12.8 mi · fee
- Summit Lake SRA~19.2 mi · fee
How we know this — Blue Lake WMA
What we don’t know about Blue Lake WMA
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it