Free camping in Iowa
All 56 camps on this page are free. Not one of them charges a fee.
Every camp we have found on public land in Iowa, grouped by the unit that manages them — that is who sets the stay limit and the fire rules. See them on the map →
How high, and when it opens
Elevation decides the season out here. Pick a band to filter the list.
Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources52 camps
- Aldo Leopold WMA
- Banner Flats WMA
- Big Marsh WMA
- Big Sioux River WMA
- Blue Lake WMA
- Cardinal Marsh WMA
- Cedar Bottoms WMA
- Coon Creek WMA
- Dekalb WMA
- Dudgeon Lake WMA
- Eldon WMA
- Elk Creek Marsh WMA
- Elk Grove WMA
- Fox Hills WMA
- French Creek WMA
- Good Neighbors Marsh WMA
- Goose Lake (Clinton) WMA
- Hawk Valley WMA
- Hawthorn Lake WMA
- Heritage Hills WMA
- Kellerton Bird Conservation Area WMA
- Lake Shawtee WMA
- Lansing WMA
- Loess Hills WMA
- Lost Grove Lake WMA
- Middle Raccoon River WMA
- Millrace Flats WMA
- Mt Ayr WMA
- Otter Creek Marsh WMA
- Ringgold WMA
- Riverton WMA
- Sand Creek WMA
- Sedan Bottoms WMA
- Sny McGill - North Cedar WMA
- Stephens State Forest - Woodburn Backpack Site 1
- Stephens State Forest - Woodburn Backpack Site 2
- Stephens State Forest - Woodburn Backpack Site 3
- Stephens State Forest - Woodburn Backpack Site 4
- Stephens State Forest - Woodburn Backpack Site 5
- Sweet Marsh WMA
- Three Mile Lake WMA
- Wapello Bottoms WMA
- Waterloo Creek WMA
- Waterman Prairie Complex
- West Fork WMA
- Wiese Slough WMA
- Yellow River State Forest - Brown's Hollow Camp
- Yellow River State Forest - Camp Glen Wendel
- Yellow River State Forest - Camp John Schultz
- Yellow River State Forest - Heffern's Hill Camp
- Yellow River State Forest - Prairie Canoe Campsite
- Yellow River State Forest - Ridgetop Canoe Campsite